CommunityJewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Congregation Beth Israel

Oregon's oldest active Jewish congregation, founded in Portland in May 1858.

Portland, Oregon, United StatesFounded 1858

Congregation Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon

About

Congregation Beth Israel was founded in Portland in 1858 and is Oregon's oldest active Jewish congregation. Its first gatherings were held above a livery stable and blacksmith shop. The congregation then moved into its first synagogue at Fifth and Oak; after outgrowing that building it erected a larger synagogue at Twelfth and Main in 1889. That second synagogue was destroyed by fire in 1923. The present Temple, completed in 1928 at Northwest Nineteenth and Flanders, became the congregation's long-term home and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Additional facilities followed, including the Sherman Education Center and the Schnitzer Family Center, as the congregation expanded its educational and communal work.

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Records held by Congregation Beth Israel

JWR VerifiedFounding Record

Jewish Heritage · Jewish CommunitiesOldest

Oldest Jewish Congregation Still Active in Oregon

Record holder

Congregation Beth Israel

Record value

Founded in 1858

Congregation Beth Israel holds the record as the 'Oldest Jewish Congregation Still Active in Oregon', having been 'Founded in 1858'. The achievement is based on the congregation’s beginnings at a meeting of eight people in Portland, Oregon, in May 1858, with twenty-one original members joining the following month. The record specifically measures the continuity of the institution since its founding, not the age of its present 1928 building. The metric is defined as the earliest founding date among currently active Jewish religious congregations within the state, based on a review of institutional chronology and continuity.

Country: United States
Achievement location: Portland, Oregon, United States
Achievement date: May 1858

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