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Nassau Lic. No. H36006309. Suffolk Lic. Nos. 3134-P, 2901-RE. NYC Lic. No. 1314079. ©2019 Petro. P_19316
Mount Sinai Temple sold
to Thessalonia Baptists
I took this photograph of Nick DiBrino in front of the Thesssalonia Baptist Church on February
23, 2011. Prior to being acquired by the Baptists, it was a Jewish synagogue. It is located
at 951 Reverend James A. Polite Avenue (formerly known as Stebbins Avenue).
As mass transit began to fl ourish
in the Bronx, so did the population.
The overcrowded lower east
side began to empty out with residents
seeing the advantages of life in
the suburbs. The disenfranchised of
Europe were also hearing from family
members newly ensconced in our
borough, especially the Jews. A new
way of life had beckoned and many
responded.
Rabbi Max Reichler picked a grand
time to establish his congregation in
the Bronx circa 1911. He had recently
graduated from the Hebrew Union
College in Cincinnati and was ready
to start his fi rst synagogue. Four
years later he married Edith Maisner
of 130th Street in Harlem and by
1916 his new temple on Stebbins Avenue
at 163rd Street had grown to 125
congregants.
The Sinai Congregation of the
Bronx was dedicated on March 12 of
that year and 1,000 people attended
the grand celebration. Almost every
other household in the area would
soon be Jewish and few cared that
only the basement was actually ready
for occupation. It held 700 people and
upon completion that capacity would
triple. It was a great location and
served the congregation well until
they fi nally sold the building on October
17, 1943 to the Thessalonia Baptist
Church which had been located at 921
Eagle Avenue. The Baptists had taken
out a $57,000 mortgage to purchase
the synagogue at 951 Stebbins Avenue
and were delighted to have a home
of their own after renting their current
church for the prior fi ve years, a
structure that years earlier was considered
their permanent home.
The church had been established
in Virginia in 1892 and moved to the
Fordham area of the Bronx in 1894.
They fi nally settled at 921 Eagle Avenue
in 1919 under the pastorship
of Reverend L. J. Johns who would
lead the congregation for the next 20
years. Then in 1934 they lost their
church building, but in 1939 Minister
James A. Polite was nominated
for ordination and the pastorate of
the church.
It was he who led the congregation
in purchasing the Mount Sinai
Temple on Stebbins Avenue. He
would continue to lead the congregation
until his death in September
of 1980. He was so well loved and respected
throughout the community
that a portion of Stebbins Avenue
was re-named for him the year after
his death. The offi cial address of the
church was now 951 Reverend James
A. Polite Avenue.
The church was run by the elders
and sisters for the following two
years until Rev. Dr. Shellie Sampson,
Jr. was named pastor in May of 1982.
Since then a radio ministry was established
and a multi-million dollar
Community Cultural Center added.
Numerous new programs were inaugurated
and the church is now
home to a food pantry, Boy scouts,
girl scouts, and numerous other important
outlets for both children
and adults. It’s good to see that the
building is still serving the people of
the area in good ways after all these
years.
REPRINTED FROM 4-14-2011