Welcome to TAA

For over 100 years, we have offered a center of communal life for the Jews of Cape Ann and the North Shore. Our members come from every Jewish background— secular, Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, and Renewal— and all points in between and beyond. What we share is a deep love and respect for Jewish tradition, and for one another.

At Temple Ahavat Achim, we encompass a broad spectrum of Jewish practice, including many interfaith families. Our accessible building houses a community of rich diversity, where all kinds of identities are cherished. We are straight and LGBTQ+, we are able-bodied and disabled, we are old and young and very young. In our infinite variety, we are one community.

We enjoy each other’s company, and are happy to invent new ways of "doing Jewish together." Our Shabbat Shalom dinners are intimate gatherings at members’ homes. In summer, we enjoy a Shabbat service (and pizza) on the beach. We have featured a Klezmer cruise, kayaking events, community-wide picnics and ice cream socials. In difficult times, we help with meals and Shiva observances. We help to bury our departed in our own Mt. Jacob cemetery. We often gather after services for community meals catered by our kitchen team. And of course, we spiel, seder, shofar, sukkah and simcha together as the holidays come around.

We are always fascinated to see who walks through our doors. Sometimes it’s a wandering Jew who wants to know the blessing for seeing the ocean. Sometimes it’s a person whose only connection to Judaism is a strong desire to bake rugelach.

At Temple Ahavat Achim, we welcome a broad spectrum of practice, including many interfaith families. Located in downtown Gloucester, two blocks from the waterfront, we are proud of our role in the life of the city. We are firmly rooted in Cape Ann and the North Shore, appreciate our setting of natural beauty, and are part of a creative, vibrant cultural scene. Some of our families have belonged to TAA for many generations; others are new to the area, or new to synagogue life. 

We can’t be sure who you will meet, but we promise that, if you walk through our doors, you will be greeted with warm hospitality. We hope you'll join us.

Temple Ahavat Achim is affiliated with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.