Our history

The second great move of Syrian Sephardic families from Brooklyn to the Jersey Shore began. “Go West Young Man”: west of Larchwood Avenue, that is. With dreams of our children playing in lush backyards and on clean, safe streets, we left the cocoon of our families in Brooklyn, and saw at once that our young community needed a synagogue to survive.

Rabbi Isaac Dweck, leader of the Deal Synagogue, visited Joe and Sophie Hafif’s home and proposed a floating minyan, with a Sefer Torah that went from home to home each month. The ladies prepared lavish Shabbat morning brunches, and strong friendships were forged under our beloved Rabbi, Rabbi Reuben Semah.

The men knocked on each other’s doors in blizzards and pouring rain to rouse their friends out of bed, so the chain of minyanim was never broken.

Our founding President Joe Hafif and Vice President Steve Nasar, with our dear friend the attorney Mr. Jerome Shapiro, bought a small house on Monmouth Road. Mr. Isaac Hafif a”h gave the down payment, and the serious fundraising began.

The seller tried to raise the price when he learned it would be a synagogue; Mr. Shapiro’s contract stopped him. The borough said the house wasn’t zoned for a synagogue; Mr. Shapiro found on the town’s maps that the land had been zoned for “church use” some 150 years before, because a church on the corner of Monmouth Road and West Palmer Avenue had its zone run, “in error”, all the way to our property. So about 150 years ago, Hashem decided that this is where our Synagogue would be.

Joe Zekaria, Nemo Chalme and Robert Tobias joined in the early decisions. After a year of praying in a tiny living room and holding Seuda Shelishit in a small basement room, the house was renovated, at little cost and in little time, into a small synagogue. More families moved in, and Rabbi Semah helped us flourish in Torah and mitzvot; he made each member feel special.

A.J. Gindi moved into the neighborhood, young and energetic, and took the reins. With Rabbi Semah he added classes, more minyanim and many children’s programs.

Charles Gammal and his father, Mr. Albert Gammal, gave the financial base for a larger, permanent building, and Charles honored his father by giving the shul the name it is known by today: Congregation Magen Abraham.

It was not a good year for the economy, but Rabbi Semah saw what was needed: “Just start, and Hashem will help.” Everyone did their part for the plans, the approvals and the money.

The building went up and the Grand Opening was set, but the building, and our pockets, were empty: no Hechal, no rugs, no chairs. Mr. Ike Hazan, who lives in Israel, a relative of Ralph Hazan, heard and took it upon himself to give the stained glass windows and see to their making. He bought the Hechal dedication, dedicated the Main Sanctuary in memory of his father, Jacob Hazan a”h, so that it could have permanent seating, and supervised the making of the sanctuary’s main doors. The windows and doors are the work of the Israeli glass artist Jeremy Langford.

Baruch Hashem, we have a beautiful building, a grand social hall and catering facilities. Rabbi Mordechai Dabbah helps Rabbi Semah teach our community’s beautiful minhagim and halachot to men, ladies and children. There are five minyanim each Shabbat morning, for every age, and the Youth Minyan draws almost a hundred children every Shabbat.

Past Presidents include Ralph Hazan, Gary Gemal, Jerry Harary, Charles Gammal, David Kassin, Joey Rishty and A.J. Gindi. We are forever grateful to Danny Safdieh and Eli Cabasso for serving as our Hazzanim all these years.

The renovated Main Sanctuary: white walls, panels of blue sodalite stone beside the ark, and a great ring of light. Next, a new building for prayer, learning, celebration and community, whose Grand Lobby will carry a wall of stone bricks with the names of the families who build it.

The building campaign