Congregation Neveh Shalom

Congregation Neveh Shalom is a congregation and synagogue affiliated with Conservative Judaism, located at 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, in the Hillsdale neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, in the United States.

Founded in 1961 from the mergers of three older congregations, it has a membership of over 850 households. The early members of the synagogue were immigrants from Prussia or Poland, resulting in the nickname "Polisha shul." Despite the synagogue's nickname, it leaned toward the German styles of Judaism, rather than the Polish one. Neveh Shalom is the second oldest Jewish congregation in the Pacific Northwest and the oldest Conservative congregation on the West Coast.

Neveh Shalom traces its origins to two synagogues, Neveh Zedek and Ahavi Shalom.

Ahavi Shalom was formed in 1868 and founded in 1869. It was led for three years by Rabbi Julius Eckman. Rabbi Eckman had published Gleaner in San Francisco in 1858 which was the first Jewish periodical on the Pacific coast.

During these early years, Jews of Prussian and Polish ethnicity were the primary demographic of the synagogue. Ahavi was known as the Polisha Shul. After Eckman left, Hazzan Robert Abrahamson served as both the hazzan and the rabbi due to difficulties in finding a new rabbi. By 1889, Ahavi Shalom began conducting sermons in English instead of German. Ahavi Shalom was located on SW Sixth between Oak and Pine in 1899 and counted 65 members.

Congregation Talmud Torah was founded in 1895 and in 1899 was located at 260 First Street and had 50 members. Talmund Torah and Neveh Zedek merged in 1902, creating the synagogue Neveh Zedek. As the synagogue grew, the need for new buildings to fit the growing congregation arose, resulting in the construction of two buildings in 1904, 1911, and 1950. Throughout the 1920s, Neveh Zedek struggled to find a rabbi, relying on its cantor Abraham Rosencrantz, who served until 1936, the year he died. During this period, in 1921, Neveh Zedek joined the Conservative movement. Two years later, an arsonist set fire to the synagogue.

Ahavi Shalom was located at 146 SW Park Avenue where Edward T. Sandrow served as rabbi between 1933 and 1937.

After World War 2, an influx of Jewish refugees of the Holocaust resulted in Neveh Zedek's orientation shifting into a more traditional style. In 1953, a Rabbi Joshua Stampfer arrived at the synagogue. Rabbi Stampfer created a Jewish preschool which would later turn into a Foundation School. A year later, in 1954, Major Pruitt would come to the synagogue to learn about Judaism. Pruitt would organize weddings and bar mitzvahs, keep track of yahrzeits, and oversee the synagogue's kosher kitchen.