[6] The early members of the synagogue were immigrants from Prussia or Poland,[7] resulting in the nickname "Polisha shul."

During these early years, Jews of Prussian and Polish ethnicity were the primary demographic of the synagogue.

Throughout the 1920's, Neveh Zedek struggled to find a Rabbi, relying on its cantor Abraham Rosencrantz, who served until 1936, the year he died.

[2][7] After World War 2, an influx of Jewish refugees due to the Holocaust resulted in Neveh Zedek's teachings shifting into a more traditional style.

[7] They taught classes on modern and traditional Judaism, and they discussed issues from a Jewish perspective.

Chaim Potok, Robert Kennedy, and Abraham Joshua Heschel were all hosted as speakers at the congregation in the 1960s.