Congregation Agudath Achim

Congregation Agudath Achim is a place where everyone is welcome. Simply put, we do not recognize labels. We welcome all looking to worship, study, and celebrate in the timeless tradition of Torah faith. Based in Southeastern Kentucky, our congregation attracts a large and diverse group of people because we foster an environment that enables each individual to explore the Torah at their own pace.

The gates of prayer are always open, and so are ours. Congregation Agudath Achim NEVER closes its doors. We are an anti-segregation congregation.

Our sanctuary is located in Southeastern Kentucky in a place that has no street address. Please contact us for driving directions.

We meet for in-person services three times daily. Please contact us for times. We meet online for prayer every Sunday at 7pm and for Torah study every Thursday at 7pm (Eastern Time). Please contact us beforehand since service times occasionally change, or join the rabbi's email list for updates.

You can subscribe to the rabbi's newsletter or learn more about joining our congregation.

The mission of our congregation is to actualize the true and complete Redemption in the here and now by increasing in acts of goodness and kindness, by asserting the truth of God’s law, and by disseminating the wellsprings of Divine wisdom to the furthest reaches of existence. We reject all forms of tyranny, idolatry, or subservience to any human overlord.

• We BELIEVE in congregating, not in segregating.
• We WELCOME all humans.
• We RESPECT the privacy of your own medical choices.
• We LOVE to see human faces*.
• We EMBRACE diversity.
• We CHERISH your individual rights & body sovereignty.
• We APPRECIATE your opinion & your right to it.
• We LOATHE tyranny, discrimination, and apartheid.
• We OPPOSE censorship, cancel culture, & media indoctrination.
• We VALIDATE your individuality & freedom to choose.
• We ACCEPT you unconditionally.
• We REJECT fear, panic, and dread.
• We IGNORE fear-mongering tyrants.
• We TREASURE your unique contribution to humanity.
• We CELEBRATE Jewish unity and religious freedom.
• We TRUST only in G-d Almighty.
• We DELIGHT in welcoming you to join us in prayer & study.
• We SAVOR life, joy, and liberty.
• We RELISH the right to gather in communal prayer.
• We HOPE to spend a Shabbat or holiday with you soon.
• We ANTICIPATE redemption and glorious times ahead.
• We WISH you & your family abundant blessings.

* but understand if you feel a need to cover yours from view. We are non-judgmental and respect YOUR choices.

We endeavor to follow in the bold footsteps of:

• Abraham who would not prostrate before Nimrod’s idol.
• Midwives Shifra and Puah who defied Pharoah’s eugenics program.
• Yocheved who refused to yield her Baby Moses to Egyptian public policy.
• Moses and Aaron who challenged Pharaoh’s oppressive rule by delivering God’s charge: “Let My people go…”
• Daniel who prayed to God in defiance of Medean public policy.
• Chananya, Mishael, & Azaryah who would not bow before Nebuchadnezzar’s idol.
• Elijah and all the prophets of old who dared to speak truth to power.
• Mordechai the Jew who would not kneel nor bow before Haman.
• Esther who dared to challenge Haman’s imperial decree.

The official religion of our congregation is Torah Faith also known as Biblical Faith. We welcome all humans of all backgrounds who cherish religious freedom and individual rights, and believe that each human being is created in the image of his/her Divine Creator. We celebrate diversity, individual liberty, and body sovereignty.

We do not affiliate with any other house of worship at this time, nor are we affiliated with the outreach organization that goes by the name Chabad Lubavitch. However, we are guided by the teachings and inspiration of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, and regard him as the spiritual giant and leader of our generation.

While our values are guided by the Hebrew Scriptures and the Oral Torah, we reject all isms, including the modern ideology many refer to as "Judaism." Instead, we call upon all Jews to celebrate their Jewishness by embracing the true faith of the Torah and reject all idolatry. Likewise, we call upon all peoples of the world to embrace G-d’s covenant with Noah and his descendants as described in the Written and Oral Torah.

Our religion has a unified stance against the so-called covid vaccine. All those who endorse this so-called vaccine are guilty of promoting idolatry, a grave departure from genuine Biblical faith. As such, the religions these errant clergy, lay leaders and parishioners practice are unambiguously polytheistic. We do not identify with any of these flawed belief systems, even those that speciously claim to adhere to the Torah.

Our house of worship proudly remained open without interruption throughout the entire duration of the “covid-19” era. While many other congregations were closing their doors, ours remained open and welcomed worshipers for communal prayer. Perhaps some erroneously viewed prayer as “non-essential,” but in our faith, communal prayer is essential. Especially at a time of fear and uncertainty, we continued to service our community.

However, when the covid fears began in March of 2020, some of our regular worshipers were frightened to attend in person, so we launched weekly online services and classes. In short time, people from all over the country and all over the globe began to join and our online membership increased exponentially.

Our congregation continues to serve as a beacon of light both in our local community and abroad.

When the Chabad Center of Westborough was opened back in 2001, it became clear that an independent house of worship was necessary to serve the needs of the community. At that time, an old synagogue, Congregation Agudath Achim of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, was sadly closing its doors due to changing demographics and wished to donate their Torah scrolls to help us start a new congregation. And that’s how Congregation Agudath Achim of Westborough, MA came into being.

Our congregation has loyally served the local and online communities for the past twenty-two years without interruption. This past year, we closed the doors of our center in Westborough due to changing demographics and relocated it to the beautiful hills of Southeastern Kentucky, where we continue to serve the online community and also serve an exciting new local community of freedom-loving worshippers.

You can learn more about joining our thriving congregation, online and/or in person (if you're local).

Please donate to our congregation at givebutter.com/chabad or by check to Congregation Agudath Achim, PO Box 321, London, KY 40743.

Rabbi Michoel Green was ordained by eminent Torah sage Rabbi Pinchas Hirschprung of Montreal in 1996 after studying in Jerusalem, Brooklyn, and Australia. A descendant of prominent scholars, Rabbi Green is a noted lecturer, blogger, and published author who has served in the orthodox rabbinate for over 26 years.

Our congregation has loyally served the local and online communities for the past twenty-two years.

Together with his wife Rebbetzin Dvora Green, Rabbi Green also directed the Chabad Center in Westborough from 2001 to 2023.

He formerly served as Rabbi for the Hebrew Congregation of Green Slopes and for Congregation Chabad of Rancho Bernardo, and has also taught in a wide variety of Jewish day schools. He has also worked in creating successful outreach programs in S. Diego, California and Brisbane, Australia, and founded the first network of Jewish Day Camps in Queensland.

Unfortunately, Rabbi Green was embroiled in controversy in January 2021 when he took a decisive stance against the experimental covid vaccine. Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch, the outreach organization of the worldwide Chabad movement, publicly maligned Rabbi Green and terminated his status as a representative of their organization. His Chabad Center in Westborough was removed from the roster of centers sanctioned by the Merkos umbrella organization. However, the Chabad Center of Westborough remained as an independent religious non-profit organization and continues its vital work in serving the community. Albeit not physically located in Westborough, the Chabad Center continues to serve the community online. Rabbi Green still directs the Chabad Center as before.

Of course, none of the above-mentioned unfortunate controversy affected our congregation, which is independent from Chabad, as noted above.

We at Congregation Agudath Achim support our rabbi for his courage, moral fortitude, and unwavering defense of religious freedom.

You can subscribe to the rabbi's newsletter.