With its Expansion Open House and ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 28, North Andover’s Congregation Ahavat Olam officially grew by 50% – but remains a homey, inclusive shul.
“We are genuine when we say we are family, we are community,” noted Rabbi and Cantor Idan Irelander, who grew up in Israel and came to the U.S. to study music. “Anyone who comes into the doors feels that – that we don’t judge anyone where they are in their Jewish journey. We celebrate one Judaism.”
Ahavat Olam’s welcoming approach has contributed to its remarkable growth: from 30 founding families in July 2022 to 150 families today. And that growth has necessitated the shul’s physical expansion as well: the recently completed renovation includes additions to the congregation’s rented space of a social hall, a kitchen and more classrooms.
Ahavat Olam shares its 1600 Osgood St. location in North Andover with a mix of commercial, warehouse and office spaces. When another space became available for rent next door, Irelander said, the congregation took the opportunity to break through the wall and expand. While the larger space can accommodate up to 300 people, which is fine for most services and minyans, Irelander said
Ahavat Olam will continue to hold its biggest services at the nearby North Parish Unitarian Universalist Church.
“It doesn’t mean that we stopped looking for permanent space,” noted Einat Irelander, the rabbi’s wife and director of the congregation’s Hebrew school. “It’s just that we decided that for now it feels like home, and therefore we put the effort into the expansion.”
“This is not a forever home, even though it does feel right now when people come in, they definitely feel a ‘wow’ and the warmth inside,” the rabbi said. “We are not in a rush for anything. We’re going to wait for the right shul to come. We can live with that for many years to come because it serves our needs for now. If we need to expand more, it’s not a shame, right? If it’s God’s will and we keep growing, then we may need to look sooner for a larger space.”
Einat is excited about having the extra space to facilitate more Jewish learning. “We have around 40 students [in the Hebrew school],” she said. The shul has held almost 40 bar and bat mitzvahs since it opened four years ago, with six more scheduled through October. “We anticipate growing more, and that’s why part of the expansion is extra classrooms, to accommodate the growing school,” she said.
It could be said Ahavat Olam continues the legacies of synagogues in the Merrimack Valley that have closed in recent years, such as Lawrence’s Congregation Ansha Sholum.
In fact, Rabbi Irelander noted, Ahavat Olam “inherited pretty much all the artifacts, including eight Torahs” from Ansha Sholum, and even invited congregation members to a “l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation, event inaugurating that, making it official” in November 2025.
Some of Ahavat Olam’s appeal, its rabbi suggests, lies in its embrace of a “one Judaism” approach to spirituality. Irelander creates services, he said, that come from his unique background.
“I grew up in Israel,” he said. “I used to go to Orthodox synagogues. I belong to the Conservative movement of clergy. I worked in a Reform setting, Reconstructionist, Hasidic, Chabadnik. I pretty much know many of the traditions and customs. When I create a service, I like to bring all these aspects together. I think people really appreciate it. And so if you grow up Conservative, you feel comfortable. If you grow up Reform, you feel comfortable. If you grow up Orthodox, you feel comfortable in our services.”
This rendering of comfort extends to the political, as well.
“We don’t judge anyone,” Irelander said. “We encourage people to express their feelings. Especially these days – with the surge of antisemitism and anti-Zionism and all this mishuga – we serve as a home for our Jewish community. They know they have an ear that listens to them and a rabbi that works for them and fights for them. I was among the 700 rabbis who signed a letter against [New York] Mayor [Zohran] Mamdani in a day. I think these days people are looking for a home and for leadership that heals them and take these issues very seriously.”
Even with the recent additions, founding and current President Marc Freedman acknowledges Ahavat Olam doesn’t have a fancy building. What it does have, he said, is a sense of warmth where everybody feels welcome, as well as an historical reverence for the artifacts that it preserved from older temples that have had to shut their doors.
“What we are is a place where Jews gather,” he said. “I don’t care what flag you fly, who you vote for, when you light your candles, what food you eat, what you wear, or who you marry – you’re just welcome. And the spirit of music that enraptures the temple is what draws our audience. Everybody just feels at home.”
Email reporter Brett M. Rhyne at brett@jewishjournal.org.
