Ahavath Torah is a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...
located at 1179 Central Street,
Stoughton,
, in the United States. Formed as a merger of two older congregations founded in the 1890s,
[Lambert, David Allen. ''Stoughton'', ]Arcadia Publishing
Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publi ...
, 2001, p. 31. it is the
oldest synagogue in Stoughton.
[Our History]
Ahavath Torah website. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
History
Congregation Ahavath Achim was formed in Stoughton in 1893. Congregation Talmud Torah was formed in Stoughton soon after, in 1895.
[ Both congregations worshiped in various houses.][ In 1918, the congregations merged with the Hebrew Benevolent Society to form Ahavath Torah Congregation,][ with 25 members,][ and Rev. M. L. Graham as its spiritual head. That year the congregation began construction of its first synagogue building on Porter Street,][ which was dedicated on October 14, 1919.][ The congregation was, however, only officially incorporated on September 5, 1930.][
In 1954, Ahavath Achim opened its religious school.][ In need of a larger synagogue building, it purchased and moved into the former Congregational Church at 30 Pearl Street in 1958.][ As Stoughton's Jewish population grew, membership increased to 72 families, and land was purchased in three stages for a new synagogue. The present building at 1179 Central Street was dedicated in 1970. Further growth led to a significant renovation and expansion of the synagogue building, which was completed in 1987.][
]
Overview
The synagogue has hosted many notable guest speakers, including Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...
, Wafa Sultan, and Dr. Mordechai Kedar
Mordechai Kedar ( he, מרדכי קידר; born November 25, 1952) is an Israeli scholar of Arab culture and a lecturer at Bar-Ilan University, and the vice president of NEWSRAEL.
Biography
Mordechai Kedar was born in Tel Aviv. L'Chayim (2015): '' ...
, as well as entertainment from singer Sam Glaser
Sam, SAM or variants may refer to:
Places
* Sam, Benin
* Sam, Boulkiemdé, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Bourzanga, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Kongoussi, Burkina Faso
* Sam, Iran
* Sam, Teton County, Idaho, United States, a populated place
People and fictional ...
, and a Bob Lazarus
Bob Lazarus (January 4, 1956 – January 4, 2009) was an American stand-up comedian and film actor.
Lazarus graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...]
'', November 14, 1992. , the rabbi is Jonathan Hausman
Jonathan H. Hausman (born June 19, 1957) is an American Conservative rabbi.
He is the rabbi of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
Hausman grew up in the Bridgeport, Connecticut area. He holds a BA in Judaic Studies, and an ...
.
References
External links
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{{Synagogues in the United States
Conservative synagogues in Massachusetts
Jewish organizations established in 1893
Buildings and structures in Norfolk County, Massachusetts
Stoughton, Massachusetts
Synagogues completed in 1970
20th-century synagogues in the United States
1893 establishments in Massachusetts