Ohev Sholom Congregation (previously Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah and Ohev Sholom – The National Synagogue) ( Hebrew for Lovers of Peace and Study of Torah) is the oldest

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

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 ...

in the

Shepherd Park Shepherd Park is a neighborhood in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. In the years following World War II, restrictive covenants which had prevented Jews and African Americans from purchasing homes in the neighborhood were no longer enfor ...

neighborhood of Washington, D.C., in the United States. The synagogue was formed from the merger of two earlier synagogues, Ohev Sholom and Talmud Torah.

History

Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah was formed in 1958 as a merger between Ohev Sholom Congregation, founded as Chai Adon Congregation in 1886, and Talmud Torah Congregation (the synagogue in which the father of Al Jolson once served as cantor), founded three years later. Ohev Sholom was previously situated at 5th and I Streets, NW, while Talmud Torah was previously situated at 14th and Emerson Streets, NW, having moved there from E Street in Southwest Washington. Their combined Shepherd Park building opened in 1960. Membership fell in the late twentieth century as Jewish families moved to the suburbs. The synagogue opened a branch composed largely of younger families in Olney, Maryland, in 1994, which became the separate congregation

Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah Congregation of Olney Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah Congregation of Olney, commonly known as OSTT, is an Orthodox synagogue located at 18320 Georgia Avenue, in Olney, Maryland, in the United States. History The OSTT was founded in 1995 by fourteen families in the Olney ...

between 2002 and 2005. Only a few, mostly older families, were left at the Washington DC location. Early in the new century, a number of families who preferred urban life decided to attempt to revive Orthodox Jewish life in

. Hiring a new

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

, Shmuel Herzfeld who was formerly the associate rabbi at the

Hebrew Institute of Riverdale The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale is an Open Orthodoxy, Open Orthodox synagogue in the residential Riverdale, Bronx, Riverdale neighborhood of New York City. The congregation was founded in 1971 and has been led by Rabbi Avi Weiss since 1973, alth ...

synagogue headed by Rabbi

Avi Weiss Avraham Haim Yosef (Avi) haCohen Weiss ( he, אברהם חיים יוסף הכהן ווייס; born June 24, 1944) is an American Open Orthodox ordained rabbi, author, teacher, lecturer, and activist who led the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in T ...

, was central to this effort. The decision to rename the synagogue "The National Synagogue" in 2005 drew a good deal of criticism, not least from among other Jews, who felt that the name was a marketing label inaccurately implying a special position of leadership in the

American Jewish community American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora Je ...

. Rabbi Herzfeld defended the choice on the grounds that the name makes clear that the synagogue is welcoming and open to everyone. Herzfeld insisted that in spite of the copyright on the phrase, other synagogues should feel free to use the same label. The synagogue is noted as a particularly vibrant and fast-growing institution. Under Rabbi Herzfeld's leadership, it has taken a number of unusual initiatives, including advertising its services with leaflets and television and radio spots, holding free Yom Kippur services, and the installation of ramps and elevators to ensure that the synagogue is genuinely open to everyone. In 2023, the synagogue was renamed to simply "Ohev Sholom", dropping "The National Synagogue".

Today

Ohev Sholom Congregation advertises itself as a dynamic Orthodox community that values Torah, prayer, and good deeds. The congregation touts its location in NW Washington as easily accessible to surrounding neighborhoods in the District of Columbia and Maryland. The congregation counts in its membership a growing number of working professionals, families with small children, and others.

References

External resources

* Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Washington, D.C. Ashkenazi synagogues Colonial Village Modern Orthodox synagogues in Washington, D.C. Open Orthodox Judaism Synagogues in Washington, D.C. Jewish organizations established in 1958 1958 establishments in Washington, D.C. Synagogues completed in 1960 Shepherd Park 20th-century synagogues in the United States {{DEFAULTSORT:Ohev Sholom Congregation