Palm
Harbor, Florida, was a small rural town in 1976 when
Temple Ahavat Shalom was founded. Although located only 10 miles
north of Clearwater and 20 miles east of Tampa Palm Harbor was connected
to the Tampa Bay region by narrow, two lane roads. At that time, very few
Jews lived in Palm Harbor. However, with the continuing growth of west
central Florida, Palm Harbor is now a desirable,
flourishing suburb of both Clearwater and Tampa.connected to its
neighbors by a series of highways.
As
Palm Harbor and its neighboring towns grew, so did the Jewish population.
This increase in population can be attributed to the migration of families
from the northern states as well as Tampa and Clearwater residents who
wished for the serene suburban lifestyle that Palm Harbor had to offer.
Today,
Temple Ahavat Shalom serves families living in the Pinellas county
towns of Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Dunedin, Eastlake, and Tarpon
Springs. Our synagogue also serves the West Hillsborough communities of
Westchase, the Eagles, and surrounding areas; as well as, the towns of New
Port Richey, and Holiday in West
Pasco county.
Temple
Ahavat Shalom, a Reform congregation, was founded in 1976 by 18 Jewish
families. Early meeting places included a hotel and a Chinese restaurant.
Rabbi
Jan Bresky (z”l) was engaged to lead
the congregation in 1978. He
left in 1987 to serve another
congregation.
Rabbi
Gary Klein became spiritual leader of the congregation in 1987 and
continues to serve today. The
growth in numbers, vitality of the congregation and the strong sense of
community we feel can be contributed primarily to the leadership of Rabbi
Klein. His caring nurturing
of the congregation and his dedication to its members has helped create a
religious community that is both active and caring. We are grateful that
our Rabbi accepted the invitation of our lay leadership in 1995 to serve
us with life tenure.
Part
of the Temple we occupy today was built in 1980.
Our sanctuary, library, office complex, and many of our Religious
School classrooms were built in 1993.
We are about to embark upon the construction of the Rabbi Gary
Klein Youth Lounge. This center will serve as
a religious, educational and social center for our teens, a place
where they can feel at home.
There
are approximately 600 families in our congregation, 100 children in our
Krieger Early Childhood Center and 325 children in the Weaner Religious
School. Our households are headed by not only young and middle-aged
adults, but also senior citizens. We are a diverse group of people who
share a common commitment to ennobling our lives and the world through our
identification with Judaism. We
are a Reform congregation with a warm approach to Jewish tradition.
We attempt to utilize our Jewish heritage to help each member
become more appreciative of his or her blessings and more committed to the
moral imperatives found in our sacred literature.
This approach, we believe, has helped us to create a community that
nurtures the best in each of us and a Temple that is a second home for all
of us.
We
invite you to browse our website.
If you have any questions or would like to get to know us better
please feel free to consult page
of this web site or call Rabbi Klein at (727) 785-8811 or our
Educational and Programming Director, Landy Gonzalez at (727) 785-2297 and
familiarize yourself with our activities and us. At Temple Ahavat Shalom,
there is something for everyone, and most important, a spiritual home for
the ever increasing and diverse Jewish community that Palm Harbor has
become.
Our
Family