Chizuk Amuno Congregation was founded in Baltimore on April 1, 1871. Twenty-three devoted individuals envisioned that their fledgling new congregation would perpetuate traditional Judaism by strengthening the faith and nurturing the religious development of its members through adherence to Judaism's central ideals of Torah (heritage/learning), Avodah (worship/observance), and Gemilut Hasadim (acts of lovingkindness).

On August 18, 1876, Rev. Dr. Henry W. Schneeberger officiated at the dedication of the Congregation’s first permanent synagogue located on Lloyd Street. Schneeberger, the first American-born, ordained rabbi serving in America, was hired to open a daily religious school for children, deliver sermons on Shabbat and festivals, and conduct adult learning sessions. The Congregation soon outgrew the Lloyd Street building and then a larger facility on McCulloh Street. Rabbi Adolph Coblenz assumed spiritual leadership in 1920 as Chizuk Amuno moved into its new synagogue on Eutaw Place. Chizuk Amuno is a founding member of the Conservative movement, the Jewish Theological Seminary, and United Synagogue of America.

In 1948, Rabbi Israel M. Goldman succeeded the ailing Rabbi Coblenz and established Chizuk Amuno’s first Adult Jewish Institute, Laymen’s Weekend Retreat, and Interfaith Service. Planning a suburban campus large enough to house a Social Center, School Building, and Sanctuary, in 1953 the Congregation purchased a plot of undeveloped land on Stevenson Road in Baltimore. By 1968, Chizuk Amuno had transitioned all Congregational activities to its current 30-acre complex.

Rabbi Joel H. Zaiman began his tenure at Chizuk Amuno in 1980. Determined to intensify learning opportunities for both children and adults, Rabbi Zaiman expanded adult education programming and strongly encouraged the Board’s decision to open a day school in 1981. Following Rabbi Zaiman’s retirement, Rabbi Ronald J. Shulman was elected spiritual leader of Chizuk Amuno in 2004–eager to share his vision for the future of this historic congregation.

Each rabbinic tenure has been marked with congregational accomplishments in education, communal service, support for the land of Israel, and significant contributions to the Jewish community in Baltimore and around the world. Chizuk Amuno Congregation has made, and continues to make, its mark on the history of American Jewry.

On Three Pillars: The History of Chizuk Amuno Congregation 1871-1996 by Jan B. Schein was published in 2000. This detailed volume traces 125 years of congregational life and contains more than forty photographs. Copies are available by contacting the synagogue at 410/486-6400 or info@chizukamuno.org . Scholars interested in examining Chizuk Amuno’s extensive archival holdings may contact the curator at 410/486-6400, ext. 291 or svick@chizukamuno.org to arrange an appointment.