Ahavath Sholom Synagigue was established in 1892 in Fort Worth TX. It has been serving a vibrant and active Jewish community ever since.
From the Ahavath Sholom website: (
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"“Every assembly whose purpose is to serve God will in the end be established” (Pirkei Avot 4:14)
Our synagogue is dedicated to warm, personal and moving worship, as well as innovative and integrative educational classes and activities for both adults and children.
We further are committed to integrating all of our members into a warm and caring community based around the philosophy of “all Israel (in this case our community) being responsible one for each other.” (Babylonian Talmud, Shavuot 39a)
I have no doubt that you will quickly feel at home within our social, religious, educational and communal activities.
— Rabbi Andrew Bloom
. . .
HISTORY
The history of Ahavath Sholom is a rich one, now spanning almost 120 years. In 1992, the salient events of our first hundred years were captured in a beautiful commemorative book.
What follows below is the entire text from that book.
The First Fifty Years. . .Hebrew Congregation Ahavath Sholom
Fort Worth, Texas
October the 9th, 1892 Record Book
. . .
1892 – A group of Jewish immigrants met at the home of the late William Goldstein on 5th and Calhoun. They established Fort Worth’s first Jewish Congregation to be known as Ahavath Sholom which means Love of Peace. The 31 founders and their families met for High Holy Day services in rented halls for the first three years.
The first minutes, translated from Yiddish, read:
Meeting 1
Fort Worth
October 30, 1892
The meeting was called to order at 8 P.M. by Mr. Goldstein, President. The minutes of the last meeting were read and approved. No important business was brought up and the meeting was adjourned. (Approved by W. Goldstein, President)
And so the fascinating project of Congregation Ahavath Sholom was launched. From these modest beginnings there grew, through an abundance of confidence, vision and hope, a religious institution that serves almost six hundred families today. (1992 -- BMB)"
The text of the historic marker is as follows:
"Ahavath Sholom Hebrew Cemetery
Wishing to have their own cemetery, congregation Ahavath Sholom, the first Jewish congregation in Fort Worth, purchased a six-acre tract from the Greenwood Cemetery Association at this location and dedicated Ahavath Sholom Hebrew Cemetery in 1909. A Ladies Cemetery Society was formed in that year to oversee the upkeep of the graveyard; Rebecca Goldstein served as its initial president. The first person buried here was Charles Hurwitz in 1910.
In 1929 an agreement between the congregation and the Greenwood Cemetery Association resulted in the enlargement of this Jewish cemetary. Three soldiers who perished during World War II are buried side by side in the north section of the cemetery. A large monument memorializing the millions of Jewish victims of the German Nazi Regime in World War II Europe (1939-1945) was erected by members of the congregation who lost relatives in the Holocaust.
The Kornbleet Chapel, which contains seating for one hundred persons, was dedicated in 1988. The chapel is used for funeral services as well as other religious services pertaining to the cemetery. The congregation established a trust fund for the long-term maintenance of the cemetery. (1992)"