Congregation Neveh Shalom

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Coordinates: 45°29′01″N 122°42′21″W / 45.4835°N 122.7059°W / 45.4835; -122.7059
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Congregation Neveh Shalom
Neveh Shalom in the Hillsdale neighborhood. The modern building was built in 1965.[1] Although it was remodeled in 2008.[2]
Religion
AffiliationConservative Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue
Leadership
  • Rabbi David Kosak
  • Rabbi Eve Posen
  • Rabbi Daniel Isaak (Emeritus)
StatusActive
Location
Location2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Hillsdale, Portland, Oregon 97239
CountryUnited States
Congregation Neveh Shalom is located in Portland, Oregon
Congregation Neveh Shalom
Location in Portland, Oregon
Geographic coordinates45°29′01″N 122°42′21″W / 45.4835°N 122.7059°W / 45.4835; -122.7059
Architecture
Date established1961 (Neveh Zedek and Ahvahai (sic) Shalom merger)
  • 1869 (Ahavi Shalom)
  • 1883 (Talmud Torah)
  • 1900 (Neveh Zedek)
  • 1902 (Talmund Torah and Neveh Zedek merger)
Completed
  • 1904
  • 1911
  • 1950
Website
nevehshalom.org

Congregation Neveh Shalom is a congregation and synagogue affiliated with Conservative Judaism,[3] located at 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, in the Hillsdale neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in the United States.[4][5]

Founded in 1961 from the mergers of three older congregations, it has a membership of over 850 households.[6] The early members of the synagogue were immigrants from Prussia or Poland,[7] resulting in the nickname "Polisha shul." Despite the synagogue's nickname, it leaned toward the German styles of Judaism, rather than the Polish one.[7] Neveh Shalom is the second oldest Jewish congregation in the Pacific Northwest and the oldest Conservative congregation on the West Coast.[1]

History[edit]

Constitution of Congregation Ahavai Sholom.

Neveh Shalom came from two other synagogues: Neveh Zedek and Ahavi Shalom. Ahavi Shalom was led for three years by Rabbi Julius Eckman. During these early years, Jews of Prussian and Polish ethnicity were the primary demographic of the synagogue. Ahavi was known as the Polisha Shul. After Eckman left, a Hazzan named Robert Abrahamson served as both the hazzan and the Rabbi due to difficulties in finding a new rabbi.[7] By 1889, Ahavi Shalom began conducting sermons in English instead of German.[2][7]

The synagogues Talmund Torah and Neveh Zedek merged in 1902, creating the synagogue Neveh Zedek.[2] As the synagogue grew, the need for new buildings to fit the growing congregation size arose, resulting in the construction of two buildings in 1904, 1911, and 1950. Throughout the 1920's, Neveh Zedek struggled to find a Rabbi, relying on its cantor Abraham Rosencrantz, who served until 1936, the year he died.[7] During this period, in 1921, Neveh Zedek joined the Conservative movement. Two years later, an arsonist set fire to the synagogue.[2][7]

After World War 2, an influx of Jewish refugees due to the Holocaust resulted in Neveh Zedek's teachings shifting into a more traditional style.[7] In 1953, a new Rabbi named Joshua Stampfer arrived at the synagogue.[7] Joshua Stampfer created a Jewish preschool which would later turn into a Foundation School.[7] A year later, in 1954, a non-Jew named Major Pruitt would come to the synagogue to learn everything he could about Judaism. While at the synagogue, he organized weddings and bar mitzvahs, kept track of yahrzeits, and he would oversee the synagogue's kosher kitchen.[7] In 1961 Neveh Zedek merged with Ahvahai Shalom to form Neveh Shalom.[2][7]

In 1965, the religious schools run by the synagogue grew.[7] They taught classes on modern and traditional Judaism, and they discussed issues from a Jewish perspective. The Rabbi would also lead book discussions. Chaim Potok, Robert Kennedy, and Abraham Joshua Heschel were all hosted as speakers at the congregation in the 1960s.[7] Kennedy would speak in 1968 during his presidential campaign.[8] Min Zidell, who became a member in 1967, was the first woman to serve as a member of the board. The first female executive director of the synagogue, Carolyn Weinstein, was appointed in 1976.[7] In 1967 women and men were officially treated as equals within the law of the synagogue.[7] By 2009, it was the largest Conservative synagogue located in Oregon.[2]

List of Rabbis[edit]

Names Timeframe Synagogue
Julius Eckman 1869-1872 Ahavi Shalom
Robert Abrahamson 1872-1937 Ahavi Shalom
Abraham Rosencratz 1920's-1935 Neveh Zedek
Charles Sydney 1937-1951 Ahavi Shalom
Phillip Kleinman 1937-1951 Neveh Zedek
Joshua Stampfer 1953-1993 Ahavi Shalom
Daniel Isaak 1999-2015 Neveh Shalom
Bradley Greenstein 1999-2022 Neveh Shalom
David Kosak 2024 Neveh Shalom
Eve Posen 2024 Neveh Shalom

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b CNS 150: A Pictorial Look at Where resulting". We Came From, Neveh Shalom website. Accessed May 16, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Congregation Neveh Shalom". oregonencyclopedia.org. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  3. ^ "Synagogues, Shuls, and Jewish Temples: Congregation Neveh Shalom in Portland, Oregon". alljewishlinks. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  4. ^ "Portland Ground: Portland Oregon Photography - Images and Dreams from the Oregon Street - A Photographic Landscape of Urban Oregon". Portlandground. July 3, 2005. Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  5. ^ "Congregation Neveh Shalom". americantowns.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012.
  6. ^ "Neveh Shalom Portland Oregon". nevehshalom.org. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Our History". Neveh Shalom. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2020.
  8. ^ "Bobby: Says "Shalom" ... Ethel: A Good Skate". google.com. May 27, 1968. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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