Ohr Hamizrach Congregation Sephardic Center in Pikesville has been a staple for the Iranian-Jewish community for 44 years since its founding by 10 Iranian immigrants in 1981, with the congregation expanding over the decades to now welcome its third generation of members.
The origins of the congregation actually extend back to 1979, when the Iranian Revolution led to several young men coming to the area to study at Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Pikesville, according to Daniel Golfeiz, the congregation’s executive director.
“When we came [to Baltimore], we were not thinking that it was going to be for a long time. We thought that it was probably a matter of months or a year,” Golfeiz said.
But as the years went on, the men still hadn’t returned. Golfeiz said that, in 1982, they rented a room to turn into a synagogue. By 1985, it was clear that they weren’t going back to Iran and began the process of bringing their families over, growing the synagogue and building the Iranian-Jewish community in Baltimore.
“By 1993 we felt we needed our own space, so we bought a house on a corner of Fallstaff Road and Park Heights Avenue. And then we renovated it. At that time we needed three things. The immigrants, they needed educational help; they needed social help. And they needed, obviously, religion and spirituality,” Golfeiz said.
As the congregation kept growing, they bought the house adjacent to their property in 2002 and decided to demolish both buildings two years later, setting the stage for their current building that was completed in 2007.
Golfeiz said the congregation provides prayer services, religious classes and Talmud classes, but added that it’s focused on sharing the Iranian-Sephardic traditions with new generations.
“Over the centuries that we [the Jewish people] were in exile, every community developed different customs. So we didn’t want those customs to be lost. We are transporting them to our young people, the people who were born here. [That includes] the second generation and the third generation. Today, we teach them all these customs that we had,” Golfeiz said.
And the work that the congregation does extends beyond the Iranian-Jewish community to the larger Baltimore-Iranian community as well.
Golfeiz said the synagogue serves over 200 families and between 800 and 900 people.
He said the congregation will give its building space for parties when couples have children, allow use of the social hall for all sorts of gatherings, offer b’nai mitzvah programs for middle-school-age children and present educational programs about Sephardic and Persian heritage.
Golfeiz said the educational programs around heritage are particularly important for the children to partake in, as it builds their sense of community and self-esteem and lets them know they have a strong cultural background.
That sense of community also applies to the impact that the synagogue has on the people who walk through its doors. Golfeiz said the resources they offer keep people coming back.
“It gives us a sense of belonging. It anchors us. We have programs for high school kids. We take them bowling, we take them on outings, we take them out eating, so they also become part of the community,” Golfeiz said. “And then on top of that, we have different classes for our young professionals. We bring in speakers, whether it is about having peace in a marriage or whether it’s about jobs, whatever it is, because of that, they come back to us.”
Golfiez said members can serve as an inspiration with their story of success as immigrants. They came to the United States without knowing English and didn’t have any connections, but they managed to get on their feet and create a community.
“I personally feel we give a different taste to the community because of our background. I don’t think Baltimore ever had an influx of Sephardic people, let alone Iranian people. And obviously we come with a certain kind of flavor that I think Baltimore didn’t have before,” Golfiez said.
