The Spuyten Duyvil Congregation (“SDC”), also known as Bais Sholom of South Riverdale, was formed to serve the Orthodox Jewish residents of the southern third of the Riverdale neighborhood in Bronx, NY. Because all of the major orthodox synagogues in Riverdale have been located between West 237th Street and West 246th Street in Central Riverdale – or between West 254th Street and West 260th Street in North Riverdale – the southern portion of the community (generally described as extending from West 232nd Street in the north, to the equivalent of West 225th Street in the south) contained many residents who desired a closer place to daven on Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons. Their family synagogues were generally one half mile, three quarters of a mile, and over one mile, respectively, from their homes, and, while walking to Saturday morning services, or driving to weekday services, presented no real challenge, they sought a briefer walk, particularly in bad weather, or with small children in tow, for evening services which were less than an hour in length.
