What Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom does

Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Reform Jewish congregation headquartered at 1119 Elm Street, Youngstown, Ohio, operating from a historic 1915 Moorish-design sanctuary featuring Indiana limestone, gray brick, twelve Tiffany stained-glass windows, and a 550-seat sanctuary. Founded in 1867 as Congregation Rodef Sholom (and renamed following the November 1, 2021 merger with Ohev Tzedek-Shaarei Torah), it is the oldest and largest Jewish congregation in the greater Youngstown area, serving more than 300 member units. The congregation offers weekly Shabbat services (Friday 6:00 PM and Saturday 9:45 AM, both in-person and virtual via Facebook Live and Zoom), lifecycle event officiation (b'nai mitzvah, weddings, funerals, baby namings), adult and youth education, and operates the Greater Youngstown Area Joint Religious School in partnership with neighboring congregations. Supporting organizations include Sisterhood (est. 1867) and Brotherhood (est. 1924), which handle catering, hospitality, and volunteer programming.

The organization's revenue is generated through annual membership dues across multiple tiers (Adult Family, Young Family Under 35, Individual, Associate, Out-of-Town), separate religious school tuition, charitable donations and High Holiday appeals, and event rental of the sanctuary. Member benefits include cemetery burial rights (grounds acquired 1867), lifecycle support, and programming access, with financial assistance available so no one is denied membership. Administrative operations are supported by Benevolate (donation/membership management), Facebook Live and Zoom (virtual service delivery), and standard office productivity tools; no proprietary technology platform is operated. Governance rests with a 16-member Board of Trustees, and the congregation is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism. Recent institutional milestones include the hiring of the congregation's first Executive Director (Sarah Wilschek, 2019), the 2021 merger, the installation of Rabbi Courtney Berman as inaugural Rabbi of the merged entity (July 2022), and a $5,000 grant from the Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley in 2025.

Name

Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom

Legal name

Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom

Website

https://ohevbethsholom.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1867

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom is the oldest and largest Reform Jewish congregation in Youngstown, Ohio, serving 300+ member units with weekly Shabbat services, lifecycle ceremonies, religious education, and community programming from its historic 1915 Tiffany-stained-glass sanctuary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services / Synagogue

NAICS

Religious Organizations (813110), Religious Organizations (8131)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Places of Worship & Religious Facilities Operations (Cemeteries, Retreat Centers, Pilgrimage Sites) (BPAGAJAL)

Keywords

• Jewish religious services
• Reform synagogue worship
• Jewish religious education
• Community religious programming
• Life cycle ceremonies

Headquarters

HQ city

Youngstown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues paid by families and individuals across multiple membership categories (Adult Family, Young Family Under 35, Individual, Associate Member, Out-of-Town). Membership includes access to services, life cycle events, cemetery rights, educational programs, and social functions.
2. Religious School Fees: Separate fees for religious school enrollment, handled separately from temple membership dues. Financial assistance is available.
3. Donations and Appeals: The congregation accepts donations including High Holiday appeals and manages scholarship funds. Tax acknowledgment letters are issued for charitable contributions.
4. Event Rental and Catering: The temple facilities, including the 1915 Sanctuary with Tiffany-stained-glass windows, are available for weddings and other events. Sisterhood's Catering Committee prepares meals for special events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom is a Reform Jewish synagogue offering weekly Shabbat and Holiday services (in-person and virtual), clergy-officiated life cycle ceremonies, a cooperative religious school, and adult lifelong learning programs. Membership-based services include burial rights in the congregation's cemetery, and the community is supported by affiliated Sisterhood and Brotherhood organizations. The congregation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism.

Product overview

Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom is a Reform Jewish temple offering a portfolio of religious, educational, and community services. The core offerings include weekly Shabbat and Holiday Services (in-person and virtual), Life Cycle Events officiated by clergy, and the Greater Youngstown Area Joint Religious School for youth education. Lifelong Learning Programs serve adults through Rabbi-led classes and community events. The congregation operates two branded membership organizations—Sisterhood (est. 1867) and Brotherhood (est. 1924)—which provide hospitality, event support, and community programming. Cemetery and burial rights are included with membership. The congregation also maintains two Holocaust Memorial Scrolls from the Memorial Scrolls Trust. All services are coordinated through the synagogue's administrative infrastructure, with virtual participation enabled via Facebook and Zoom streaming.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shabbat & Holiday Services
• Life Cycle Events
• Greater Youngstown Area Joint Religious School
• Lifelong Learning Programs
• Cemetery & Burial Rights
• Virtual Services
• Holocaust Memorial Scrolls Program
• Facility Rental and Catering

Quantifiable outcome

• 157+ years of continuous worship and community service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Memorial Scrolls TrustcoreOthers · 1 January 1990The congregation received two Holocaust memorial Torah scrolls on permanent loan: Torah #706 from the Pinkas Synagogue in Prague and Torah #58 from Lostice, Moravia. These scrolls preserve Jewish heritage from communities lost during the Holocaust and serve as educational and spiritual artifacts.
• Union for Reform Judaism (URJ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhev Beth Sholom is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism, one of the largest Jewish denominations in North America. The URJ provides institutional guidelines, resources, and connection to the broader Reform Jewish movement. Membership follows URJ guidelines including the principle that no one is denied membership due to financial difficulties.
• Jewish Community Center of YoungstownmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBS participates in the PJ Library program through the JCC of Youngstown, providing free Jewish children's literature to families. The JCC hosts PJ Library events and other community programming open to the entire greater Youngstown area, not limited to Jewish community members.
• Commission for Jewish Education (CJE)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe greater Youngstown Area Joint Religious School is housed at OBS, serving multiple synagogues in the area. CJE coordinates shared Jewish learning opportunities and educational programming across the Jewish community.
• Youngstown Area Jewish FederationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBS participates in shared programming and Jewish learning opportunities coordinated through the Federation, enriching the entire Jewish community in the greater Youngstown area.
• NFTY Ohio Valley RegionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBS is part of NFTY Ohio Valley Region (OV), the Reform Jewish youth movement connecting teens to a regional community of Jewish young people and providing leadership, Israel trips, and community service opportunities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Temple Beth Shalom (Akron, OH): Reform Jewish congregation in Akron, OH, also affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism. Comparable as a mid-size Northeast Ohio Reform temple serving a similar Rust Belt demographic and offering parallel Shabbat services, religious school, and lifecycle programming.
• Temple Emanu-El (Pittsburgh, PA): Historic Reform Jewish congregation in Pittsburgh affiliated with the URJ, with a long history, historic building, and large membership. Comparable as a URJ-affiliated Reform temple in Western Pennsylvania, though in a different market from OBS.
• Beth El Congregation (Akron, OH): Reform Jewish congregation in Akron, OH affiliated with the URJ, serving a similar regional demographic to OBS. Comparable in mission, URJ affiliation, lifecycle programming, and congregational structure, but in a different local market.
• Congregation Emanu El (Pepper Pike, OH): Historic Reform Jewish congregation in suburban Cleveland, affiliated with the URJ, with a long history, large membership, and significant heritage facility. Comparable in denominational alignment, congregational model, and URJ affiliation, though substantially larger than OBS.
• Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple (Beachwood, OH): Large Reform Jewish congregation in suburban Cleveland, affiliated with the URJ, offering similar Shabbat, religious school, and lifecycle programming. Comparable in mission, denominational affiliation, and programming, though in a different local market with a larger membership base.
• Beth Shalom (Pittsburgh, PA): Conservative Jewish congregation in Pittsburgh, offering Shabbat services, religious school, and lifecycle programming in a comparable congregational model. Comparable as a non-Orthodox congregation in Western Pennsylvania, though Conservative rather than Reform in affiliation.
• The Temple-Tifereth Israel (Beachwood, OH): Large Reform Jewish congregation in the Cleveland suburbs affiliated with the URJ, with a long history and museum-quality facility. Comparable as a URJ-affiliated Reform temple in Northeast Ohio, though considerably larger in membership and resources than OBS.

Others

• Jewish Community Center of Youngstown: Regional Jewish community center that partners with OBS on PJ Library programming and community events serving the same greater Youngstown Jewish population. Comparable as a complementary communal institution sharing the same target members and geographic footprint.
• Youngstown Area Jewish Federation: Federated Jewish community organization serving the greater Youngstown area that coordinates communal programming and is a direct partner of OBS. Comparable as a regional Jewish communal institution serving overlapping constituents, though organized as a federation rather than a single congregation.

Broad incumbents

• Rodef Shalom Congregation (Pittsburgh, PA): One of the largest Reform Jewish congregations in the United States, located in Pittsburgh, affiliated with the URJ. Comparable as a historic URJ Reform temple serving a regional Jewish community, and notably shares a name lineage with OBS's predecessor Congregation Rodef Sholom.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OhevBethSholom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ohev-beth-sholom
• Instagraminstagram.com/ohevbethsholom
• TikToktiktok.com/@ohevbethsholom?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Congregation Ohev Beth Sholom