The Young Israel of West Hempstead...
is an Orthodox synagogue located in the heart of Long Island that has provided minyanim, shiurim and programming in the area for over 50 years. Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer ZT"L was our spiritual leader from 1983 to 2021, and Rabbi Josh Goller joined us as the Associate Rabbi in 2013.
Our neighborhood...
is in many ways a reflection of our Rabbi ZT"L, a seemingly quiet and humble exterior masks an unmatched vibrancy and passion. Our programming is as diverse as our membership base and caters to all demographic cohorts – including exciting youth programming, active adult education and, of course, our senior population – which includes long-time West Hempstead veterans as well as new, “young couples” who are part of the heart and soul of our community.
Almost 700 hundred families strong,
the Young Israel of West Hempstead is one of the fastest growing Orthodox synagogues in the country. Founded in the 1950s as a small minyan at the newly formed Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC), now located across the street from our Shul, our synagogue has experienced explosive growth over the last number of years. We attribute this growth to many factors, not least among them our dedicated membership.
At the Young Israel of West Hempstead,
we take pride in the fact that a large number of our members grew up here and, at the same time we have attracted Jews from all over the tri-state area, the United States and the world. We welcome new neighbors from all walks of life and look forward to celebrating a very bright future with all our friends, family and community here on Long Island before we, with G-d’s help, return to a newly rebuilt Jerusalem.
Our History
History of West Hempstead in a "Jubilee Minute"
Read about the "history" of West Hempstead in a series of anecdotes submitted by current and past members of our shul on the occasion of our Jubilee anniversary.
A special thanks to Chaim Mechanic for providing the vital historical details and timeline. These submissions have been edited for the web format but are available in their original form from the shul office.