Congregation Achduth Vesholom

Congregation Achduth Vesholom (transliterated from Hebrew as "Unity and Peace"^[1][2][3]) is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 5200 Old Mill Road in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the United States.^[1][4]

Congregation Achduth Vesholom
Religion
Affiliation	Reform Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue
Leadership	Rabbi Meir Bargeron
Status	Active
Location
Location	5200 Old Mill Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46807
Country	United States
Location in Indiana
Geographic coordinates	41°02′09″N 85°09′06″W
Architecture
Type	Synagogue
Style	Gothic Revival (1874)
Date established	1848 (as a congregation)
Completed	1874 (Harrison and Wayne Sts.) 1917 (Wayne and Fairfield Sts.) 1961 (Old Mill Road)
Construction cost	$25,000 (1874)
Website
templecav.org

History

Achduth Vesholom is the oldest congregation in Indiana, formed on October 26, 1848 as a German Orthodox congregation,^[1][5][2][6] called "The Society for Visiting the Sick and Burying the Dead".^[1][7] The congregation initially worshiped in private homes.^[8][9]

In 1857, the synagogue purchased the former German Methodist Church building on Harrison Street for $1,200 ($40,000 today), which was dedicated as a synagogue.^[2][9] The first rabbi was Joseph Solomon, who served until 1859.^[9] In 1861, the congregation adopted its current name.^[1][2]

On the corner of Harrison and Wayne Streets, the congregation built a Gothic Revival-style temple with seating for 800 people in 1874 at the cost of $25,000 (equivalent to $695,000 today);^[2][9] and in the same year the congregation joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations.^[6] Adolf Guttmacher was rabbi from 1889 to 1891.^[10] Samuel Hirshberg was rabbi from 1891 to 1895.^[11]

The congregation's third synagogue was completed in 1917, located at the corner of Wayne and Fairfield Streets;^[6] and it moved to 5200 Old Mill Road in 1961.^[2] In 1995, the synagogue hired a new rabbi, Sandford Kopnick,^[12] and Rabbi Meir Bargeron commenced on July 1, 2020 as the congregation's 24th spiritual leader.^[13]

References

1. Landman, Isaac (1941). The Universal Jewish encyclopedia ...: an authoritative and popular presentation of Jews and Judaism since the earliest times. Retrieved June 29, 2011 – via Google Books.
2. Olitzky, Kerry M.; Raphael, Marc Lee (1996). The American synagogue: a historical dictionary and sourcebook. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0-313-28856-2. Retrieved June 29, 2011 – via Google Books.
3. Sarna, Jonathan D. (2005). American Judaism: a history. Yale University Press. p. 103. ISBN 9780300101973. Retrieved June 29, 2011. Congregation Achduth Vesholom.
4. Wemhoff, David (2011). Just Be Catholic. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-4567-1818-3. Retrieved June 29, 2011 – via Google Books.
5. Singer, Isidore; Adler, Cyrus (1912). The Jewish encyclopedia: a descriptive record of the history, religion, literature, and customs of the Jewish people from the earliest times to the present day. Retrieved June 29, 2011 – via Google Books.
6. "Our Story". Templecav.org. Retrieved June 29, 2011.^{[self-published source?]}
7. Marcus, Jacob Rader (1989). United States Jewry, 1776–1985. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8143-2186-7. Retrieved June 29, 2011 – via Google Books.
8. Violette, Ralph (1999). Fort Wayne, Indiana. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-6339-8. Retrieved June 29, 2011 – via Google Books.
9. Valley of the upper Maumee River; with historical account of Allen County and the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Brant & Fuller. 1889. p. 314. Retrieved June 29, 2011. Congregation Achduth Vesholom.
10. Rosenau, William (1917). "ADOLF GUTTMACHER". Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society. 25. American Jewish Historical Society: 150–152 – via Google Books.
11. American Jewish year book. American Jewish Committee. Jewish Publication Society of America. 1903. Retrieved June 29, 2011 – via Google Books.
12. "Achduth Vesholom Celebrates its Dedication, New Rabbi". Fort Wayne News Sentinel. November 1, 1995. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
13. "Past Rabbis and Presidents". Congregation Achduth Vesholom. Retrieved January 9, 2024.^{[self-published source?]}

External links

• Official website

• Congregation Achduth Vesholom minute book 1876–83. Fort Wayne, Indiana: Achduth Vesholom Congregation. 1876. ISBN 978-0-646-16895-1 – via Google Books.^{[self-published source?]}
• One hundredth anniversary of Congregation Achduth Vesholom, 1848–1948. Fort Wayne, Ind.: Achduth Vesholom Congregation. 1948 – via Google Books.^{[self-published source?]}
• Zweig, Beth (1998). Congregation Achduth Vesholom, 150th anniversary celebration weekend: October 16–18, 1998. SRS Publications – via Google Books.
• Zweig, Beth (2002). Congregation Achduth Vesholom: our story'. Achduth Vesholom – via Google Books.^{[self-published source?]}
• Achduth Vesholom Congregation of Fort Wayne, Indiana, Minutes (Nabu Press reprint ed.). Fort Wayne: Achduth Vesholom Congregation. 2010. ISBN 978-1-172-09359-5 – via Google Books.^{[self-published source?]}