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History | In The Beginning
History | In the Beginning
In 1895, the idea of an orthodox synagogue in Englewood,
NJ was conceived by a nucleus of eight pioneering families.
These visionaries succeeded in laying the groundwork for the
vibrant, burgeoning Congregation Ahavath Torah of today.
In the absence of a synagogue building, after acquiring a
Sefer Torah for the sum of one hundred and thirty dollars,
the founding group began conducting services in each other's
homes. Following these early successes, they rented space
to accommodate their minyanim on Armory Street, and subsequently
on Durie Avenue, an area of town where most of the Jewish
families resided.
Since Kosher provisions were unavailable in Englewood at that
time, one of the synagogue stalwarts traveled to New York
to procure Kosher provisions for the entire neighborhood.
Traveling to New York required arduous effort since the George
Washington Bridge had not yet been built. Reaching New York
from Englewood required a journey by trolley to Edgewater,
followed by a ferry to One Hundred Twenty-fifth Street.
By 1911, Ahavath Torah had increased its membership to fifty
families, thereby becoming a center of Jewish activity in
northern New Jersey. A property was purchased for two hundred
dollars at 33 Humphrey Street where a synagogue was erected
on a lot measuring 18x30 feet. Kosher meat also became available
in the town, through the efforts of local butchers who slaughtered
and "koshered" their own meat and chickens.
The steady influx of Jewish families soon rendered the existing
synagogue facility inadequate and an old church building was
acquired on Englewood Avenue for fifteen hundred dollars.
This became the seat of Ahavath Torah until 1958, when it
became clear that the needs of the congregants, and changes
in demography necessitated a larger, more expansive house
of worship.
The estate of Baroness Cassel Van Dorn at 240 Broad Avenue
was purchased for the sum of fifty-five thousand dollars by
a forward-looking courageous membership; thenceforth, they
embarked upon the construction of a new sanctuary. The relocation
was celebrated by a march through the streets of Englewood
with the Sifrei Torah being transported to their new home.
Rabbi Isaac Swift, O"H, who became the revered spiritual
leader in 1960, led the community through an exciting period
of growth and expansion until his retirement twenty-four years
later. In an interview in 1982, Rabbi Swift characterized
the community by stating: "The loveliness of Englewood
is not the uniformity, but the unity of the community."
In 1984, Rabbi Shmuel Goldin became the rabbi and has assiduously
nurtured the synagogue's unique character of unity and diversity.
Ahavath Torah, with its seven hundred member families, as
it stands today at the dawn of the twenty-first century, could
not have been foreseen or imagined in size or scope; but despite
its remarkable growth, it strives to preserve the warmth and
spirit of its founders.
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