Congregation Beth Israel is a

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 ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

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 301 East Jefferson Street in

Charlottesville Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Quee ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, in the United States.Synagogue website
Accessed August 23, 2012. Founded in 1882,History
, Synagogue website. Accessed January 19, 2010. it grew out of Charlottesville's Hebrew Benevolent Society, which was created in 1870. , Synagogue website, About CBI, History. Accessed July 20, 2008.

Overview

The congregation's 1882 building is the oldest synagogue building in Virginia.Mark W. Gordon
"Rediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Update on United States Nineteenth Century Synagogues"
''American Jewish History'', 84.1 (1996) 11-27
2019 article update
It joined the

Union of American Hebrew Congregations The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms establ ...

in 1927 and is now a member of the Union for Reform Judaism. The synagogue has an active youth group called Beth Israel Temple Youth (BITY), participating in events with the synagogue throughout the year. It also has a preschool, and religious/Hebrew school. Congregation Beth Israel offers adult education in the form of lectures, films, and

Beit Midrash A ''beth midrash'' (, "house of learning"; : ''batei midrash''), also ''beis medrash'' or ''beit midrash'', is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall". It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth knesseth''), although ...

text study. Worship services include Traditional Egalitarian Shabbat Morning Service,

Kabbalat Shabbat Jewish prayer (, ; plural ; , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the '' ...

Service, and Mishkan T'filah (Reform) Services. These services are intended to be appropriate across ages and household composition. CBI is also involved in

mitzvot In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word (; , ''mīṣvā'' , plural ''mīṣvōt'' ; "commandment") refers to a commandment from God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law () in large part consists of discussion of these commandments ...

and acts of tikkun olam through association with and grant funding for local Charlottesville non-profits. , the Senior

Rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

is Tom Gutherz, and the Assistant Rabbi is Ezra Leventhal. Daniel Alexander, Rabbi Emeritus, served as rabbi from 1988 to 2016, and his retirement led the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

and

Virginia Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

to issue Joint Resolution No. 381, commending Alexander's service to the Congregation Beth Israel and the Charlottesville community for 37 years.

References

1882 establishments in Virginia Buildings and structures in Charlottesville, Virginia Reform synagogues in Virginia Jewish organizations established in 1882 Synagogues completed in 1882 19th-century synagogues in the United States Synagogues in Virginia Brick buildings and structures in Virginia {{US-synagogue-stub