Founding Synagogue
Congregation Ohav Shalom
The History and Journey of Congregation Ohav Shalom
1882 – 2014
Ohav Shalom was founded by twenty recent Russian immigrants in 1882. The original Ohav Shalom, known as the Russische Schul (Russian Synagogue) was located at the foot of Broadway in the old Spencer House. Over the next few years, the congregation moved several times, first to a small room on Sycamore Street; then to Fourth Street; from there to a rented hall on George Street between Central Avenue and John Street.
By 1888, Ohav Shalom had 30 members and five Torahs and it was felt that the time had come to formally incorporate. Ohav Shalom was chartered by the State of Ohio on December 29, 1888, and four years late in 1892, the congregation moved to a new home on Court Street. This property was purchased in 1899 for $9,000. By 1903, the membership of Ohav Shalom had grown to 90.
In or about 1904, the congregation purchased the synagogue belonging to Sherith Israel Congregation at the corner of Richmond and Mound Streets for $25,000. Ohav Shalom now had 130 members and twelve S’frei Torah, and an annual budget of $2,500.
The end of World War I witnessed the first migration of the Jews of Cincinnati to a “suburban” environment. In 1923, a group of congregants met with Rabbi Levin at the home of Joseph Ginsburg to organize an Avondale branch of Ohav Shalom. On December 23, 1923, a meeting was held to discuss the possibility of purchasing the movie house at Burnet and Hickory. Finally, on the eighth night of Chanukah in 1923, $250 was raised to make a deposit on the building.
Under the leadership of Nathan Tulch, the move to 421 Forest Avenue took place. The new facility was dedicated in August 1949, and Ohav Shalom organized the first “Torah Walk” as the holy scrolls were carried from Burnet Avenue to Forest Avenue.
A major transformation of Ohav Shalom took place with the hiring of Rabbi Bernard Greenfield in 1947. Rabbi Greenfield was the first “Modern” Orthodox rabbi in Cincinnati. Within a year, Rabbi Greenfield had been offered Tenure of Office for life.
The Jewish community continued to move north, with Roselawn emerging as the new center of the city. By 1956, Ohav Shalom had already broken ground on Section Road for a new synagogue, which was eventually dedicated on April 12, 1959. Ohav Shalom now witnessed its second “Torah Walk” as the S’frei Torah were again carried to the new facility in Roselawn, this time in a convertible!
Ohav Shalom remained in Roselawn for nearly thirty years, and this time was not without change. In the 1980's, Ohav began to allow men and women to sit together during services. This lead to a break with the orthodox movement and the end of a long relationship with Rabbi Greenfield. By 1994, Ohav Shalom had joined the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and fully embraced the Conservative movement.
The move to Conservative Judaism led to increased ritual roles for women at Ohav Shalom. And while these changes were occurring at Ohav Shalom, the 1990's saw the Jewish population move into the northeast suburbs of Cincinnati. Robert Baden, who became president in 1991, and Rabbi Flicker saw the changes taking place in the Jewish community and they shared a vision of Ohav Shalom situated in the new population center of Jewish Cincinnati. Their enthusiasm, determination, and hard work resulted in the 1995 purchase of the property on Cornell Road in Sycamore Township where the synagogue now stands. Construction was completed in August 1998 – just in time for the High Holidays. The first Sabbath service was held in the new synagogue on August 29, 1998.
Ohav Shalom’s third “Torah Walk” was held in September of that year; two holy scrolls were carried all eleven miles from Section Road to Cornell Road as congregants took turn carrying a Torah in quarter mile increments. This event earned the prestigious Solomon Schechter Gold Award, the highest honor given by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
The first year on Cornell Road saw its first bar mitzvah and the first wedding. There was also the tornado, which devastated the neighborhood leaving several of our congregants homeless; yet, it inflicted only minor damage to our new building.
On April 1, 1999, Ohav Shalom implemented full egalitarianism and women could participate in all rituals in the synagogue.
The 2001 High Holidays found Ohav Shalom not only without the services of a rabbi but also without a cantor to sing the prayers. However, Rabbi Moshe Meirovich appeared and served as both cantor and rabbi that year. Rabbi Meirovich eventually became the seventh spiritual leader of Congregation Ohav Shalom.
The legacy has continued intact through changes in location and changes in demographics. Congregation Ohav Shalom is just as forward-looking as it was when first founded by 20 Russian immigrants in 1882. Today we still embrace the tradition of change and transformation that has been a hallmark of our history. And looking back on our 130+ years, we can anticipate continuing growth and transformation as we adjust to the changing needs of our Jewish Community.
In 2015 we were blessed to marry our "Beseret" Congregation B'nai Tzedek.
