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We are intensely proud
of Ahavath Achim’s
achievements in these
eighty years and extend
congratulations and best
wishes for the years ahead
FOODTOWN • RED DOT •
A. G. STORES • -THRIFT WAY
Your friendly A.G. STORES are owned and operated
by your friends and neighbors throughout Atlanta;
so shop regularly at your nearest A.G. STORE
RICH'S
congratulates the
Al IA VAT 11 AC I IIM SYNAQOQUH
catur Street, the members
dreamed a larger dream . . .
they purchased a lot and spent
tedious hours planning an ade
quate structure. In 1900, as the
century turned, a brick syna
gogue was built at Piedmont
Avenue and Gilmer Street at
an estimated cost of $12,000.
Here at this important junc
tion stood the first “real” syna
gogue Ahavath Achim had.
The congregation was on its
way upward as the new home
of A. A. was completed. Presi
dent Leon Eplan had played an
important role in the construc
tion.
In this new edifice there was
ample room to expand and the
membership lost no time in
instituting a full functioning
congregation. Enthusiasm was
unbelievable as study groups,
Hebrew classes and social
functions expanded. With pres-
“THE BIG SHULE”
Ahavath Achim’s
Washington Avenue
Synagogue
idents such as Leon Eplan,
Philip Elson, J. Goldin, D.
Zaban, S. Boorstein, Joel Dor-
fan and Morris Lichtenstein,
there was no doubt that this
\vas becoming one of the
strongest congregations in the
South.
Ahavath Achim remained un
deniably the nucleus of Jewish
culture in the community.
Guiding the forces of life and
growth of the shule, the dis
tinguished rabbis who served
as spiritual leaders of the
young Congregation were
greatly responsible for the
quality of the services. Follow
ing Rabbi Meyerowitz, Rabbi
J. Levin and Rabbi H. Yood al
so contributed greatly to this
early development.
Families grew. The Jewish
community increased in size.
And so did A. A.! Once again,
the call of progress was an
swered. In 1920, Ahavath
Achim erected a larger synago
gue on a lot cornering Wash
ington Street and Woodward
Avenue. Built at a cost of
$85,000, the Synagogue lifted
its tall, white columns and
shiny dome high above that
wonderfully active section of
Atlanta Jewry.
The growth of A. A. from a
three-dollar-a-month room to
this marvelous structure on
Washington Street was noth
ing short of miraculous. Presi
dent Joel Dorfan, serving since
1905, and Morris Lichtenstein,
the “uncrowned President,”
together with many interested
leaders guided the spiritual
ship through many stormy
moments.
At the suggestion of Isidor
Jacobs, a group of boys of high
school age met in 1920 to form
the Bible School. Feeling the
necessity of furthering their
Jewish education after Bar
Mitzva and Sunday School
training, they began this es
sential phase of learning at
Ahavath Achim.
The Aurora Club, a boys’
social club, was invited to join
as a body and form its own
class in the newly organized
Bible School.
Celebrating 80 Years of Progress,
and invites you to join with us in
our year-long Centennial Celebration
of One Hundred I lappy Years.
RICH'Ef
Rabbi B. Meyerowitz, who
had come from Toledo, Ohio,
and Reverend Lubell, the can
tor, from New York, made
every effort to see that the
newly formed Sunday School
and Hebrew School operated at
a high level of education.
Few religious organizations,
Jewish or Christian, could
boast of the tremendous devo
tion of its membership through
the years following the close of
the first World War. A story,
which may be apocryphal, but
nonetheless shows the import
ance of the synagogue in the
earlier days, has often been
told. When applying for citi
zenship papers, one of the new
comers to Atlanta was asked,
“Who is the president?” His
immediate reply was, “Mr. Joel
Dorfan!”
Although new synagogues
were springing up in Atlanta,
According to the record, the
first meeting was attended by
Harry Cohen, Eddie Berger,
Sanford Saperstein, Jake Rob
inson, Charles Bergman and
Abe Nissenbaum.
Rabbi A. P. Hermes, who
had come to the synagogue
just before the new building
was completed, remained as
the spiritual head through
July, 1928. He and his wife
were instrumental in' the for
mation of a very important
facet of life at Ahavath Achim.
On the afternoon of June 6,
1920, at the home of Mrs. Jake
Jacobs, ten ladies met at the
call of Rabbi Hermes to discuss
and formulate plans for the
oyjanization of a Ladies Auxil
iary. A larger body of women
gathered ten days" later and
elected Mrs. Isidor Jacobs,.,
president; Mrs. Jake Jacobs,
treasurer; and Mrs. M. Zion,
secretary.
The Ahavath Achim Sister-
The Southern Israelite
14