History of Congregation Ahavath Achim - אהבת אחים 

   After five years of informal organization, our congregation was officially constituted in 1916 and given its name Ahavath Achim which means "brotherly love". 

We were listed with other congregations in the local Jewish press indicating that services in the Sephardic tradition were held in the B'nai B'rith building located at 13th and Mill.  The committee for ritual consisted of Isaac B. Hasson and Jacob Piha.
Services were conducted by Joseph Notrica who acted as Hazzan and High Holyday official.  The B'nai B'rith building was a fine venue for us since we would not even acquire a site for our own sanctuary until 1921. 

As the years passed, our Sephardic community grew to the extent that it required its own place of worship. Property at SW 3rd and Sherman was purchased in 1921.
It would take the next seven years to collect sufficient funds to build our house of worship. 

On October 13, 1929, Ben Selling broke ground for the building.  The synagogue was dedicated on August 31, 1930 in the presence of our Sephardic members and friends in the Jewish community.  During this time, the Congregation enjoyed varied and interesting social, educational and cultural programs. In 1961, the Urban Renewal Committee  (URC) of Portland requested that we remove the synagogue building to make way for one of URC's projects. Rather than construct a new building, we decided to move the old one.  During the move, however, the building collapsed and was later condemned. Fortunately, the building was insured and with the insurance proceeds, the Congregation began construction in July 1965 of the present synagogue at the Barbur Boulevard location.  It was completed and dedicated in 1966.

That same year Rabbi Michel Albagli was hired as our Rabbi, but because of ill health, he only served through October of 1967; then as Rabbi Emeritus until his death in 1988. In 1980, the Sephardic community honored the three surviving founders of the original Portland Sephardic Jewish Congregation:  William B. Hasson, Ezra Menashe, and Sam Babani.
From 1933 to 1983, Mr. Jack Maimon of Seattle acted as our Hazzan for High Holyday and Purim services, in the Sephardic tradition. He was followed by Hazzan Sam Nechemia from 1986 to 1989.  Between 1989 and 1994, we had no formal Hazzan, and relied upon the able members of our congregation to perform those duties.  For the High Holydays Hazzan Sam Nechemia would return to lead us in services.

Weekly Friday evening and Shabbat services were conducted by Sol Varon, Joe Corcos and others in our congregation. A once-a-month Saturday Kiddush was instituted in January of 1995 and had excellent attendance. In the fall of 1995, the board contracted with Hazzan Nechemia to return to Portland as Hazzan.
We now hold services every Friday evening and Shabbat Saturday morning officiated by Hazzan Nechemia and Gabbai Sol Varon.

In November of 1996, Ahavath Achim celebrated its 80th anniversary with a gala affair, produced a video chronicling the Portland Sephardic community, and held a concert featuring Ladino "romanzas".  Presently our congregation is experiencing a resurgence of both religious and social activity. We at Congregation Ahavath Achim are extremely proud of our Sephardic heritage and look forward to the future with great optimism and anticipation. 

For more about the city of Portland where Ahavath Achim Is located, go to:   

Jonathan Singer has compiled a detailed History of The Sephardic community on May 6, 2003 for a college thesis. 

The Sephardic Jews of Portland

The Jewish Community of Portland, Oregon has always valued diversity.  Though a relatively small community at fewer than 30,000 people, today the city nonetheless boasts at least 16 synagogues affiliated with almost all movements in Judaism: Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Chabad, Traditional, Reconstructionist, Jewish Renewal, Humanist, Liberal and even Sephardic.[1]  The story of the Sephardim of Portland is perhaps the most intriguing of all; though they have never maintained membership as large as the other major synagogues in the city, they have nevertheless persevered for more than 80 years and still remain strong to this day.  This is their history.

Roots of West Coast Sephardim

Rabbi Shelton Donnell cites Solomon N. Cavalho as the first Sephardic Jew on the West Coast, having lived in San Fransisco in the 1850’s; however, sustained Sephardic life on the West Coast did not begin until the turn of the century.  With the fall of Sultan Abdul Hamid in 1908 and the breakup of the Ottoman Empire, the once viable condition of the Sephardic Jews, many of whom had lived in the land since their expulsion from Spain in the 15^th Century, became unbearable.  Thus, when Solomon Calvo and Jacob Policar heard the stories of a non-Jewish Greek who had come back to Marmora to regale his family and friends about the opportunities in Seattle (especially in fishing), they quickly emigrated to the new land for increased opportunities.  Many more Sephardim followed in the coming years, and by the eve of the Great War, Seattle boasted the largest American Sephardic community outside of New York with 600 members.

The Early Years of Sephardic Life in Portland

Around 1909,[2] a group of Sephardic bachelors moved 160 miles south to the Rose City from Seattle.  Among the most important names were Policar, Babani, and Hasson.  Mostly from Rhodes, Marmora, Tekirdag, and Constantinople, these men tended to be involved in the grocery, produce and shoe shining trades.

It was the arrival of the Menashe brothers (seven in all) in the following years, though, that created a boom in the Sephardic population.  In 1910, 12 men attended the first High Holiday services; by 1911, the number was 40; 1912, it was 80 (making it the second largest Sephardic community on the West coast at the time).  By 1912, the fledgling community even enjoyed its own café and kosher restaurant, which both served as gathering places for community members.

A New Synagogue Emerges

In 1912, fragmented due to the differences in background, the Rhodeslis[3] broke of to found their own separate congregation, Hesed Israel Anshei Rhodes.[4]  Though the congregation did not last long (it barely survived until 1915), the subsequent reunification of the Sephardim in Portland laid the ground for the synagogue that would keep the community together for many years to come. In 1916, with the help of philanthropic Ashkenazi Jew Ben Selling, Congregation Ahavath Achim[5] was founded.  The congregation met at the B’nai B’rith Building (as it did not have the resources to maintain its own building at the time) and services were led by Avram Honeo, who served as Hazan[6] well in to the 1960’s. 

During this period, the congregation was even able to maintain its own Talmud Torah[7] under the leadership of Haham Haji Haim Levy whom the community brought from Los Angeles.  As would be a recurring dilemma though, health problems for Haham Levy led to his untimely death which left the congregation without children’s education.  As a result, most of the original congregants’ children and grandchildren were educated at the Ashkenazi synagogues to which most now belong.

In 1920, the congregation began to look for its own facility and after 6 months of investigation, 3^rd and Sherman was selected to be the new home of Ahavath Achim.  South Portland, in which the land was located, was a melting pot for new Americans, but more importantly, home to most of the city’s Jews.  Longtime member and former president Sam N. Menashe recalled that “it was a ghetto and we didn’t know it… It was a Jewish community, period—not Sephardic, only; not Ashkenazi only.”[8]  The land was purchased in 1921 and paid off in full by 1924.  With $6,000 in the bank on October 13, 1929 (just over two weeks before Black Tuesday), ground was broken on the congregation’s first home of its own; after less than a year, dedication services were held in the beautiful brick building on Sunday August 31, 1930.

The Challenges Presented by Urban Renewal

In 1961, the Urban Renewal Committee of Portland decided the land on which the congregation sat was needed.  Longtime member and former president Ralph Funes remarked, “We had been told by the city that they were going to take the building… we did a lot of bickering and got more than they offered.”[9]  The city initially submitted a proposal in the amount of $118,000; the final settlement was $129,000.  As this was still not enough money to build a new synagogue, the congregation opted to move the existing building to a new site, so LeBeck and Sons, which had never before lost a building, was contracted.  The building was also insured by Lloyd’s of London, the only company at the time to insure building moves.

In the process of the move, an unexpected glitch occurred.  Mr. Funes explained, “On a very hot midsummer weekend, [the building] was resting on the intersection.  The weight of the building actually caused one of the dollies to sink into the asphalt.”  As a result, the building sustained serious damage and was condemned by the city.  Luckily, Mr. Menashe had the foresight to be skeptical of the optimism of the movers.  He remembered, “I didn’t believe the movers when they said to keep the Torahs in the building, so we took them out.”

Lloyd’s of London did not want to pay for the condemned building; they claimed that it had suffered the damage during the earthquake of 1930 and furthermore that the congregation was dying so a settlement would not be in line.  On the latter assertion, Rabbi Yonah Geller of Congregation Shaarie Torah testified to the contrary, claiming that the synagogue was indeed viable and after 18 months of litigation, both in local and federal court, the insurers were forced to pay for the building.  In 1966, with the money from the settlement, the existing building, a beautiful Middle Eastern-styled dome, was constructed at 3225 SW Barbur Boulevard, not far from Ahavath Achim’s original home.  In the interim period between the condemnation of the original building and the finish of the new building, though, membership lagged as services were infrequently held.

The Synagogue’s Early Spiritual Leaders

Congregation Ahavath Achim did not only glean members from the Seattle community—it even found its leader there.  Beginning in 1933, Hazan Jack Maimon of Sephardic Bikur Cholim in Seattle was contracted to officiate High Holiday and Purim services for the small Portland community.  He served Ahavath Achim for over 50 years during which time he was an integral member of the congregation.  By the time he led his final Purim service in Portland in 1984, his void was severely felt.

Shortly after the new building was completed, the synagogue decided that it needed its own Rabbi—who would be its first.  When news came from Los Angeles in 1966 that Rabbi Michel Albagli was retiring his post, the Executive Board jumped to the opportunity and offered him a job.  Unbeknownst to the synagogue, however, he had been involved in a mugging so when he arrived in Portland, he was neither in the physical nor mental condition to serve as Rabbi.  Accordingly and unfortunately, he was only able to serve the community from February 6, 1966 until October 17, 1967 at which time he became Rabbi Emeritus, though he continued to attend services over the next 20 years.

A New Hazan Brings a Rebirth

After the retirement of Jack Maimon, the congregation created a search committee led by then-President Richard Matza to find a Hazan to conduct the High Holiday services.  Mr. Matza described the predicament, “For a few years, we hired Hazans from around the country to lead High Holiday services… then we decided it would be better to hire our own Hazan.  Ralph Policar, may he rest in peace, said he knew someone in Vancouver.”  That person turned out to be Sam Nechemia.

In May of 1986, President Matza began to work with the INS, Rabbi Geller and others in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, BC to bring Mr. Nechemia to be a more permanent Hazan.  The process took 3-4 months, during which time President Matza took two trips to Vancouver.  He contacted Sephardic Bikur Holim congregation of Seattle, which had earlier submitted a request to the INS detailing why a Sephardic leader was needed rather than any Jew in its successful bid to bring Rabbi Simon Benzaquen to their synagogue.  Ahavath Achim simply substituted Mr. Nehemia’s name for that of Rabbi Benzaquen in their request.  Eventually, the proposal was accepted and Mr. Nechemia was able to move to Portland.

In the interim, though, before a Green Card could be obtained, Mr. Nechemia was able to lead High Holiday services in 1986.  After being cleared by the INS, he moved to Portland in April 1987, around which time he was instrumental in the resumption of Friday Night and Saturday Morning services, which hadn’t been held for over 15 years.  After receiving a one year part-time contract to serve as Hazan in May 1988, Mr. Nechemia served the congregation until October 1989.

After Mr. Nechemia left, without a Hazan, the congregation was in dire straights and only luckily found a Rabbi to lead the High Holidays services in 1990.  With this in mind, Mr. Nechemia was brought back to Portland (from Los Angeles where he ran a Kosher bakery in the Valley) on a temporary basis to officiate High Holidays services from 1991-1993.  As he was not available in 1994, members of the congregation including current Gabbai Sol Varon, led the High Holiday services.

In 1995, Sam Nechemia again returned to Ahavath Achim after being contacted by Yossi Malka, but this time for good.  He agreed to move to Portland to serve as the Hazan beginning on January 1, 1996—and continues to lead services, read Torah and prepare the Kiddush lunch to this day.

New Members Bring Changes

Over the years, Ahavath Achim has seen a shift in its membership base.  For instance, Mr. Nechemia, of Kurdish background, has represented the new wave of Middle Eastern Sephardim into the congregation.  Long time member and former President Richard Matza described the change, “We have had a shifting of generations as the Turks passed away and there has been an influx of Middle Eastern Jews.”[10] 

The arrival of the Middle Eastern Jews into the synagogue has not merely meant a change in faces.  Today, the cuisine is more Israeli than Turkish or Greek, as it was in the founding generations; the Minhag[11] is more Israeli than Rhodesli; and, the synagogue is a more homogenous Sephardic community than a Turkish synagogue.  Long time member Mark Abolofia remarked, “It has been wonderful, because they—the Mizrahi[12] Jews—feel very comfortable with our melodies. Also, those with their own Minhag only add, not detract, from the services.”[13] 

Clearly, most longtime members are more than willing to embrace their Middle Eastern coreligionists, who make up perhaps 35% of the membership.[14]  These congregants realize that without the Middle Eastern Jews, the synagogue most certainly would not be able to hold regular services.  Mr. Menashe detailed this, saying, “We got some new members from Persia… younger people started to come, and without them, the synagogue would probably be more social than religious.”

The Congregation Looks toward the Future

In the late 1990’s, with its aging building deteriorating, Congregation Ahavath Achim began its Preservation Campaign.  Originally, the purpose of the Campaign was to raise money to, among other things, fix the roof, repaint the building, install new doors and fix waterlogged parts of the walls; however, with time, the process greatly expanded.

At first, the idea arose to create a reserve/endowment fund because the synagogue greatly lacked one.  Eventually, in the course of brainstorming, Rabbi Stampfer of Congregation Neveh Shalom suggested raising more money to eventually hire a Sephardic Rabbi; long time member David Kashanian subsequently proposed that money be placed aside specifically for the hiring of a rabbi.  More ideas arose, including the addition of a new building with classrooms and offices to be built after the acquisition of a Rabbi.  In the words of Mr. Matza, “The goal went from a $50,000 to a $500,000 campaign.”  With the encouragement and considerable financial support of long time member Ruben J. Menashe, many of the goals became a reality.  Today, with over $460,000 on hand, the search for a Rabbi is seemingly being proven worthwhile and, in the hopes of most congregants, will lead to the successful hiring of a young, talented, knowledgeable and interested Rabbi to lead the Congregation for many years to come.

Another important facet of the Sephardic Community of Portland that came out of the Ahavath Achim Preservation Campaign was the Sephardic Cultural Center of Oregon, which was founded in 2002.    Though some of its members are also members of Ahavath Achim, many are not.  Its brochure explains that it

is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the preservation and sharing of the rich educational, historical and cultural legacy of the ancient Sephardic World…  [Its mission is] to promote and perpetuate Sephardic Culture and education with the entire community through film, language, guest speakers, exhibits, concerts, scholarship and history.[15]

Today, the Sephardic Cultural Center provides people who consider themselves Sephardic the opportunity to stay culturally involved in the community outside of the Congregation.

Conclusion

Though there are but 1500 Sephardim in Portland today, Ahavath Achim nevertheless continues to thrive after nearly 90 years.  Though it has seen its ups and its downs, it nonetheless perseveres and continues to be an important part of the Portland Jewish community.  And, with approximately 75 families representing the entire spectrum of the Sephardic world—Rhodes, Turkey, Greece, Israel, Morocco, Rumania, Bulgaria, the Balkan States, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Kurdistan, and Lebanon—the synagogue is living proof that regardless of background, Sephardim can unite to form one congregation. 

Acknowledgements

This paper could not have been accomplished without a handful of dedicated members of Congregation Ahavath Achim.  I must thank Mark Abolofia for providing me with two invaluable sources—William M. Kramer’s history of Ahavath Achim and Rabbi Shelton Donnell’s chapter on the Sephardim of the West Coast—both of which I used too often to cite in each instance.  Additionally, I could not have compiled this history without the information provided in personal interviews I had with Sam N. Menashe, Ralph Funes, Richard Matza and Mark Abolofia or the information embedded in the synagogue’s website.[16]  Finally, I would like to thank Professor Michael McGaha of Pomona College for the information he provided me regarding the crypto-Jews of Portland.