Jewish life in Iowa City began before the Civil War, when a small but resilient community took root and helped shape the town’s early civic and religious life. In 1859, the Jewish community established the cemetery that still serves Agudas Achim today. Just over a decade later, in 1873, Moses Bloom became America’s first Jewish mayor.
As new immigrants arrived in the early 1900s, the character of local Jewish life broadened. Families gathered for prayer in private homes until Agudas Achim officially incorporated in 1916 and purchased its first synagogue building in 1920. This was a period of vibrant growth: women’s groups formed, Hebrew school expanded, and the University of Iowa fostered both a strong Hillel and the beginnings of a respected Jewish Studies presence.
Throughout the mid-20th century, devoted rabbis and educators shaped the congregation, strengthening ties between Agudas Achim, the University, and the wider Iowa City community. The synagogue moved into a new building in 1950, became an egalitarian congregation in 1974, and continued to evolve alongside a changing Jewish population.
By the 1990s and 2000s, both Agudas Achim and Hillel experienced renewed growth, prompting creative solutions for space and programming. After significant water damage to the old building, the congregation purchased and renovated a former gym in Coralville. When it opened in 2013, community leaders and national Jewish figures joined in the celebration of a new spiritual home.
In 2015, following 41 years of devoted service, Rabbi Jeff Portman retired. After a brief interim period, Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz arrived in 2017, guiding Agudas Achim into its newest chapter.
Today, Agudas Achim stands on nearly two centuries of Jewish presence in Iowa City—resilient, welcoming, and committed to continued growth.
Pictured: Passover, 1922, at the first Agudas Achim synagogue building at 432 South Clinton St., Iowa City.
Pictured: The Coralville building that became our new synagogue in 2013.
