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Indiana Jews race to reclaim a synagogue that shaped the Reform movement

JL;DR SUMMARY In Lafayette, Indiana, a campaign to reclaim the historic 1867 synagogue of Ahavas Achim is underway, reflecting a significant chapter in the Reform movement's history. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CommunityReform JudaismPreservationJewish LegacyCultural CenterCrowdfundingAhavas AchimLafayetteHistoric SynagoguesRabbi Julian Morgenstern

Places mentioned

Lafayette, Indiana, United States
"Robyn Soloveitchik outside the original Ahavas Achim synagogue in Lafayette, Indiana."
West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
"In 1969, as members increasingly lived across the river in West Lafayette, it relocated this time to a new building closer to the university community."
Indiana, United States
"The Lafayette building, she said, has statewide and national significance."
South Bend, Indiana, United States
"When a new baseball stadium was built in 2012 in South Bend, the team owner had to figure out what to do with a 1901 Romanesque Revivalstyle synagogue on the property that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places."
Terre Haute, Indiana, United States
"In Terre Haute, a former synagogue now operates as the Wabash Activity Center, hosting senior programs and public events."
Evansville, Indiana, United States
"In Evansville, a community center incorporates the surviving tower of a burned synagogue into its campus even using it in the organizations logo."
New York City, New York, United States
"Nathan Krass later served for decades at New York Citys Temple Emanu-El, one of the countrys most prominent Reform congregations."
Arlington, Virginia, United States
"Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, second from left, and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., center, take part in a Vietnam War protest at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington Cemetery, Feb. 6, 1968."

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Retrieved 2026-02-25 05:31:01 UTC
Curated 2026-02-25 08:33:23 UTC