Excitement is growing about the new Beth Gavriel building on 108th Street and 66th Road in Forest Hills. Large Stars of David, stained-glass windows, domed roofs, and marble adorn the building.
The new main sanctuary will accommodate approximately 500 men and women. The ballroom in the new building hosted more than 500 people for a sit-down lunch on Simchat Torah that was viewed as its inaugural event. The social hall is currently available to the wider community for special occasions with an in-house caterer. The hall is quickly becoming a vital communal staple. A formal opening has not been set yet for the new building.
The new building took 13 years because “there were a lot of stop work orders, a lot of obstacles we had to go through. It’s a very, very big deal for us that we’re finally able to use that new building,” said Rabbi Tomer Zino, who runs the Netz Minyan at the shul.
The shul hopes the new building will be a community center and expand their programs. Three new minyanim will be added to the already four happening on Shabbos in their current building.
Around 750–800 people currently attend Shabbat minyanim at the shul, said Rabbi Ilan Meirov, who is the Rav of the 7 a.m. Shabbat Minyan. Rabbi Ilan Meirov was the first Bar Mitzvah at the Beth Gavriel shul when it began in 1996.
The original Beth Gavriel minyan started when they rented a space inside a former yeshivah building originally built in 1970, according to the Portal from the Displacement Alert Project.
“They kept growing and growing, and never imagined” that the entire block would be theirs, said Rabbi Tomer Zino.
The older Beth Gavriel building will undergo upgrades in the future to make the two buildings seamless. “There’s a lot of potential over there, combining the two buildings together,” said Rabbi Ilan Meirov.
“Even though it’s officially a Bukharian synagogue, their doors are open to everyone of every background. It doesn’t matter your religious level, it doesn’t matter your religious observance. They’re very welcoming,” said Rabbi Meirov.
Beth Gavriel has four rabbis for the four minyanim on Shabbat: at sunrise, 6:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m., and 8:45 a.m.
Rabbi Emanuel Shimonov is the Chief Rabbi at Beth Gavriel, running the main minyan for the older generation. His primary languages are Russian and Hebrew. Rabbi Israel Itshakov runs the Youth Minyan, Rabbi Tomer Zino runs the early morning minyan, and Rabbi Ilan Meirov runs the 7 a.m. minyan.
Rabbi Ilan Meirov said the shul not only tries to inspire and foster growth in spirituality and with character traits but also helps with family matters like raising children and shalom bayit. “They just touch a little bit of everything to help their overall life.”
Rabbi Tomer Zino grew up in Hollywood, Florida, and Chicago. He moved to Queens ten years ago and has been with Beth Gavriel for three and a half years. He said Beth Gavriel “is very welcoming. People don’t have to feel like they have to know somebody or belong to a group to come to the shul. We make people feel like family and special.”
Rabbi Israel Itshakov has been with Beth Gavriel for 28 years. He said he “provides guidance and assistance to thousands of kids and young adults in every aspect of their lives.” Everything the four rabbis do “is for the community, and when you do it from your heart, people feel your warmth.”
Torah classes happen every day at Beth Gavriel: young rabbinical students learn during the day; nightly programs for businessmen and college-age students; and frequent lectures for men and women. They also have a kosher food pantry.
Three major organizations started at Beth Gavriel: Chazaq, Torah Anytime, and Emet.
Chazaq’s primary focus is outreach with Jewish public-school students through after-school programs in over 20 locations. In the past few years, over 2,000 students have transferred from public school to yeshivot, said Rabbi Ilan Meirov, who runs the organization with his brother, Rabbi Yaniv Meirov.
Emet began in 2004 and does Torah outreach amongst college students and young professionals across the community.
Torah Anytime is known for broadcasting thousands of lectures to Jews across the globe in many different languages, with content for people of all levels of religious observance.
Beth Gavriel is located at 66-35 108 Street in Forest Hills and can be reached by calling (718) 268-7558.
By David Schneier
Beth Gavriel’s New Building Nears Completion
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