F.R.E.E. of Brighton Beach is a satellite branch of Friends of Refugees of Eastern Europe (F.R.E.E.), headquartered in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The organization was founded in 1969 by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson. F.R.E.E.’s leadership is made up of Jews who were born under the former Soviet Union, and who have dedicated themselves to assisting their compatriots succeed in American society while at the same time strengthening Jewish identify in order to prevent the pitfalls of assimilation. Whereas, many social service agencies cannot relate to the unique cultural and linguistic barriers that exist for newly arrived Russian-Jewish immigrants, many of F.R.E.E.’s volunteers are personally acquainted with the problems and experiences of the Soviet Jew, having undergone the same transitions themselves.

In 1988, when waves of new immigrants began to settle in the Brighton Beach area of Brooklyn, at the instruction of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Hershel Okonov, Vice-President of F.R.E.E. Headquarters, sought to establish a synagogue that would cater to their unique needs. He came up on the Hebrew Alliance congregation, whose grand synagogue premises at 2915 Brighton 6^th Street were not in use. Thus the joint Hebrew Alliance-F.R.E.E. Synagogue was born. Ever since, the synagogue has become an integral part of the rich tapestry of the Russian-Jewish community in New York.

Information presented here has been made available in the history section of the establishment’s website:

http://www.freeofbrighton.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/792023/jewish/Our-History.htm