Congregation Beth Jacob (בית יעקב in Hebrew) is a Conservative Jewish

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

located in Galveston, Texas. The present synagogue was built by Austrian, Russian and Hungarian immigrants in 1931. The congregation is small, but still very active in the Galveston Community. It is currently led Rabbi Todd Doctor.Houston Jewish Voice Newspaper
/ref> Rabbi Jimmy Kessler, of Galveston's reform synagogue Congregation B'nai Israel, 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 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, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

immigrated to Galveston and began looking for a synagogue to join. Since the only Orthodox synagogue in Galveston at the time followed Russian tradition, they 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 The Galveston Movement, also known as the Galveston Plan, was a U.S. immigration assistance program operated by several Jewish organizations between 1907 and 1914. The program diverted Jewish immigrants, fleeing Russia and eastern Europe, away fr ...

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 (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, Rabbi

Louis Feigon Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis (d ...

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.The New York Jewish Week
/ref> In the 1970s the congregation joined the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

References

External links

Congregation Beth JacobTexas Jewish Historical SocietyJewish Federation of Greater HoustonTorah transfer to enrich new synagogueRituals 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 Religious 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