Queens temples officially named historic sites

From left: the Free Synagogue of Flushing, the Astoria Center of Israel, and the Rego Park Jewish Center

Three Queens synagogues on the national and state registers of historic places will be ceremoniously inducted this morning at the Queens Borough Hall. The three sites, which were placed on the registers earlier this year, Rego Park Jewish Center, Astoria Center of Israel and the Free Synagogue of Flushing, were inducted based on their historical, architectural and cultural significance, according to a press release from the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the Preservation League of New York State. All three synagogues were built in the first half of the 20th century, with the oldest, Astoria Center of Israel, built in 1925-26. Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, who plans to attend the ceremony today, said in a written statement that preserving the synagogues is essential to the neighborhoods. “They are distinctive living memorials that now have a new chapter written into their history,” Marshall said. “The listing of these synagogues on the national and state registers of historic places is proof of their enduring value through generations and helps ensure their future on our borough’s landscape.” TRD