Congregation Beth Jacob () is a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Jewish

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

located at 2401 Avenue K,

Galveston Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

, on

Galveston Island Galveston Island ( ) is a barrier island on the Texas Gulf Coast in the United States, about southeast of Houston, Texas, Houston. The entire island, with the exception of Jamaica Beach, Texas, Jamaica Beach, is within the city limits of the City ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, in the United States. The present synagogue was built by Austrian, Russian and Hungarian immigrants in 1931. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2024. The congregation is small and active in the Galveston community. It is currently led Rabbi Todd Doctor.Houston Jewish Voice Newspaper
/ref> Rabbi Jimmy Kessler, of Congregation B'nai Israel, a local

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

synagogue, previously assisted the congregation with religious functions such as marriages and funerals.

History

Beth Jacob's roots date back to 1888 when a group of Orthodox

Russian Jews The history of the Jews in Russia and areas historically connected with it goes back at least 1,500 years. Jews in Russia have historically constituted a large religious and ethnic diaspora; the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest po ...

came together to form the Hebrew Orthodox Benevolent Association. Around the same time a group of Orthodox Jews from the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

immigrated to Galveston and began looking for a synagogue to join. As the only Orthodox synagogue in Galveston at the time followed the Russian tradition, the group of Austro-Hungarian Jews chose to form their own synagogue organization, the Young Men's Hebrew Association. During the early part of the 20th century there was a great influx of Jews from Russia and eastern Europe under the Galveston Movement program. Therefore, in an effort to unite the growing Orthodox community, on February 15, 1931, the two Orthodox congregations voted to merge and form Congregation Beth Jacob. Despite being in the middle of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

, Rabbi Louis Feigon and members raised funds to build a new synagogue on the site of the old Hebrew Orthodox Benevolent Association. The congregation continued to grow and by the early 1960s it became evident new buildings were needed for religious, educational and social facilities. In 1965 a new wing was built that included a 242-seat sanctuary, a large social hall, a library and more school rooms for the expanded Sunday, Hebrew and Hebrew high schools. In the 1970s the congregation joined the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

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Rituals bring synagogue back to life
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beth Jacob (Galveston, Texas) Ashkenazi Jewish culture in Texas Conservative synagogues in Texas Buildings and structures in Galveston, Texas Jews and Judaism in Galveston, Texas Jewish organizations established in 1888 1888 establishments in Texas Austrian-American culture in Texas Austrian-Jewish culture in the United States Hungarian-Jewish culture in the United States Russian-Jewish culture in the United States Ukrainian-Jewish culture in the United States Synagogues completed in 1931 1931 establishments in Texas Synagogues completed in 1965 1965 establishments in Texas 20th-century synagogues in the United States National Register of Historic Places in Galveston County, Texas

History

See also

References

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External links