The Orthodox Union has announced that the Young Israel of Toco Hills in Atlanta has been accepted as a member synagogue, joining hundreds of other OU synagogues throughout North America, and will immediately start enjoying the benefits of affiliation with the OU. The synagogue is located at 2056 Lavista Road.
The announcement followed the approval by the OU’s Synagogue Standards Commission, which acted on the recommendation of the organization’s Executive Committee. The Young Israel of Toco Hills has an established relationship with the OU, including hosting Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, the OU’s executive vice president, emeritus, as scholar-in-residence at the synagogue’s Chanukat Habayit (building dedication) in November.
Martin Nachimson, president of the Orthodox Union, explained, “The Young Israel of Toco Hills wants to be part of an active Jewish organization which can help their congregation and communities grow. They are a vibrant and growing shul looking to the Orthodox Union to work with them.”
Allen Fagin, OU executive vice president, declared, “We are delighted to welcome the Young Israel of Toco Hills as the newest member of the Orthodox Union synagogue network. We look forward to our active collaboration in the areas of programming; outreach; advocacy and synagogue operations.”
Yehuda Friedman, associate director of OU’s Department of Community Engagement and Synagogue Services, said, “It is an honor for the OU to welcome the Young Israel of Toco Hills into the OU Synagogue Network. We are grateful for the partnership and look forward to providing the synagogue leadership with meaningful tools and services to help strengthen congregational life.”
Davi Kutner, shul president, agreed. “The Young Israel of Toco Hills is excited to be joining the OU,” he declared. “As a leading Modern Orthodox synagogue, we look forward to this collaborative partnership. We have been blessed with tremendous growth in our synagogue membership, and believe the OU has much to offer and we will also be offering many of our own ideas and successes to them. We have wonderful youth programming and adult education, as well as strong bonds with the broader Atlanta Jewish community, and it is our hope to share some of these successes with the OU as well as gain new ideas to grow these programs to new heights.”
Rabbi Adam Starr said, “The OU has an excellent reputation for enhancing Orthodox Jewish life across the world and the Young Israel of Toco Hills in Atlanta is proud to be part of that broader network. We look forward to the support that the OU will provide us through its Department of Synagogue Services as we partner to inspire more Jewish life guided by Torah.”
In addition, the synagogue has a long-standing relationship with NCSY, the international youth movement of the Orthodox Union. Rabbi Chaim Neiditch, the regional director of Greater Atlanta NCSY, explained, “ I personally have been working with teens and families from Young Israel for the past 20 years and have held programs there over the years. Rabbi Starr and I have already begun talks to bring more programming to the shul now that they have more space available due to their new building now being complete.”