Free Synagogue of Flushing — Attraction in New York

I first came to Free Synagogue in 1994 after my father died and I was looking for synagogue where I could respect his memory by saying Kaddish at Friday evening services. From the start, the congregation was warm and welcoming, without being overbearing. This was something I appreciated during and after my period of mourning. As the years progressed, I stayed at FSF, became more involved in its functions and activities and enrolled my son in the religious school there. My son became Bar Mitzvah in the magnificent sanctuary, surrounded by family, friends and synagogue family. I have remained deeply involved at this very special house of worship, learning and community. We are blessed to have had Cantor Steven Pearlston on the bimah and actively involved in synagogue activities for over 30 years, teaching our Bar/Bat Mitzvah students and adult education classes as well as offering an amazing variety of both sacred and popular music in a variety of settings. He was joined a few years ago by Rabbi Michael Weisser and they have formed a wonderful, synergistic pairing of talent and interests. Rabbi Weisser is has a warm, gentle manner that just pulls you in and makes you want to stay. Under his clerical leadership, FSF offers an informal Shabbat morning worship and Torah study that in four years has worked its way, verse by verse through Genesis and almost all the way through Exodus....talk about multiple opinions! When the now historic sanctuary building was erected in the 1920s, the founders were prescient enough to engrave the Biblical quote: "For mine house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples". Taken from that, the synagogue's catch phrase is "There is something for everyone under our dome". They couldn't...

This is an extraordinary and one of a kind place. Starting with the physical ediface, the synagogue itself is an amazing and magnificent structure. Built in the 1920s, the glory days of elaborate Jewish temple architecture, the outer building and interior sanctuary are works of art. The stained glass windows alone are as beautiful as anything one could in a museum. The wonderful congregation couldn't be more welcoming and the clergy sensational. I initially joined a couple of years ago after reading an article in the New York Times about FSF inspirational Rabbi Michael Weisser, and his wise, inclusive and incisive teaching, always spiritually uplifting. In addition I was then blown away by the wonderful music, lead by the classically trained cantor Steve Pearlston and his choir - all accompanied by an enormous and heavenly 1925 Aeolian pipe organ, reputedly the oldest one operating today in Queens. The Cantor varies the musical program, drawing on classic and time honored Jewish music as well as contemporary versions of liturgical melodies. Now I am a regular attendee of this terrific place and look forward to weekly services. FSF is such a welcoming and inspirational place that it draws worshipers from a wide swath of the community. Regardless of one's religious affiliation, the modern Jew will find this a welcome and...

FSF is a special place. The clergy are gifted and magnificent. The cantor has a voice which might only be heard this side of an opera house and the rabbi exhibits a compassion, intellect and knowledge of human nature both ancient and modern that makes his sermons - and even just his presence - a life changing and life affirming experience. The synagogue itself is a work of art - beautiful 1920s style beaux arts architecture complete with some of the finest stained glass windows in the New York area. The congregation is diverse and always welcoming. This is a special place and entirely worth a visit. Cant recommend it...