The Ohel Nechama community began to operate in the 1960s.

A group of lecturers and graduates of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, had to leave the crowded confines of Beit Hillel on Balfour Street which was frequented by many of the school's students. The members of the group moved to the student house in the Katamon neighborhood, and began to pray together on Shabbat and on holidays. This was the beginning of the Ohel Nechama community.

The goal of the group was to create a new framework for prayer and study, which would adequately express the enormous change that the Jewish people had undergone in their homeland in the last hundred years.

The community agreed to operate according to the following principles:     

1.The community will nurture the Torah life of its members by organizing high level Torah classes.
2.The community will organize prayers, where its community members will be able beseech the Creator of the world in a dignified manner. This principle dictated the order of prayer of the community, which combined the traditions of Western Europe, with the vitality of the renewing communities in the Land of Israel.
3.The community will strive to integrate its young people into its Torah activity and prayer.
In the early 1980s, the worshipers of the synagogue received a plot of land near the Jerusalem Theater, to build their permanent residence. For the purpose of construction, Amutah Maalot Yerushalayim was established, which began to plan the building and raise the required resources.
The association decided to honor the memory of Rabbanit Nechama Lifshitz, whose family made a significant contribution to the construction of the building by naming the synagogue 'Ohel Nechama'.
In the construction of the iconic building, the members of the association implemented the mitzvah of glorifying God's name. The Ohel Nechama synagogue has become one of the largest and most beautiful synagogues in Jerusalem.
Today, Amutah Maalot continues to operate the synagogue according to the principles establishedby the association's founders. The halls of the magnificent building are bustling with study groups and various activities, and the voice of Torah resonates throughout. The prayers are orderly and uplifting. The readings in the Torah are precise, and the prayer leaders, all members of the Ohel Nechama community, lead the public in singing and joy.
The community is managed by its two statutory bodies, the Board of Directors (moetzah) and the Executive Committee (va'ad). Both bodies are elected each year by the membership at the association's annual meeting.

The members of the community are engaged in acts of chesed and kindness , activities for young families, activities for Olim and charity work.

Previously, Rabbis Dr. Daniel Trooper, Dr. Aharon Adler and Rabbi Dr. Avidan Milevsky served as shul Rabbis.
As of today Rav Yosef Ote, and his wife Atira serve as Rav and Rabbanit of the synagogue.

 

We will be delighted to see you join our vibrant community. Welcome!

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