Jewish Community of Long Island

Jews have lived on Long Island since the Colonial era and had begun developing organized Jewish communities there by the late 1800s. The earliest communities were in Lindenhurst, where Congregation Neta Tzarschea incorporated a cemetery in 1876; Glen Cove, where Congregation Tifereth Israel has operated since 1897; and Sag Harbor, where Temple Adas Israel’s original 1898 building still houses its congregation. Other initial Jewish communities formed in Kings Park, Patchogue, Bay Shore, and Greenport. Despite periods of threat from the Ku Klux Klan, the pro-Nazi bund, and social discrimination, the Jewish community flourished in a variety of local businesses, the military, and politics. After World War II, Jewish communities expanded and developed as the region suburbanized. Long Island became home to a multitude of synagogues, Jewish day schools, and local branches of national Jewish organizations. The Jewish community continues to enrich the culture of Long Island over 100 years after its humble beginnings.

Founded in 1985, the Jewish Genealogy Society of Long Island (JGSLI, www.jgsli.org) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage, educate, and develop sources for family history research. Rhoda Miller, EdD, CG, a past president of JGSLI and a certified genealogist, teaches genealogy courses at Dowling College in Oakdale, New York.