About
Adas Kodesch
Shel Emeth

Rabbi Abe

Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth welcomed a new Spiritual Leader, Rabbi Abraham Rabinovich, in 2023. AKSE congregants and Rabbi Abe, as he prefers to be called, shared the excitement as the congregation embarked on the next chapter in its 140-year history.

Email Rabbi Abe: RabbiAbe@AKSE.org

The theme of tradition is embodied in the religious practices of the congregation and the dedication to passing Jewish practice and teaching from one generation to the next. While tradition has been a constant at AKSE, that does not mean that the congregation has not seen many changes throughout its history. No institution can flourish for more than 140 years without renewing itself to meet the challenges of the constantly changing community and world around it.

Much of the Adas Kodesch story revolves around the groups of Jews that settled in Delaware, at times finding common ground and at other times needing to express their unique differences. In her acclaimed book, “Becoming American, Remaining Jewish: The Story of Wilmington, Delaware’s First Jewish Community, 1879-1924” (Associated University Presses, 1999), Toni Young details the early history of Adas Kodesch. “During the 1880’s, the Jewish population of Wilmington expanded quickly [from fewer than 100] to some 500 people.” By 1885, the new arrivals were mainly from Eastern Europe. There were now “two vastly different groups of Jewish immigrants in Wilmington, those who danced in satin at fancy balls, and those who struggled to make a living in a new land.” The newcomers did not feel comfortable among the existing population of Americanized and mostly Reform Jews and “immediately established a more traditional synagogue, Adas Kodesch.” Incorporation followed in 1889.

The old joke “two Jews, three opinions” has played out in the Wilmington Jewish community and at Adas Kodesch over the years. At times, diversity has been met with tolerance; at other times, with tensions. Already in 1888 a second Orthodox synagogue was formed, Ahavath Achim. By 1890, the two congregations jointly purchased the Lombardy Cemetery. This purchase also resulted in the merger of the two congregations. In 1900, a group of Jews who preferred the Sephardic ritual formed Chesed Shel Emeth Congregation. Eventually, in 1957, the two traditional congregations merged to form Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth.

Beginning in the 1940’s, Adas Kodesch implemented a series of changes to meet the needs of an increasingly Americanized Jewish community. The congregation introduced “mixed seating” and engaged an American born rabbi, Rabbi Joseph Singer. Rabbi Singer delivered his sermons in English (rather than Yiddish) and initiated a “late service” at 8:00 p.m. on Friday nights.

In December 1947, Rabbi Leonard B. Gewirtz became rabbi of Adas Kodesch. With his dynamic personality and intellect, Rabbi Gewirtz brought a dedication to making traditional Judaism relevant to modern American Jews. Reacting to a debate in the congregation at the time concerning whether an Orthodox or Conservative rabbi should be engaged, Rabbi Gewirtz, an Orthodox rabbi, suggested that Adas Kodesch be considered “Traditional”—neither strictly Orthodox nor Conservative.

Over the next 42 years, Rabbi Gewirtz led a period of growth and innovation in the Jewish religious life of the congregation and community. He started several of the institutions we take for granted today, including the Rabbinical Association of Delaware, the Va’ad Hakashruth and the “Rabbi Speaks” on WDEL. He loved to engage teenagers, teaching Confirmation classes, the Minyonaires prayer group, and classes at Gratz Hebrew High School. In 1956, he organized the first Bat Mitzvah in Delaware. Among Rabbi Gewirtz’s admirers and friends was President Joseph Biden, who, when he was our Senator, fondly called him “my rabbi.”

Since 1989, three Spiritual Leaders have led and made their mark on Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth and the community–Rabbis Nathan Schorr, Sanford Dresin, and Steven Saks. Notable innovations include enhanced opportunities for women’s participation in services, expanded availability of kosher food locally, and extensive programming and advocacy for Israel. We are excited for our future as we welcome Rabbi Abe Rabinovich as our new Spiritual Leader.

Though a congregation is defined more by its people than its brick and mortar, part of the history of renewal of AKSE is certainly told through its synagogue buildings. In 1898 Adas Kodesch bought the Zion Lutheran Church at Sixth and French Streets for $5,625. This building became the first synagogue in Delaware. Interestingly, the building was also the first Lutheran church in Delaware, as well as the site of the first free public school in Delaware. The congregation outgrew the building before long. In 1907 the building was razed, and a new synagogue was built there and dedicated in 1908. In reporting the laying of the cornerstone, the Wilmington newspaper (The Star, August 18, 1907) declared that the synagogue “will be one of the most magnificent structures of its kind in this section of the country.” Only seven years later, in 1915, Chesed Shel Emeth dedicated its new synagogue building on Shipley Street. This was a period of change for the entire Wilmington Jewish community: the reform Temple of Truth also dedicated a new building in 1908.

By 1959 the growth of Adas Kodesch and the recent merger with Chesed Shel Emeth led to the establishment of a Building Committee. Percival Goodman, the leading synagogue architect in the United States, was engaged. The beautiful building at Washington Blvd. and Torah Way, was dedicated in 1963. In 1994 the Sanctuary was completely renovated and dedicated to Rabbi Leonard and Gladys Gewirtz. Between 2007 and 2010 additional renovations were made throughout the building.

AKSE sold its Washington Blvd. building in 2019 to a church and then was hosted by the Conservative congregation in Wilmington, Congregation Beth Shalom, while it was identifying its next home. In 2021, AKSE moved into its current home, a beautiful mansion at 2412 Pennsylvania Ave. The facility, being leased from a neighboring church, is the perfect size for our current congregation.

It is a sign of its vitality that AKSE continues to renew itself to this day, even as it rededicates itself to the values of family and tradition.

History written by AKSE member Mark Wagman