Congregation Achduth Vesholom (

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from

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 ...

as "Unity and Peace") is a

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

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congregation and

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 ...

, located at 5200 Old Mill Road in

Fort Wayne Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 United S ...

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, in the United States.

History

Achduth Vesholom is the oldest congregation in Indiana, formed on October 26, 1848 as a German

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congregation, called "The Society for Visiting the Sick and Burying the Dead". The congregation initially worshiped in private homes. In 1857, the synagogue purchased the former German Methodist Church building on Harrison Street for $1,200 ($ today), which was dedicated as a synagogue. The first rabbi was Joseph Solomon, who served until 1859. In 1861, the congregation adopted its current name. On the corner of Harrison and Wayne Streets, the congregation built a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

-style temple with seating for 800 people in 1874 at the cost of $25,000 (equivalent to $ today); and in the same year the congregation joined the

Union of American Hebrew Congregations The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establ ...

. Adolf Guttmacher was rabbi from 1889 to 1891. Samuel Hirshberg was rabbi from 1891 to 1895. The congregation's third synagogue was completed in 1917, located at the corner of Wayne and Fairfield Streets; and it moved to 5200 Old Mill Road in 1961. In 1995, the synagogue hired a new rabbi, Sandford Kopnick, and Rabbi Meir Bargeron commenced on July 1, 2020 as the congregation's 24th spiritual leader.

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Achduth Vesholom 1848 establishments in Indiana 20th-century synagogues in the United States Buildings and structures in Fort Wayne, Indiana Culture of Fort Wayne, Indiana German-American culture in Indiana German-Jewish culture in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1848 Reform synagogues in Indiana Synagogues completed in 1874 Synagogues completed in 1917 Synagogues in Indiana Synagogues completed in 1961