Our History

Ahavat Zion Synagogue is the oldest Messianic Jewish congregation on the West Coast, and one of the seven oldest in the entire country.  In the nearly forty years since our inception we have continually strived to be a vibrant spiritual home for Jewish and intermarried followers of Yeshua.

1970′s

In the early 1970’s a spiritual awakening erupted across the country, and particularly within the Jewish community of Los Angeles.  During that time a young couple, Ray Gannon and his wife, Kassiani (pictured at right), moved to Los Angeles and founded a small group called the Beth Emmanuel Fellowship at a private home in Beverly Hills. This fellowship of Jewish believers in Yeshua soon expanded rapidly, and within a short time, additional gatherings sprang-up in homes across Los Angeles.  As a result of this growing phenomenon, Temple Beth Emmanuel was founded in 1973 by Ray Gannon and his associate, Phillip Goble.

The congregation continued to experience tremendous growth and soon relocated to Encino. With Temple Beth Emmanuel’s early success, Goble released the book, “Everything You Need to Grow a Messianic Synagogue.”  Influential members during these early years included Dr. David Stern, who served as the congregation’s organist.

In 1976 the congregation hired Herbert Goldberg to become its next leader. In 1978 the congregation changed its bylaws and reincorporated under our current name, Ahavat Zion Synagogue (AZS).

1980′s

In 1980 Rabbi Barry Budoff became the congregation’s third spiritual leader, and soon afterward, AZS moved to its current location in Beverly Hills (bringing the community full-circle to where it originally started).

1990′s 

After eleven years with AZS, Rabbi Budoff moved to Chicago in 1991 and the community hired well-known Messianic Jewish pioneer and musician Stuart Dauermann.

2000′s

Rabbi Dr. Stuart Dauermann and his wife, Naomi, served as the spiritual leaders of AZS for over twenty years.  As a tremendous scholar, teacher, and theologian, Rabbi Dauermann raised the level of scholarship not only within the congregation, but within the wider Messianic Jewish movement through his founding of Hashivenu, and his involvement in the Union of Messianic Jewish Congregations (UMJC).  Also under Rabbi Dauermann’s leadership, the congregation forged a greater relationship with the Messianic Jewish Theological Institute (MJTI).  With the school’s relocation to Los Angeles, its local staff and faculty have made AZS their spiritual home, bringing an additional level of leadership and scholarship to the community.

Due to Rabbi Dauermann’s ever increasing involvement within the Messianic Jewish movement around the world, he recently stepped aside as the congregation’s spiritual leader to teach, write, and travel full-time.

2011

In July of 2011, Rabbi Joshua Brumbach became the new Senior Rabbi of Ahavat Zion Synagogue (only the fifth spiritual leader in the synagogue’s nearly forty year history).  As a skilled community builder, Rabbi Joshua brings a warm smile, a contagious spiritual fervor, and a vibrant commitment to build upon the congregation’s already solid foundation – adding a new chapter to its rich history.

If you share our vision for a vibrant Messianic Jewish community in West Los Angeles we invite you to join us on our journey.