| Agudas Achim | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Leadership |
|
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 7300 Hart Lane,Northwest Hills,Austin, Texas |
| Country | United States |
  Location inTexas | |
| Administration | United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism |
| Coordinates | 30°21′27″N97°45′26″W / 30.3574°N 97.7571°W /30.3574; -97.7571 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | David Lake (2001) |
| Type | Synagogue |
| Established | 1914(as a congregation) |
| Completed |
|
| Materials | Wood andlimestone |
| Website | |
| theaustinsynagogue | |
Congregation Agudas Achim is aConservativesynagogue located in theNorthwest Hills neighborhood ofAustin, Texas, in the United States.
Agudas Achim (Community of Brothers) was founded in 1914 by a group ofOrthodox Jews who met for prayer in private homes. It was chartered in 1924 and occupied leased space before erecting a brick synagogue at 909 San Jacinto. The Agudas Achim Cemetery in Austin Memorial Park on Hancock Road was purchased in 1933. The congregation joined theUnited Synagogue of Conservative Judaism in 1948.
The congregation moved to a new building on Bull Creek Road, dedicated on December 30, 1963. U.S. Vice PresidentLyndon Baines Johnson was scheduled to the dedication, which was postponed while the congregation joined the nation in mourning the death of U.S. PresidentJohn F. Kennedy.[1][2] At the dedication,Jim Novy spoke about President Johnson's role inOperation Texas, a clandestine operation to use the power of the US government without formal sanction to help Eastern European Jews escape the Nazis.
This is thought to have made the congregation the second American synagogue dedicated by a president. The first was theWashington Hebrew Congregation which has had cornerstones laid or buildings dedicated by Presidents McKinley, Truman and Eisenhower.[3] The undistinguished mid-century modern brick and glass building was renovated and upgraded in 1989.[3]
In 2001, the congregation dedicated a modern building designed byDavid Lake. The wood and stone sanctuary is bathed in natural light that enters via a skylight. The rusticated limestone walls resembleJerusalem stone (both visually and geologically) but the stone, like the members of the congregation, is "proudly Texan".[4] The building is one of several religious institutions and community centers occupying the 40-acreDell Jewish Community Campus in theNorthwest Hills neighborhood of Austin.[5]
In 2018Jen Taylor Friedman completed the first full Torah written in Texas by a woman; the congregation had requested her to do it for them.[6][7]
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