| Congregation Achduth Vesholom | |
| Image Upright: | 1.4 |
| Religious Affiliation: | Reform Judaism |
| Festivals: | --> |
| Organisational Status: | Synagogue |
| Organizational Status: | --> |
| Leadership: | Rabbi Meir Bargeron |
| Functional Status: | Active |
| Location: | 5200 Old Mill Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana 46807 |
| Country: | United States |
| Map Type: | Indiana |
| Map Size: | 250 |
| Map Relief: | 1 |
| Architecture Type: | Synagogue |
| Established: | 1848 |
| Construction Cost: | $25,000 |
| Date Destroyed: | --> |
| Elevation Ft: | --> |
Congregation Achduth Vesholom (transliterated from Hebrew as "Unity and Peace"[1]) is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 5200 Old Mill Road in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the United States.[2] [3]
Achduth Vesholom is the oldest congregation in Indiana, formed on October 26, 1848 as a German Orthodox congregation,[2] [4] [5] [6] called "The Society for Visiting the Sick and Burying the Dead".[2] [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 $1,200 ($ today), which was dedicated as a synagogue.[5] [9] The first rabbi was Joseph Solomon, who served until 1859.[9] In 1861, the congregation adopted its current name.[2] [5]
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 $ today);[5] [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.[5] 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]