Temple 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 ...

congregation and

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 892 Cherry Street in Macon,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, in the United States. Formed in 1859 by Jews of German background as Congregation Kahal Kadosh Beth Israel, it was originally

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

, and followed the German minhag. The congregation constructed its first building on the corner of Poplar and Second Streets from 1871 to 1874. The congregation's current Neoclassical building was constructed on the corner of Cherry and Spring Streets in 1902. Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar has served as the congregation's

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 ...

since 2020. Rabbi Larry Schlesinger retired in June 2017 and was appointed Rabbi Emeritus. In June 2023, the synagogue was the subject of

antisemitic Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...

and anti-

LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...

attacks from the

Goyim Defense League The Goyim Defense League (GDL) is an American neo-Nazism, neo-Nazi and antisemitism, antisemitic hate group and conspiracy theory network of individuals who are active on social media websites and operate an online video platform called GoyimTV. ...

and Jon Minadeo II.

References

External links

* * 1859 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century synagogues in the United States Antisemitism in Georgia (U.S. state) Buildings and structures in Macon, Georgia German-American culture in Georgia (U.S. state) German-Jewish culture in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1859 Neoclassical architecture in Georgia (U.S. state) Neoclassical synagogues Reform synagogues in Georgia (U.S. state) Synagogues completed in 1871 Synagogues completed in 1902 Synagogues in Georgia (U.S. state) 21st-century attacks on Jewish institutions in the United States {{US-synagogue-stub

References

Further reading

External links