Crown heights

Crown heights

Crown Heights Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, located east of Prospect Park. It is home to the famous building at 770 Eastern Parkway, the global center of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. The main street of the neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, while Kingston Avenue serves as the central hub for the Chabad community's life. Most Jewish-owned shops and businesses are situated on Kingston Avenue.

Once one of the largest Jewish centers in New York, Crown Heights hosted hundreds of synagogues, dozens of mikvahs, yeshivas, and other Jewish institutions. Many Hasidic courts were also based in the neighborhood. However, during the early 20th century, an influx of African-Americans into the area prompted many Jewish residents to relocate to other neighborhoods, such as Borough Park and Williamsburg. As a result, the neighborhood was largely depopulated of its Jewish residents. The Lubavitcher Rebbe urged his followers not to abandon the neighborhood. The departure of many residents caused a dramatic drop in real estate prices, prompting the Rebbe to lament both the physical and financial loss. Under the Rebbe's direction, Chabad Hasidim remained in the neighborhood and worked to revitalize it.

Today, the Jewish community in Crown Heights is bounded roughly by Park Place to the north, Rockaway Avenue to the east, Linden Boulevard to the south, and Rogers Avenue to the west.

Currently, Crown Heights is home to approximately 20,000 Chabad Hasidim, alongside a population of about 130,000 African-Americans.