For many years there was an orthodox synagogue in our neighborhood called Congregation B'nai Avraham. This Mitchell-Linden section of Flushing was a naturally occurring retirement community. Many young Jewish families moved there when the co-operative apartment complexes opened in the early to mid 1950s. As the years went by, most of the Jews either moved to Florida or passed away while Koreans moved in. The orthodox temple lost members and was forced to close. The members sold the building and the property to an adjacent nursing home with the agreement that services could be held in perpetuity in the community room. For the last five years or so we have gone to high holiday services in this new First Congregation of Flushing. It is advantageous for us to go there since many synagogues have a large fee for non-affiliates to pray on the high holidays. They ask for a donation to a Jewish organization after Yom Kippur.
My family belonged to a conservative congregation years ago while Lee was bar mitzvahed from a reform temple. It is difficult for me to attend an orthodox service since it is entirely in Hebrew. Rabbis in conservative and reform services explain the significance of the holidays and the specific prayers.
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