Ahi Ezer Congregation: Serving Our Community for 100 Years

Ahi Ezer Torah Center
Ahi Ezer Congregation has served the Sephardic community for almost 100 years, starting when the new immigrants from Syria came to the lower east side on Essex Street. Later on, as the community members moved to Brooklyn, Ahi Ezer Congregation moved to 64th Street, then to 71st Street and now, for the past 40 years, Ahi Ezer has been located on Ocean Parkway and Avenue S.

Ahi Ezer is involved in many projects that serve the Sephardic Jewish community in Brooklyn. They are truly one of the important organizations in our area.

There have been several families that have gone above and beyond to help the beloved organization grow and they deserve special thanks. They are the Maslaton family, the Bibi family, the Dayan family, the Zalta family, the Escava family, the Mann family, the Cohen family and the Azrak family. They were leaders in building the synagogues, yeshivot, Torah Center senior housing and other projects that have benefited the community.

The Maslaton family has guided the congregation spiritually for the past 100 years. First there was Rabbi Mordechai Maslaton A”H, then Rabbi Sion Maslaton A”H and now Rabbi Shaul Maslaton. They have led the congregants spiritually for generation after generation, by uniting and inspiring each member of the synagogue in spiritual growth. They were inspired by the wonderful chief rabbis of our community Rabbi Jacob Kassin A”H and Rabbi Baruch ben Chaim A”H.

Ahi Ezer Organization provides services to our community in many social and religious ways. First there’s the synagogue on Ocean Parkway and Ave. S, which has a social hall and the Torah Center on East 7th Street with the yeshivah, library and synagogue. There are the senior citizen homes on East 7th Street and East 3rd Street, the mikvehs and Meals on Wheels and the Avenue X Synagogue and yeshivah. All of these projects are here thanks to the hard work and dedication of the members of the committee of the Ahi Ezer Congregation.

In this article, we’ll concentrate on the Ahi Ezer Torah Center which is located on East 7th Street and Avenue S in Brooklyn.

Ahi Ezer Torah Center is not only a place to pray—with daily minyan and vatikin (sunrise) minyan— it’s also a place of study (kollel) where you can receive one on one attention or group study which will open your mind to the study of Torah.

The mikveh for utensils (kelim), which was dedicated to the memory of Sophie Maslaton, located in the Torah Center at East 7th Street, has been used by caterers, restaurants, and entire families. Our mikveh for dishes and utensils has helped us keep the laws of kashrut.

On Passover you can see the assembly of people in front of the mikveh, up and down East 7th Street.

The men’s mikveh, also located in the Torah Center, was dedicated by Albert J. Betesh. This is one of the few mikvehs in our community which provides services to men.

Also in the Torah Center, on the second floor, is a special English and Hebrew library for the community to use. Any time of the day you’ll find people in there reading to their hearts’ content.

Bnot Rachel, Ahi Ezer’s girls yeshivah, located in the magnificent Torah Center is under the guidance of Rabbi Sion Maslaton. The yeshivah prepares the girls to be the future proud mothers of our community.

With the synagogue on Ocean Parkway, the synagogue on Avenue X, the Torah Center, the library, the minyanim, the night kollel, mikvehs, the girls yeshivah, and many other important projects in the works, Ahi Ezer deserves the respect and gratitude of our community.

Next month we will focus on one of the other important services that Ahi Ezer provides.

Ahi Ezer Organization’s Many Community Services:
We Are Proud of the Past & Working for the Future

– Ahi Ezer Ocean Parkway Synagogue
– Ahi Ezer Ocean Parkway Catering Hall
– Ahi Ezer Ocean Parkway Midrash
– Ahi Ezer Ave X Synagogue
– Ahi Ezer Ave X Yeshiva Elementary School
– Torah Center English & Hebrew Library
– Torah Center East 7th St
– Torah Center Kollel Study
– Torah Center Synagogue
– Torah Center Men’s Mikveh
– Torah Center Mikveh Kelim
– Torah Center Girls Yeshiva High School
– Senior Citizen Building E 7th St Vatikin Sunrize Minyan
– Senior Housing Kings Highway E 3rd St
– Senior Housing Social Hall Kings Highway E 3rd St
– Senior Housing 1960 E 7th St
– Senior Housing 1965 E 7th St
– Meals on Wheels Food Program