Olam Tikvah History

History

OT's front plaza and main lobby entrance. Photo by Lauren Friedman.

Congregation Olam Tikvah was formed in 1964 from the hopes and needs of six families who lived in the then-outer reaches of Fairfax County. Those families sought to create a Jewish environment for themselves and for their young children.

They began by making a survey of the Kings Park, Springfield, Fairfax, Annandale and Vienna areas, to determine whether there were other Jewish families interested in establishing a synagogue. Using an assortment of lists, and even calling “Jewish” names in the phone book—some with humorous results—they determined that there was a clear need for a synagogue to serve the growing area beyond the Beltway. On May 24, 1964, Congregation Olam Tikvah was born. Of its six founding families, five are still members.

The early years of Olam Tikvah featured services held in homes, religious school activities in public schools; and holiday events in churches and schools. The first religious services were held in the Friendship Room of the Annandale Baptist Church; the first High Holy Day services were in 1964 in the chapel at Fort Belvoir. The first rabbi was not really a rabbi. “Reb” Jack Frankel led the services and provided religious leadership. Reb Frankel’s relationship with Olam Tikvah, early members believe, inspired his return to the seminary and eventual ordination.

The first major move of the established congregation was a consolidation of Friday night services and Sunday religious school in the Annandale Elementary School. When Reb Frankel left the area, Rabbi Morris Gordon, an ordained rabbi without a permanent congregation, came to Olam Tikvah’s aid. Rabbi Gordon made an avocation of helping new congregations in the Washington area.

A Men’s Club was begun, and early-morning breakfast meetings were held at the Charter House Motel in Springfield. The biggest milestone of the early years came when the Men’s Club, after earning money through paper drives and other activities, bought the first Torah in 1965. Recognizing their long-term future, the congregation also formed a committee in 1965 to locate a suitable permanent home.

Arnie Smokler carrying the Torah donated by his father’s shul, in a dedication ceremony in the basement of the “little house” (3808 Glenbrook), about 1965. Clockwise, from foreground, Eric Smokler, 5 (waiting to kiss the Torah), Warren Kranz, Marvin Bleiberg, Martin Schindler

Land with existing buildings, on Glenbrook Road, was purchased in 1966 and the focus of activities shifted to the current site. Existing buildings allowed immediate use of the property. Using the skills and tools of the membership, now nearing 100 families after only two years, the congregation made the basement of the brick house the sanctuary and the upstairs bedrooms became the classrooms. The Torahs, now numbering two, rested in an Ark handcrafted by a congregant. Rabbi Gordon continued providing spiritual leadership to Olam Tikvah until the hiring of the Congregation’s first full-time rabbi in 1967, Rabbi Itzhaq M. Klirs. An Israeli by birth, Rabbi Klirs came to the United States and Olam Tikvah from South Africa.

Rabbi Itzhaq Klirs at the first dedication, 1972.

Growth continued over the years, and when the need for a structure larger than the brick house became evident, fund-raising efforts began. Architect Seymour Auerbach’s design, stressing glass and the surrounding wooded land, resulted in an attractive, highly functional structure. Olam Tikvah’s first real home, in a building built by the congregation, for the specific needs of the congregation, was occupied in April 1972.

With the new building came more families and an increase in the school population. The number of social events and mitzvot celebrated at the synagogue grew. Accordingly, in the late 1970s planning began for the first addition. Growth of the building resulted in improved classrooms, a full-scale library, and two social halls. This versatile structure was dedicated in 1983.

In 1998, Olam Tikvah welcomed a new full-time rabbi, David Kalender. In 2000, the Congregation observed the 36th anniversary with a gala. Sifrei Torah, now numbering seven, included a Holocaust Torah. Growth, both in number of congregants and space needed, continued. Rabbi Joshua Ben-Gideon came to the community as the second rabbi in 2003 to attend to the needs of the congregants.

Forty-three years after its inception, Olam Tikvah launched another fund-raising initiative to accommodate a major expansion. Celebrating simchas of all sizes will be possible in the remodeled and expanded space. The original design, emphasizing glass and the surrounding natural beauty, continues to be a driving force for the subsequent architectural decisions.

Olam Tikvah expects to be fully utilizing the new space as soon as construction is completed. The building will comfortably house the current congregation and guests during its many activities and simchas. The building will be able to better accommodate the continuing, growing, and changing, needs of the congregation. The dedication of the “new” building will see the attendance of the third generation of families who started with the original Olam Tikvah in 1964. Their dreams of a warm and welcoming environment continue as the driving force of community life.