Ohev Sholom Congregation (previously Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah and Ohev Sholom – The National Synagogue) (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

for Lovers of Peace and Study of

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

) 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, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

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 enfo ...

neighborhood of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 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

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once served as

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

), 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 Southwest Washington is a geographical area of the U.S. state of Washington, encompassing roughly half of Western Washington. It generally includes the Olympia area southwards to the Oregon-Washington state line at Vancouver. Olympia, the state c ...

. 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 Olney is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is located in the north central part of the county, north of Washington, D.C. Olney was largely agricultural until the 1960s, when g ...

, in 1994, which became the separate congregation Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah Congregation of 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 of t ...

, Shmuel Herzfeld who was formerly the associate rabbi at the

Hebrew Institute of Riverdale The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, commonly called The Shalom bayit, Bayit, is a Modern Orthodoxy, Modern Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue at 3700 Henry Hudson Parkway in the Riverdale, Bronx, Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx in New ...

synagogue headed by Rabbi

Avi Weiss Avraham Haim Yosef haCohen Weiss (; born June 24, 1944) is an American Open Orthodox ordained rabbi, author, teacher, lecturer, and activist who led the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in The Bronx, New York until 2015. He is the founder of Yeshi ...

, 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 culture, ethnicity, or religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of American Jews identify as Ashkenazi, 3% iden ...

. 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

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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 Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

. 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 in the United States 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