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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Temple B'nai Sholom (Huntsville, Alabama)
Temple B'nai Sholom (translated from Hebrew as "Children of Peace") is an historic Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 103 Lincoln Street SE, in Huntsville, Alabama, in the United States. Founded as a congregation on July 30, 1876, the current synagogue building was dedicated on November 26, 1899. It is the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in the state.

History

In its early years, the congregation struggled to furnish their rented room in time for the High Holidays in 1876. Members who fell behind on their dues were suspended and their names published in the nationally circulated American Israelite. Of the congregation's 32 founding members in 1876, only 15 were still contributing members by 1878; 11 had been suspended for failure to pay dues.

The congregation hired its first full-time rabbi in 50 years in 1963. It has maintained full-time rabbinic leadership ever since.

The brick building was designed by R.H. Hunt in the Romanesque Revival style and built between in 1898–1899. The building was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on July 29, 1977; and is a contributing property located within the Hunstville Old Town Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 18, 1978. The building was extensively renovated in 1994.

In February 2015, the congregation hosted "Wedding Week" when same-sex marriages were first legalized in Alabama. Dozens of couples were married in the sanctuary. In March 2015, Temple B'nai Sholom Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar was named one of "America's Most Inspiring Rabbis" by the Jewish Daily Forward.

In 2017, Temple B'nai Sholom opened the Jewish Heritage Center, a permanent exhibit that shares the Jewish community's history and many contributions to Huntsville's cultural and civic life. Museum tours are available to the public.

See also

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Huntsville, Alabama". Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities. Goldring / Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Jones, Harvie P. (1994). "The Architecture of the 1899 Temple B'nai Sholom" (PDF). The Historic Huntsville Quarterly. 4. XX (Winter): 184–197. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  4. ^ Alabama Historical Association (1997). "Temple B'nai Sholom". Historical markers. City of Huntsville, Alabama. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  5. ^ "ISJL - Alabama Huntsville Encyclopedia". Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  6. ^ "The Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage" (PDF). preserveala.org. Alabama Historical Commission. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  7. ^ "Deep in Dixie, Synagogue Stands Up for Gay Marriage — and Couples Flock To Say 'I Do'". The Forward. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Rabbis 2015 Archives". The Forward. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  9. ^ "Temple B'nai Sholom provides unique sacred space in Huntsville". City of Huntsville Blog. May 29, 2020. Retrieved February 17, 2024.

Media related to Temple B'Nai Shalom at Wikimedia Commons


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