Brooklyn - Synagogue destroyed by Superstorm Sandy is rebuilt

Young Israel of Brighton Beach, a synagogue destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, officially reopened today.

"Our community is finally recovering from the devastation wreaked upon it by the winds and flood waters of Hurricane Sandy" said Rabbi Zaltzman, the synagogue's Rabbi. "The rededication marks the conclusion of a long construction project and its occurrence shortly after the first anniversary of that hurricane is nothing short of heartwarming."

In the 1970s a huge wave of Russian Jewish immigrants poured in from the Soviet Union to escape communism, thus giving Brighton Beach the name 'little Russia' or 'little Odessa.' The neighborhood became known throughout the world as having the largest concentration of Russian Jews in the U.S.

The synagogue, one of the few left in Brighton Beach, was rededicated today in a special ceremony. Rabbis from Ukraine, France, Sweden and Israel were present at the opening.