Maryland’s First Synagogue

In 1830, as soon as Jewish Marylanders were allowed, by law, to charter an organization, the Jews of Baltimore founded Nidche Yisroel (Scattered of Israel). Starting in 1840, the traditional congregation, which worshiped in a small room above a grocery store in East Baltimore, brought Rabbi Abraham Rice from Germany to be their rabbi. Rabbi Rice, the first ordained rabbi in the United States, had aspirations to be the chief rabbi of the US (he clearly did not understand the culture of America!). 

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In 1845, the congregation moved into a new home with a new name. Baltimore Hebrew Congregation built a synagogue on Lloyd Street (now under the stewardship of the Jewish Museum of Maryland), which is the oldest synagogue in the state of Maryland and the third-oldest existing in the country. In 1871, the board of electors voted to permit women to sing in the choir, causing a splinter congregation of those who were opposed to such innovation.

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In 1891, the congregation moved into a new home on Madison Avenue, following the movement of the Jewish community north and west through the city. The congregation moved to its current home on Park Heights Avenue in 1951. 

In the 1960s, under the leadership of Rabbi Morris Lieberman, BHC became a congregation known for working for Civil Rights. This commitment continued under the leadership of Head Rabbis Rabbi Murray Saltzman (installed in 1978) and Rabbi Rex Perlmeter (installed in 1996), including with the installation of openly gay associate rabbis Rabbi Peter Kessler in 1996 and Rabbi Elissa Sachs-Kohen in 2004.

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Today, under the spiritual leadership of Head Rabbi, Rabbi Andrew Busch, Baltimore Hebrew Congregation works to live into its values through commitments to fostering belonging for all members, working to serve individuals and communities around Baltimore, around the nation, in Israel, and around the world, and directing our learning and action toward improving ourselves and the world. 

We are a spiritual community grounded in the worship, music, and ritual inherited from those who came before and responsive to the needs of ourselves, our children, and our neighbors and communities. 

Add the CTA for membership section style (see page Our Values)