SILVER SPRING JEWISH CENTER

Six Acre Community

The Silver Spring Jewish Center is aptly named. It is the center of a community of Jews living in the Kemp Mill area of Silver Spring. Kemp Mill as a whole is the largest Jewish Community in the Greater Washington DC area.

A little historical and geographical info is in order to put this in context.

The first Orthodox shuls in DC started in the late 1800's. I believe Adas Israel, which is now Conservative, was the first. In the twentieth century, Rabbi Yehoshua Klavan z"l came to the DC area, and soon after Rabbi Arthur Bogner z"l. Along with Rabbi Levinson z"l, these men solidified Orthodox Judaism in Washington DC. As Jews began moving out to suburban Maryland, in particular Silver Spring, so to did the Orthodox Shuls. Shomrai Emunah in Northwood Estates was originally a branch of Shomrai Emunah in Riggs Park in DC. Rabbi Anemer z"l and Rabbi Herzel Kranz, friends from Telz Yeshiva, were instrumental in starting this first Orthodox Shul in the suburbs.

Rabbi Kranz recognized the potential for a Shul in Kemp Mill which is an area right next to Northwood Estates, but geographically separated by a sliver area of wild forest. He, alone, raised the money and oversaw the building of the Silver Spring Jewish Center, the first Shul in Kemp Mill proper. Rabbi Kranz had the strong and overt support of Rabbi Levinson and of Rabbi Bogner.

The SSJC is located on six acres of the original nine acre plot that Rabbi Kranz obtained from the Kay development company. In another chapter, we will outline the details of this real estate transaction.

Today there are a number of Shuls and Minyanim in Kemp Mill. The SSJC remains unique in that in it you can find the whole range of Torah observance among its Congregants. In this way it is, as noted, truly the Center of Silver Spring, as all who come, whatever their Torah outlook and observance, Daven in a Minyan which is Orthodox.

The SSJC has a Mikva, a pre-school, and an elementary school. It is closely associated with the Hebrew Sheltering Home which is also run by Rabbi Kranz.