Agudas Achim seeks to be a religious, cultural, spiritual, and social hub for the Jewish community in Columbus. We seek to create a community where every person feels seen and held, and where they feel comfortable bringing their whole self and identity to our communal home. Amidst the turbulence in our world today, we hope to be a place of radical joy and hope. We believe that our tradition and our faith have a hold on us and we embrace our history while continuing to build on that tradition to create meaning for ourselves today. We are proudly egalitarian and celebrate the diversity and equality that makes us stronger as a whole. Through our pillars, we seek to foster lifelong connections to Jewish Community, Family, God, Torah, Israel, and our entire human family and world.

Traditional: Seeking meaning in Jewish tradition, and building on that tradition to create meaning for ourselves. Our members are inspired by traditions that connect us with our congregation’s history and with other Jews around the world.

Egalitarian: Supporting and encouraging our members, in all their diversity, to participate fully in synagogue life.

Friendly: Welcoming each person who appears before us, whether a traveler at morning minyan, a non-Jewish family member, a homeless person at kiddush, etc. We are a warm, close-knit, child-friendly community.

Participatory: Engaging members so every member contributes, everyone is needed and everyone feels valued. We recognize our differences and create opportunities for, rather than barriers to participation.