5. Midwood hosts a large Orthodox Jewish community

  • East Midwood Jewish Center
  • Kingsway Jewish Center
  • Touro College
  • Ostrovitsky's Bakery
  • Association of Orthodox Jewish Teachers
  • Pescada
  • Avenue M
  • Jerusalem II

Though Midwood has had a large Jewish community since the early 20th century, a wave of Orthodox Jews moved into the neighborhood from Borough Park in the 1980s. Since then, Midwood has become one of the epicenters of Jewish culture in Brooklyn, with dozens of Orthodox and Hasidic congregations scattered throughout the community, including Young Israel of Midwood, Beis Medrash Ahavas Dovid, Talmud Torah of Flatbush, and Khal Tiferes Yaakov. The neighborhood also has a number of yeshivas, or Jewish educational institutions, some of which are run by the Haredi.

Two synagogues are included on the National Register of Historic Places: Kingsway Jewish Center, built in 1951 on Nostrand Avenue featuring 18 Abstract Expressionist windows, and East Midwood Jewish Center, a Conservative synagogue on Ocean Avenue completed in 1929. Popular kosher restaurants in Midwood include Essen NY Deli, Bordeaux steakhouse, Joseph Dream Burger, Pescada, and KOMA Sushi. Kosher supermarkets, Israeli sweet shops, Judaica stores, and clothing stores line major roads such as Avenues J and M, Ocean Avenue, and Coney Island Avenue.