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Temple Beth Israel
Hebrew: בית ישראל
Temple Beth Israel
Religion
Affiliation	Reconstructionist Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Synagogue
Leadership	Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin (Emeritus)
Status	Active
Location
Location	1175 East 29th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon
Country	United States
Location in Eugene, Oregon
Geographic coordinates	44°01′33″N 123°04′31″W / 44.025871°N 123.075364°W / 44.025871; -123.075364
Architecture
Architect(s)	Mel Solomon and Associates TBG Architects & Planners
Type	Synagogue
General contractor	McKenzie Commercial Construction
Date established	c. 1930s
Completed	2008
Construction cost	$6 million
Specifications
Capacity	900+
Materials	Concrete, steel, wood
Website
www.tbieugene.org

Temple Beth Israel (Hebrew: בית ישראל) is a Reconstructionist synagogue located at 1175 East 29th Avenue in Eugene, Oregon, in the United States. Founded in the early 1930s as a Conservative congregation, Beth Israel was for many decades the only synagogue in Eugene.

The congregation initially worshipped in a converted house on West Eighth Street. It constructed its first building on Portland Street in 1952, and occupied its current LEED-compliant facilities in 2008.

In the early 1990s conflict between feminist and traditional members led to the latter leaving Beth Israel, and forming the Orthodox Congregation Ahavas Torah. Beth Israel came under attack from neo-Nazi members of the Volksfront twice, in 1994 and again in 2002. In both cases the perpetrators were caught and convicted.

Services were lay-led for decades. Marcus Simmons was hired as the congregation's first rabbi in 1959, but left in 1961. After a gap of two years, Louis Neimand became rabbi in 1963, and served until his death in 1976. He was followed by Myron Kinberg, who served from 1977 to 1994, and Kinberg in turn was succeeded by Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin. Maurice Harris joined Husbands-Hankin as associate rabbi in 2003, and served until 2011, when he was succeeded by Boris Dolin. In 2015 Rabbi Husbands-Hankin retired and became Rabbi Emeritus. The congregation became a one-rabbi synagogue and hired Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein to serve as Rabbi. Beth Israel has approximately 400 member households, and is the largest synagogue in Eugene.

Early history

Small numbers of German Jews began settling in Eugene in the late 19th century, but most moved on. In the early 20th century the first Eastern European Jews settled there, and by the 1920s Eugene's Jewish community began gathering prayer quorums for holding Friday night and Jewish holiday services in individuals' homes. Historian Steven Lowenstein writes that "fter Hymen Rubenstein's death in 1933, his home at 231 West Eighth Street was remodeled and named Temple Beth Israel". It was a traditional Conservative synagogue, and from that time until the 1990s it was the only synagogue in Eugene.

In 1952, the congregation constructed a one-story synagogue building on an almost 1 acre (0.40 ha) property at 2550 Portland Street. Designed by architect and Holocaust-survivor Heinrich Hormuth (H.H.) Waechter, the building featured an interior courtyard that provided natural lighting, and "a network of ceiling beams painted with symbols and shapes" by Waechter.

Temple Beth Israel's services and religious functions were lay-led for decades. Its first rabbi was Marcus Simmons. Originally from England, he was a graduate of University of London and Oxford University, and was ordained at the Hebrew Theological College. He emigrated to the United States in 1957, and joined Beth Israel in 1959. The members were not, however, agreed that a full-time rabbi was required, and in 1961, he accepted a rabbinical position in Downey, California.

Following a hiatus of two years, Louis Neimand was hired as rabbi in 1963. Born in New York City in 1912 to immigrant parents, he was a graduate of City University of New York and was ordained at the Jewish Institute of New York. He had previously worked for the United Jewish Appeal, and from 1959 to 1963 was the first Hillel rabbi at Syracuse University. There was some concern about Neimand's hiring, as he had a police record as a result of his involvement in freedom marches during the Civil Rights Movement. He served until his death in 1976.

Kinberg era

Myron Kinberg was hired as rabbi in 1977. Ordained in Reform Judaism, he had previously served as a rabbi in Topeka, Kansas for two years, then lived in Israel for two years, before coming to Eugene. Kinberg was known for his support for minority rights and gay rights, anti-nuclear and anti-war activism, support of reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians, and outreach to non-observant members of Eugene's Jewish community.

Kinberg attempted to revive the Biblical concept of the "ger toshav" in his approach to intermarriage. He was willing to officiate at an intermarriage if the non-Jewish partner, after discussions with the rabbi, agreed of his or her own free will to fulfill a set of commitments, including "a commitment to a Jewish home life, participation in Jewish life and tradition, and raising future children as Jews". The non-Jewish partner making this commitment became a "ger toshav", or "non-Jewish member of the Jewish people".

Kinberg's wife Alice was a strong feminist, and during the 1980s he and his wife supported a number of changes to the liturgy and ritual. These included allowing women to read from the Torah and lead the prayers, and changing prayers to be more gender inclusive - for example, using gender-neutral terms and pronouns for God, and adding references to the Biblical matriarchs in prayers like the Amidah, which traditionally only mentioned the Biblical patriarchs. While most congregation members approved of these changes, a minority resisted them.

Schism

By the early 1990s serious divisions developed among the members of the congregation over a number of issues, including personal antagonisms, the rabbi's activism and "advocacy of 'ultra-liberal' causes", political differences over the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, and

a myriad of additional Jewish cultural/religious issues, such as the acceptance of intermarried couples, adherence to kosher dietary laws, the use of modern language and music during worship services, rewriting of certain prayers such as the Aleynu to make them less ethnocentric, and so on.

However, the biggest source of division, which underlay all others, was "the roles and rights of men and women in the synagogue."

In the early 1990s a group of newly observant members began holding more traditional services in a back room of the synagogue, complete with a mechitza, a partition separating men and women. The "more feminist-minded" members strongly objected to having a mechitza anywhere in the Temple Beth Israel building, even if it were not in the services they attended. The latter group eventually circulated a petition which stated that either the mechitza would have to be taken down, or those members who wanted it would have to leave. Kinberg also signed the petition. Faced with this opposition, in 1992 the Orthodox members left, renting new premises and hiring their own rabbi, creating Eugene's second synagogue, originally called "The Halachic Minyan", and in 1998 renamed "Congregation Ahavas Torah".

Kinberg held himself responsible, and the schism led to his "reassessment of the needs of Temple Beth Israel and his role as a rabbi". As a result, he left Beth Israel in 1994 to lead a synagogue on Long Island. During his tenure at Beth Israel, membership rose from 118 to 350 families. Kinberg died two years later at age 51.

Husbands-Hankin era

Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin succeeded Kinberg in 1995. Husbands-Hankin began his involvement at Temple Beth Israel first as a congregant, then as cantor, and then as an assistant rabbi. He was active in forming the Jewish Renewal movement, and was ordained by its leader Zalman Schachter-Shalomi.

The congregation decided to leave the Conservative movement in 1995, and for a year had no affiliation. In late 1996, after considering both Reform and Reconstructionist as alternatives, the congregation affiliated with the Reconstructionist movement. By 1999, membership had grown to around 370 families.

Husbands-Hankin was instrumental in developing the concept of "Ethical Kashrut", the idea that one should only purchase goods that are produced in an ethical way. His essay, "Ethical Kashrut," was selected for publication in Arthur Kurzweil's Best Jewish Writing 2003. A singer, cello and guitar player, he composes and performs Jewish music.

Husbands-Hankin has had four assistant or associate rabbis working with him. Shoshana Spergel joined Temple Beth Israel in 1998 as interim rabbi when Husbands-Hankins went on a sabbatical; Jonathan Seidel was assistant rabbi from 2001 to 2003. Maurice Harris, a 2003 graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, joined as assistant rabbi in 2003. He is one of the signators of The Open Letter Concerning Religion and Science From American Rabbis, part of the Clergy Letter Project which "encourages and embraces the teaching of evolution in schools". In 2011, Boris Dolin joined the congregation as its newest associate rabbi.

In 2015 Rabbi Husbands-Hankin retired and became Rabbi Emeritus. The congregation became a one-rabbi synagogue and hired Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein to serve as Rabbi.

Attacks by neo-Nazis

On March 20, 1994, Chris Lord, an individual associated with the Volksfront and American Front, fired ten rounds with an assault rifle into the temple, damaging the interior. The attacks were prompted by a newspaper article about several members of Eugene's Jewish community, including a lesbian. Community organizations, including a local gay rights group, responded by standing vigil outside the synagogue during Passover services. Lord and an associate were caught and convicted, and Lord was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

On October 25, 2002 Jacob Laskey, his brother Gabriel Laskey, Gerald Poundstone, Jesse Baker, and one other man, all members of the Volksfront, drove to Beth Israel with the intent of intimidating the congregants. While a service with 80 members attending was taking place, the men threw rocks etched with Nazi swastikas through the synagogue's stained glass windows, then sped off. The men were caught, pleaded guilty, and were convicted. They served sentences ranging from a 6-month work release term and five years probation, to eleven years and three months in federal prison for the ringleader, Jacob Laskey.

East 29th Avenue building

Originally sized for 75 families, Temple Beth Israel's Portland Street building had been renovated and enlarged over the years to 7,500 square feet (700 m) to accommodate 250 families and 150 students. Despite these additions and the loss of members to Congregation Ahavas Torah, the synagogue was not large enough, particularly during the High Holidays, when extra space had to be rented. In 1997 the congregation purchased the property of the University Street Christian Church for $500,000 (today $950,000), and began planning for a new facility. The members considered renovating the existing building on the property, but felt a new building would better suit their requirements, and razed the church.

In 2003 the congregation got a permit to begin construction of a new facility on the now-vacant 1.37-acre (0.55 ha) plot of land at the northwest corner of East 29th Avenue and University Street. An initial capital campaign raised more than $1.8 million, which fully paid for the land, and by August 2007 an additional $1.7 million had been raised towards anticipated overall project costs of $5 million.

The environmentally sensitive building was designed by Mel Solomon and Associates of Kansas City and local company TBG Architects & Planners, and built by McKenzie Commercial Construction of Eugene. The building used "energy efficient heating, ventilation and lighting": specific design issues with the building's energy efficiency included the fact that the largest room in the building, the sanctuary, was also the least-used, and, in accord with Jewish tradition, had to face east (towards Jerusalem).

On June 8, 2008 the congregation dedicated its new building at 1175 East 29th Avenue. At approximately 25,000 square feet (2,300 m), the facility included a sanctuary, commercial kitchen, banquet facilities, and classrooms, and housed the synagogue, the Lane County Jewish Federation, and the local Jewish Family Service. The project ended up costing $6 million, of which $4 million had been raised.

Made of concrete, steel, and wood, the building achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design compliance "through the integration of stormwater management strategies, high efficiency irrigation, the use of recycled and/or recyclable materials, and drought tolerant plantings." Completely recyclable materials used in the structure included carpeting and wood beams.

Recent events

In 2008, Temple Beth Israel participated in Banners Across America, an "interfaith witness against torture coordinated by the National Religious Campaign Against Torture," as part of the Jewish Campaign Against Torture. Organized by Rabbis for Human Rights—North America in honor of Torture Awareness Month, the Jewish campaign included over 25 synagogues which hung banners protesting "the use of abusive interrogation techniques by the American military and intelligence community". That year, congregational membership reached almost 400 families, and the Talmud Torah and pre-school had about 200 and 40 students respectively.

The congregation sold the old synagogue building on Portland Street to Security First (Portland Street) Child Development Center for $815,000 in 2009, carrying the Center's financing. The building was converted for use as an educational center, while retaining some of the original architectural elements. Difficult economic conditions forced the Child Development Center to give up the building in 2011, and Eugene's Network Charter School planned to move into it in autumn 2011.

Harris announced he would be stepping down as rabbi in 2011, and the synagogue hired Boris Dolin as his successor. Born and raised in Oregon, Dolin had worked at Temple Beth Israel as a teacher and youth group adviser from 1999 to 2001. A graduate of the University of Oregon, with a master's degree in Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, he was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

Temple Beth Israel is the largest synagogue in Eugene. It is a member of the Community of Welcoming Congregations, "an Oregon and SW Washington interfaith ministry and advocacy organization working toward full inclusion and equality for transgender, lesbian, bisexual, gay and questioning persons." The Rabbi is Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein.

Notes

1. ^ "Our Rabbis", Temple Beth Israel website.
2. ^ Harwood (2003).
3. ^ KVAL-TV Web Staff (June 11, 2008).
4. ^ Haist (2008).
5. According to Haist (2008), in 2008 the congregation was 87 years old, indicating a founding year of around 1921. According to the KVAL-TV Web Staff (June 11, 2008), "The Temple Beth Israel congregation has been in the Eugene community since 1927." According to Lowenstein (1987), p. 191, it was founded after Hymen Rubenstein's death in 1933. According to Wright & Pinyerd (2003), p. 12.1. and the Temple Beth Israel website, it was founded in 1934. According to Wright (1996), it was founded after World War II.
6. Zuckerman (2003), p. 89.
7. Zuckerman (2003), p. 87.
8. ^ Reichman (2007).
9. ^ Lowenstein (1987), p. 191.
10. ^ Bjornstad (2009).
11. Wright & Pinyerd (2003), p. 12.1.
12. American Architects Directory (1970), p. 955.
13. ^ Tepfer (2010).
14. ^ The Register-Guard (May 20, 1961).
15. The Register-Guard (January 28, 1961).
16. ^ The Register-Guard (August 6, 1976).
17. Greene & Baron (1996), p. 160.
18. ^ Wright (1996).
19. Moscow-Pullman Daily News (November 4, 1994).
20. ^ Sinks (1994).
21. ^ Bjornstad (1996).
22. "Brit Ger Toshav and Brit Nisuin", Ritualwell.org.
23. Abrams.
24. Myrowitz (1995), p. 163.
25. ^ Zuckerman (2003), pp. 89-90.
26. ^ Zuckerman (2003), p. 88.
27. ^ Zuckerman (2003), pp. 91-93.
28. ^ Wright (March 12, 1999).
29. About Us, Congregation Ahavas Torah website.
30. Bennett (1987).
31. "Teachers", 2008 Summer Retreat, Ruach Ha'aretz website.
32. ^ Wright (April 15, 1999).
33. Husbands-Hankin (2004).
34. Kurzweil (2003), p. 158.
35. Elon (2000), p 489.
36. Wright (June 13, 1999).
37. Seldner (2007).
38. The Register-Guard (July 19, 2003).
39. Clergy Letter Project, Jewish Letter, Signatures.
40. ^ Volksfront - Criminal Activity, Anti-Defamation League.
41. Comstock (2002), p. 116 Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine.
42. The Salem News (November 14, 2007).
43. United States Attorney's Office District of Oregon (August 15, 2006).
44. Reeves (2005).
45. KVAL-TV Web Staff (June 11, 2008) says "The new temple is 24,000 square feet", while Haist (2008) calls it a "26,000-square-foot facility".
46. "Temple Beth Israel - Eugene, Oregon", Schirmer + Associates LLC website.
47. Kahn-Troster (2008).
48. KVAL Communities Staff (May 9, 2011).
49. Temple Beth Israel newsletter (May/June 2011).
50. Temple Beth Israel website.
51. Community of Welcoming Congregations, Our Member Congregations.

References

• Abrams, Ruth. "Welcoming The Stranger Or Just Welcoming" Archived 2011-11-09 at the Wayback Machine, InterfaithFamily.com. Accessed July 10, 2011.
• Volksfront - Criminal Activity, Extremism in America, Anti-Defamation League. Accessed July 10, 2011.
• ""Waechter, Heinrich Hormuth"" (PDF). American Architects Directory. 1970. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-16.
• Bennett, Randi. "Cantor strives to become rabbi" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, October 31, 1987, p. 14C.
• Bjornstad, Randi. "Rabbi Myron Kinberg dies" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, April 20, 1996, pp. 1A, 16A.
• Bjornstad, Randi. "Handed down. Temple Beth Israel helps child care center move into its old synagogue" Archived 2011-10-08 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, August 9, 2009, p. E1.
• Our Member Congregations, Community of Welcoming Congregations. Accessed July 10, 2011.
• Comstock, Gary David. Unrepentant, Self-Affirming, Practicing: Lesbian/Bisexual/Gay People Within Organized Religion, Continuum International Publishing Group, 2002. ISBN 978-0-8264-1429-8
• About Us, Congregation Ahavas Torah website, March 11, 2009. Archived at the Internet Archive. Accessed July 10, 2011.
• Elon, Ari. Trees, Earth, and Torah: A Tu B'Shvat Anthology, Jewish Publication Society, 2000. ISBN 978-0-8276-0717-0
• Greene, John Robert; Baron, Karrie A. Syracuse University: The Tolley Years, 1942–1969, Syracuse University Press, 1996. ISBN 978-0-8156-2701-2
• Haist, Paul. "Temple Beth Israel celebrates new home" Archived 2010-12-06 at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Review, Volume 50, Issue 21, July 1, 2008.
• Harwood, Joe. "Temple Beth Israel to build new synagogue, school" Archived 2011-05-20 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, July 15, 2003.
• Husbands-Hankin, Yitzhak. "Justice at the Checkout Counter" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, Tikkun magazine, May/June 2004.
• Kahn-Troster, Rachel. "More than 25 synagogues hang Stop Torture banners in honor of Torture Awareness Month", Rabbis for Human Rights North America website, June 1, 2008. Accessed September 10, 2008.
• Kurzweil, Arthur. Best Jewish Writing 2003, Jossey-Bass, 2003. ISBN 978-0-7879-6771-0
• KVAL Communities Staff, "School looks to move into former synagogue", KVAL-TV website, May 9, 2011.
• KVAL Web Staff, "Torah moved to new Temple Beth Israel" Archived 2011-05-22 at the Wayback Machine, KVAL-TV website, June 11, 2008.
• Lowenstein, Steven. The Jews of Oregon, 1850–1950, Jewish Historical Society of Oregon, 1987. ISBN 978-0-9619786-2-4
• "Rabbi Myron Kinberg bids farewell to Eugene" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, November 4, 1994, p. 4B.
• Myrowitz, Catherine Hall. Finding a Home for the Soul: Interviews with Converts to Judaism, Jason Aaronson, 1995. ISBN 978-1-56821-322-4
• Reeves, Carol. "Extending care for the Earth", Corvallis Gazette-Times, May 27, 2005.
• "Rabbi Simmons To Talk Monday" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, January 28, 1961, p. 2.
• "Rabbi, Pastors Accept Calls" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, May 20, 1961, p. 3.
• "Service held for Neimand, Eugene rabbi" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, August 6, 1976, p. 3B.
• "The Bulletin (Religion)", The Register-Guard, July 19, 2003.
• Reichman, Lynn. "Eugene’s Temple Beth Israel halfway to new home" Archived 2008-10-12 at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Review, Volume 49, Issue 24, August 15, 2007.
• "Brit Ger Toshav and Brit Nisuin", Ritualwell.org, Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Accessed July 10, 2011.
• "Teachers", 2008 Summer Retreat, Ruach Ha'aretz website. Accessed July 10, 2011.
• "White Supremacist from Oregon Sentenced for Attack on Synagogue" Archived 2007-11-16 at the Wayback Machine, The Salem News, November 14, 2007.
• Seldner, Deborah Moon. "Eugene's Or haGan on steep growth curve" Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine, Jewish Review, November 14, 2007.
• Sinks, James. "Kinberg says he'll step down" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, July 30, 1994, pp. 1A, 4A.
• "Temple Beth Israel - Eugene, Oregon", Schirmer + Associates, LLC website, Portfolio - Sustainability. Accessed July 10, 2011.
• Temple Beth Israel website. Accessed August 13, 2011.
  • "A Message from Rabbi Maurice", Temple Beth Israel newsletter, May/June 2011.
  • About TBI, Temple Beth Israel website. Accessed October 5, 2014.
• Tepfer, Gary (December 12, 2010). "This Jewish American Life" (PDF). Temple Beth Israel. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-06-26.
• United States Attorney's Office District of Oregon, "Guilty Pleas In Federal Hate Crime Case", Press Release, August 15, 2006.
• Wright, Jeff. "Growing temple seeks its identity" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, October 12, 1996, pp. 1B, 5B.
• Wright, Jeff. "Scholar examines divisions at temple" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, March 12, 1999, pp. 1C, 2C.
• Wright, Jeff. "Women of the Cloth" Archived 2021-02-01 at the Wayback Machine, The Register-Guard, June 13, 1999, pp. 1A, 12A, 13A.
• Wright, Sally; Pinyerd, David (June 2003). "Eugene Modernism 1935–65" (PDF). City of Eugene Planning and Development Department. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-10-09. Retrieved 2011-07-05 – via Historic Preservation Northwest.
• Zimmerman, Michael. Rabbi Signatures, Clergy Letter Project, Butler University. Accessed July 10, 2011.
• Zuckerman, Phil. Invitation to the Sociology of Religion, Routledge, 2003. ISBN 978-0-415-94126-6

External links

• Official website

v t e   Synagogues in the United States
By state
Alabama	Beth-El (Anniston) Knesseth Israel (Birmingham) Beth-El (Birmingham) Emanu-El (Birmingham) B'nai Sholom (Huntsville) Sha’arai Shomayim (Mobile) Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem (Montgomery) Beth Or (Montgomery)
Arizona	Beth Israel (Scottsdale) Emanuel (Tempe) Kol Ami (Tucson)
Arkansas	Shalom (Fayetteville)
California	Los Angeles Stephen Wise Temple (Bel Air) Beth Jacob (Beverly Hills) Emanuel (Beverly Hills) Valley Beth Shalom (Encino) Beth Israel (Highland Park and Eagle Rock) Temple Israel (Hollywood) Temple Beth Am IKAR (Los Angeles) Wilshire Boulevard (Los Angeles) Beth Chayim Chadashim (Mid City) Ahavat Shalom (Northridge) Kehillat Israel (Pacific Palisades) Ner Tamid (Rancho Palos Verdes) Jewish Temple and Center (Pasadena) Pacific Jewish Center (Venice) Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel (Westwood) Sinai Temple (Westwood) San Francisco and Bay Area Beth Israel (Berkeley) Beyt Tikkun (Berkeley) Peninsula Temple Sholom (Burlingame) B'nai Israel (Daly City) Beth Am (Los Altos Hills) Kehilla Community Synagogue (Oakland) Temple Sinai (Oakland) Am Tikvah (San Francisco) Beth Sholom (San Francisco) Emanu-El (San Francisco) House of Love and Prayer (San Francisco) The Kitchen (San Francisco) Sherith Israel (San Francisco) Rodef Sholom (San Rafael) Kol Shofar (Tiburon) Beth Israel (Fresno) Chabad (Poway) B'nai Israel (Sacramento) Beth Israel (San Diego) Temple Israel (Stockton)
Colorado	Beth HaMedrosh Hagodol-Beth Joseph (Denver) Temple Emanuel (Denver) Temple Sinai (Denver) Temple Emanuel (Pueblo) Temple Aaron (Trinidad)
Connecticut	B'nai Israel (Bridgeport) Beth Shalom Rodfe Zedek (Chester) Knesseth Israel (Ellington) Ahavath Achim (Fairfield) Mishkan Israel (Hamden) Beth Israel (Hartford West) Tephereth Israel (New Britain) Beth Israel (New Haven) Agudath Sholom (Stamford) Israel (Westport) B'nai Jacob (Woodbridge) Hebrew Congregation of Woodmont
District of Columbia	Adas Israel Bet Mishpachah DC Minyan Kesher Israeln Machar Ohev Sholom Rosh Pina Sixth & I Washington Hebrew
Florida	Ahavath Chesed (Jacksonville) Bal Harbour (Surfside) Bet Shira (Miami) Edmond J. Safra (Miami) Beth Sholom (Miami Beach) Cuban Hebrew (Miami Beach) Emanu-El (Palm Beach) New (Palm Beach) Beth-El (Pensacola)
Georgia	Beth Jacob (Atlanta) Shearith Israel (Atlanta) Temple (Atlanta) B'nai Israel (Augusta) Beth Israel (Macon) B'nai Torah (Sandy Springs) Mickve Israel (Savannah)
Hawaii	Aloha Jewish Chapel (Pearl Harbor) Emanu-El (Honolulu)
Idaho	Ahavath Beth Israel (Boise)
Illinois	Chicago Anshe Emet Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Beth Shalom Emanuel Congregation KAM Isaiah Israel Loop Synagogue Makom Solel Lakeside Mishkan Chicago North Shore Congregation Israel North Suburban Synagogue Beth El Temple Sholom Chicago Sinai Congregation Tzedek Chicago Moses Montefiore (Bloomington) Jewish Community Center (Mattoon) Anshai Emeth (Peoria)
Indiana	Achduth Vesholom (Fort Wayne) Indianapolis Hebrew (Indianapolis)
Iowa	B'nai Israel (Council Bluffs) Beit Shalom (Davenport) United Orthodox (Sioux City)
Kansas	Beth Israel Abraham Voliner (Kansas City) B'nai Jehudah (Overland Park)
Kentucky	Adath Israel Brith Sholom (Louisville) Anshei Sfard (Louisville) Keneseth Israel (Louisville) Adath Israel (Owensboro) Israel (Paducah)
Louisiana	B'nai Israel (Alexandria) Gemiluth Chassodim (Alexandria) Anshe Sfard (New Orleans) Beth Israel (New Orleans) Sinai (New Orleans) Touro (New Orleans) B'Nai Zion (Shreveport)
Maine	Beth Israel (Bangor) Etz Chaim (Portland) Shaarey Tphiloh (Portland)
Maryland	Naval Academy (Annapolis) B'nai Israel (Baltimore) Hebrew (Baltimore) Beth Am (Baltimore) Shearith Israel (Baltimore) Shomrei Emunah (Baltimore) Tiferes Yisroel (Baltimore) Beth El (Bethesda) Bethesda Jewish Congregation (Bethesda) Beth Shalom (Columbia) B'er Chayim (Cumberland) B'Nai Israel (Easton) Beth Sholom (Frederick) Kol Ami (Frederick) Emanuel (Kensington) Oseh Shalom (Laurel) Magen David Sephardic (North Bethesda) Ohev Sholom Talmud Torah (Olney) Beth El (Pikesville) Beth Tfiloh (Pikesville) Har Sinai – Oheb Shalom (Pikesville) Beth Sholom and Talmud Torah (Potomac) Beth Israel (Salisbury) Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (Silver Spring) B'nai Israel (Rockville)
Massachusetts	Temple Israel (Boston) Ohabei Shalom (Brookline) Kahal B'raira (Cambridge) Agudath Shalom (Chelsea) Beth Israel (Malden) Adams Street (Newton) Shaarei Tefillah (Newton) Beth Israel (North Adams) Beth Israel (Onset) Anshe Amunim (Pittsfield) Sinai Temple (Springfield) Ahavath Torah (Stoughton) Beth Israel (Worcester) Emanuel Sinai (Worcester)
Michigan	Beth El (Alpena) Beth Emeth (Ann Arbor) Beth Israel (Ann Arbor) Beth El (Detroit) Birmingham Temple (Detroit) Isaac Agree Downtown (Detroit) Temple Emanuel (Grand Rapids) Temple Jacob (Hancock) Beth Sholom (Marquette) Beth Israel (Jackson) Temple Israel (West Bloomfield)
Minnesota	Beth Jacob (Mendota Heights) Temple Israel (Minneapolis) Adath Jeshurun (Minnetonka) Beth El (St Louis Park) Mount Zion (St Paul) Or Emet (St Paul)
Mississippi	Adath Israel (Cleveland) Beth Israel (Jackson) Beth Israel (Meridian) B'nai Israel (Tupelo)
Missouri	United Hebrew (Chesterfield) B'nai Amoona (Creve Coeur) Shaare Emeth (Creve Coeur) Temple Israel (Creve Coeur) Beth El (Jefferson City)
Nebraska	B'nai Jeshurun / South Sreet (Lincoln)
New Jersey	Beth Sholom (Cherry Hill) Kol Ami (Cherry Hill) Synagogue of Deal (Deal) Beth Hillel (Deerville) Ahavath Torah (Englewood) Barnert (Franklin Lakes) Agudath Achim (Freehold) Etz Ahaim Sephardic (Highland Park) United Synagogue of Hoboken Beth-El (Jersey City) Adas Emuno (Leonia) B'Nai Abraham (Livingston) Shaari Emeth (Manalapan) Marlboro Jewish Center (Marlboro) B'nai Israel (Millburn) Beth Hillel Beth Abraham (Millville) Morristown Jewish Center (Morristown) Beth Israel (Ridgewood) Rosenhayn Synagogue (Rosenhayn) Oheb Shalom (South Orange) Beth El (Voorhees)
New Mexico	Albert (Albuquerque) B'nai Israel (Albuquerque)
New York	The Bronx Adath Israel Hebrew Institute Riverdale Center Riverdale Temple Brooklyn Chevra Ahavas Yisroel Magen David (Bensonhurst) Chevra Anshei Lubawitz (Borough Park) Shomrei Emunah (Borough Park) Young Israel Beth El (Borough Park) Kane Street / Baith Israel Anshei Emes (Cobble Hill) 770 Eastern Parkway (Crown Heights) Chevra Ahavas Yisroel (Crown Heights) Kol Israel (Crown Heights) Beth El (Flatbush) Khal Hisachdus Yirieim Veretzky (Flatbush) Shaare Zion (Gravesend) Edmond J. Safra (Homecrest) Ocean Parkway (Kensington) Jewish Center (Manhattan Beach) B'nai Yosef (Mapleton) East Midwood (Midwood) Kingsway Center (Midwood) Sephardic Center (Mills Basin) Beth Elohim (Park Slope) Kolot Chayeinu (Park Slope) Park Slope (Park Slope) Beth Jacob Ohev Sholom (Williamsburg) Yetev Lev D'Satmar (Hooper Street, Williamsburg) Yetev Lev D'Satmar (Rodney Street, Williamsburg) K'hal Adath Jeshurun Long Island Jewish Center (Atlantic Beach) Jewish Center (East Hampton) Jewish Center (East Meadow) North Country Reform (Glen Cove) Beth-El (Great Neck) Tifereth Israel (Greenport) Jewish Center (Jericho) Emanu-El (Long Beach) Reconstructionist Synagogue (Plandome) Beth Israel (Port Washington) Adas Israel (Sag Harbor) Aish Kodesh (Woodmere) Manhattan Altneu Sixth Street (East Village) Meserich (East Village) Beth Israel West Side (Garment District) Millinery Center (Garment District) Old Broadway (Harlem) Actor's Temple (Hells Kitchen) Fort Tryon (Hudson Heights) Lincoln Square (Lincoln Square) Bialystoker (Lower East Side) City Congregation for Humanistic Judaism (Lower East Side) Chasam Sopher (Lower East Side) Eldridge Street (Lower East Side) Kehila Kedosha Janina (Lower East Side) Shul of New York (Lower East Side) Stanton Street (Lower East) Talmud Torah Adereth El (Lower East Side) Lab/Shul (Lower West Side) Beit Simchat Torah (Midtown) Central Synagogue (Midtown) Sutton Place (Midtown) TriBeCa Synagogue (Tribeca) Temple Emanu-El, 1930 (Upper East Side) Fifth Avenue (Upper East Side) Israel of the City of New York (Upper East Side) Kehilath Jeshurun (Upper East Side) Or Zarua (Upper East Side) Park Avenue (Upper East Side) Park East (Upper East Side) Edmond J. Safra (Upper East Side) Shaaray Tefila (Upper East Side) Temple of Universal Judaism (Upper East Side) Ansche Chesed (Upper West Side) B'nai Jeshurun (Upper West Side) Habonim (Upper West Side) Jewish Center (Upper West Side) Kol Zimrah (Upper West Side) Ohab Zedek (Upper West Side) Ramath Orah (Upper West Side) Rodeph Sholom (Upper West Side) Romemu (Upper West Side) Shaare Zedek (Upper West Side) Shearith Israel (Upper West Side) Society for the Advancement of Judaism (Upper West Side) Stephen Wise Free (Upper West Side) Hebrew Tabernacle of Washington Heights (Washington Heights) K'hal Adath Jeshurun (Washington Heights) Mount Sinai (Washington Heights) Queens Center of Israel (Astoria) Etz Hayim at Hollis Hills (Bayside) Tifereth Israel (Corona) Free (Flushing) Georgian Jews (Forest Hills) Queens Center (Forest Hills) Rego Park (Rego Park) Beth Emeth (Albany) Beth David (Amenia) Beth Zion (Buffalo) Beth El (Chappaqua) Beth Shalom (Clifton Park) B'nai Israel (Fleischmanns) Hunter (Hunter) Kerhonkson Synagogue (Kerhonkson) Loch Sheldrake Synagogue (Loch Sheldrake) Agudas Achim (Livingston Manor) Hebrew Congregation (Mountaindale) Jewish Center (Norwich) Beth Israel (Plattsburgh) Kneses Tifereth Israel (Port Chester) B'rith Kodesh (Rochester) Temple Beth Tzedek South Fallsburg Hebrew Association {South Fallsburg) Emanu-El (Staten Island) Anshei Glen Wild (Sullivan County) Bikur Cholim B'nai Israel (Swan Lake) Society of Concord (Syracuse) Berith Sholom (Troy) Beth Joseph Synagogue (Tupper Lake) Spring Glen Synagogue (Wawarsing) Ulster Heights Synagogue (Wawarsing) West Point Jewish Chapel (West Point) Temple Israel (White Plains) B'nai Israel (Woodbourne) Ohave Shalom (Woodridge) Lincoln Park (Yonkers)
North Carolina	Beth Israel (Asheville) Temple Israel (Charlotte) Temple Israel (Kinston) Emanuel (Statesville) Temple of Israel (Wilmington)
North Dakota	B'nai Israel (Grand Forks)
Ohio	Tifereth-Israel (Beachwood) Agudas Achim (Bexley) Golf Manor (Cincinnati) Rockdale (Cincinnati) Wise Temple (Cincinnati) Anshe Chesed Fairmount (Cleveland) Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai (Cleveland) Park Synagogue (Cleveland) Silver Sanctuary (Cleveland) Temple Israel (Columbus) Temple Israel (Dayton) Beth Israel (Hamilton) B'nai Israel (Toledo)
Oklahoma	B'nai Israel (Oklahoma City) Temple Israel (Tulsa)
Oregon	Beth Israel (Eugene) Beth Israel (Portland) Neveh Shalom (Portland) Shaarie Torah (Portland)
Pennsylvania	Philadelphia Beit Harambam Temple Beth Zion-Beth Israel B'nai Abraham Henry S. Frank Memorial Germantown Jewish Centre Keneseth Israel Mikveh Israel Rodeph Shalom Shivtei Yeshuron-Ezras Israel Society Hill South Philadelphia Shtiebel Vilna Congregation YPC Shari-Eli Beth Israel (Altoona) Beth Israel (Chester County) B'nai Shalom (Easton) Anshe Hesed (Erie) Beth Shalom (Elkins Park) Kesher Israel (Harrisburg) Ohev Sholom (Harrisburg) Beth Israel (Honesdale) Beth Israel (Lebanon) Beth Or (Maple Glen) Adath Israel of the Main Line (Merion) B'nai Jacob (Middletown) Rodef Shalom (Pittsburgh) Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha (Pittsburgh) Kesher Zion (Reading) Beth Israel (Washington) Beth Israel (York)
Rhode Island	Touro (Newport) Beth-El (Providence) Sons of Jacob (Providence)
South Carolina	Beth Israel (Beaufort) Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (Charleston) House of Peace (Columbia) Beth Israel (Florence) Beth Elohim (Georgetown) Kol Ami (Fort Mill) Sinai (Sumter)
Tennessee	Adas Israel (Brownsville) Mizpah (Chattanooga) B'nai Israel (Jackson) Baron Hirsch (Memphis) Israel (Memphis) Ohabai Sholom (Nashville) Sherith Israel (Nashville)
Texas	Agudas Achim (Austin) Beth Israel (Austin) Emanuel (Beaumont) B'nai Abraham (Brenham) Emanu-El (Dallas) Beth Jacob (Galveston) B'nai Israel (Galveston) Beth Israel (Houston) Beth Yeshurun (Houston) Sinai (Houston) Beth-El (San Antonio)
Utah	B'rith Sholem (Ogden) Kol Ami (Salt Lake City)
Vermont	Ohavi Zedek (Burlington) Old Ohavi Zedek (Burlington) Rutland Jewish Center
Virginia	Agudas Achim (Alexandria) Beth El (Alexandria) Beth Israel (Charlottesville) Rodef Shalom (Falls Church) Sinai (Newport News) Commodore Levy Chapel (Norfolk) Beth Ahabah (Richmond) Kol Emes (Richmond) Beth Israel (Roanoke) Adath Israel (Rutland) House of Israel (Staunton) Beth El (Winchester)
Washington	Beth Israel (Bellingham) Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath (Seattle) Ezra Bessaroth (Seattle) Kavana Cooperative (Seattle) Sephardic Bikur Holim (Seattle) De Hirsch Sinai (Seattle and Belleview)
West Virginia	Ohev Sholom (Huntington) Shalom (Wheeling)
Wisconsin	Beth El (Madison) Beth Israel Ner Tamid (Milwaukee) Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun (River Hills)
Wyoming	Mt Sinai (Cheyenne)
Territories	Virgin Islands
Oldest U.S. synagogues History Category People US places of worship

• 1930s establishments in Oregon
• 20th-century attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States
• 21st-century attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States
• Buildings and structures in Eugene, Oregon
• Culture of Eugene, Oregon
• Neo-fascist terrorist incidents in the United States
• Reconstructionist synagogues in the United States
• Synagogues in Oregon
• 21st-century synagogues in the United States
• Synagogues completed in 2008
• Synagogues completed in 1952
• 20th-century synagogues in the United States