Shaimos Collection System Installed in Crown Heights

A new system for shaimos disposal, designed to provide a practical solution for both individuals and shuls, has been installed on Kingston Avenue in Crown Heights.

By COLlive reporter

A new initiative aims to address a long-standing challenge facing Jewish communities across New York, New Jersey, and the broader United States: the proper disposal of sheimos and genizah materials.

Sheimos, also known as genizah, refers to worn-out or damaged Jewish religious materials that contain Hashem’s name or sacred Torah content and therefore cannot be discarded in a regular manner. These items can include siddurim, chumashim, prayer sheets, Torah study materials, mezuzah parchments, and other printed or handwritten texts containing divrei Torah. According to Jewish law, such materials require respectful disposal, traditionally through burial. As a result, Jewish communities have long maintained systems for collecting and properly handling sheimos before it is transferred for burial.

Unlike in Israel, where dedicated genizah containers are commonly available in many neighborhoods, there has been no widespread, organized solution in the United States. As a result, many people store accumulated sheimos until Erev Pesach, while others struggle to find appropriate disposal options throughout the year.

A new system is designed to provide a practical solution for both individuals and shuls.

Specially designated collection containers will allow users to deposit a bag of sheimos for a fee of $6 per bag – approximately the size of a grocery bag. Organizers say the pricing was intentionally set to remain affordable and accessible for the public.

One such container has been installed in Crown Heights, conveniently located on the corner of President and Kingston Avenue, in the yard near the former Gombo’s Bakery, thanks to the generosity of Itzik Benabou, the owner of the property.

The initiative also seeks to ease the burden on shuls, where gabbaiim often find themselves handling large quantities of genizah brought by community members who have no other place to dispose of it. Organizers say the new system will help reduce pressure on shuls while providing a convenient year-round option for the public.

The first 30 collection sites have already been installed. Over the coming month, the system will be evaluated to identify and correct any issues. If successful, organizers plan to expand by adding approximately 300 additional collection units over the next year to year-and-a-half.

According to the project’s organizers, the goal is not profit but rather covering operational expenses, including collection, transportation, maintenance, and burial costs.

A major focus of the initiative has been oversight and transparency. To address concerns about how genizah is ultimately handled, the project operates under the supervision of two major kashrus organizations, the OU and the CRC.

Organizers say both organizations provide certification and supervision for the collection containers as well as the burial process itself, ensuring that materials are handled properly from collection through final burial.

Another unique feature of the program is its burial method. Rather than burying genizah underground, organizers have secured dedicated above-ground burial space in New Jersey. They say this approach was chosen in part due to potential future environmental regulations that could restrict underground burial. The designated burial areas are supervised and monitored under the same certification standards.

Organizers expressed hope that the project will provide a long-term solution for communities that have struggled for decades with proper genizah disposal, offering individuals and institutions an accessible, supervised, and reliable option throughout the year.

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