In 1939, twenty Brightwood residents organized Agudath Achim. Their upper Northwest neighborhood was popular among Jews moving north along the 7th Street/Georgia Avenue corridor.
The following year the traditionally observant congregation bought a house on Quackenbos Street, NW. A growing membership prompted the purchase in 1945 of property only blocks away at 13th and Tuckerman Streets, NW.
The congregation considered merging with Ohev Sholom and Tifereth Israel and building a large synagogue on the land. These plans were rejected and Agudath Achim built their own synagogue, which they dedicated in 1958.
That same year, Conservative Congregation Har Tzeon in Wheaton completed its new home on Old Bladensburg Road (now University Boulevard). Founded in 1951 by young families who had settled in the postwar suburb of Wheaton, the congregation had previously met in leased space.
Two friends brought the congregations together in 1977. Har Tzeon board member Sol Freishstat owned a corset shop on F St., NW, doors away from a shoe store run by Sol Postal, on the board of Agudath Achim. Freishtat and Postal proposed a merger to benefit both congregations. The 500-family Congregation Har Tzeon-Agudath Achim continues to meet on University Boulevard today.
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1. 6343 13th Street, NW
Agudath Achim refurbished this house, the first of three buildings used before completion of a new synagogue, in 1945. The building included a 135-seat chapel, two classrooms, and a study.
© Washington Post; Reprinted by permission of the D.C. Public LibraryShow on map
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2. Agudath Achim, 13th and Tuckerman Streets, NW
In 1958 Agudath Achim Congregation dedicated its new synagogue, designed by Washington architect William I. Drevo.
Photographs by Jeremy GoldbergShow on map
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3. Agudath Achim, 13th and Tuckerman Streets, NW
The menorah in the back of the building at 13th and Tuckerman Streets, now St. John’s Baptist Church, identifies its original function.
Photographs by Jeremy Goldberg
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4. Har Tzeon, Wheaton, Maryland
Har Tzeon’s modern University Boulevard synagogue, designed by Washington architects Daumit & Sargent, was completed in 1958.
© Washington Post; Reprinted by permission of the D.C. Public LibraryShow on map
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5. Har Tzeon expansion, Wheaton, Maryland
In 1970, Har Tzeon erected a new building on its site with a larger sanctuary, social hall, and kitchen. A walkway connects it to the older building. The architect was Cohen-Haft and Associates of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Courtesy of Torti Gallas and Partners, Inc.
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6. Congregation Har Tzeon-Agudath Achim
Since 1977, the University Boulevard synagogue has housed Congregation Har Tzeon-Agudath Achim.
Congregation Har Tzeon-Agudath Achim CollectionsShow on map
