Jewish World Records emblemJewish World Records
Back to all records
JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000055

First Synagogue in North Carolina

Record holder

Temple of Israel, WilmingtonPlace

Record value

12 May 1876

Country: United StatesAchievement location: Wilmington, North Carolina, United StatesAchievement date: 12 May 1876Current record

Challenge this record

Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Side view of Temple of Israel in Wilmington, North Carolina

Temple of Israel in Wilmington, North Carolina, the state's first purpose-built synagogue.Billy Hathorn / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 3.0

Official record definition

The earliest building within present-day North Carolina documented to have been purpose-designed and constructed as a synagogue or Jewish house of worship. Congregation age, temporary services, converted buildings, later continuity, denomination, floor area, membership and seating capacity are outside the metric.

Measurement methodology

Official state chronology and statewide comparison of purpose-built synagogue structures

Measurement point: Completion and dedication as a purpose-built synagogue

Record story

The record for the 'First Purpose-Built Synagogue in North Carolina' was established with the dedication of the Temple of Israel in Wilmington on 12 May 1876. Construction on the building began on 20 March 1875 and it was completed in 1876. The record specifically recognises the earliest building in the state that was purpose-designed and constructed as a Jewish house of worship, distinct from temporary service locations or converted structures. According to county museum records, the synagogue remains standing.

Official state sources, including the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, confirm the Temple of Israel as the state's first Jewish synagogue. A state marker describes it as the 'first house of worship built in North Carolina by Jews'. This claim is supported by statewide comparison; an earlier Wilmington congregation from 1867 was short-lived and did not construct a qualifying building, while the structure identified as the state's second-oldest, Oheb Sholom in Goldsboro, dates to 1886.

Media

Gallery

  • Facade of Temple of Israel in Wilmington
    Historic facade of Temple of Israel, Wilmington.Jlewis52586 / Wikimedia CommonsCC BY-SA 3.0

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
2 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

North Carolina DNCR records that Temple of Israel was the state's first Jewish synagogue/house of worship, begun in 1875 and dedicated on 12 May 1876. The county museum independently records completion in 1876 and confirms that the building still stands.

Superiority evidence

The 1867 Wilmington Orthodox congregation was short-lived and did not produce an earlier qualifying building. DNCR's state marker calls Temple of Israel the first house of worship built in North Carolina by Jews; NCpedia identifies the 1875-1876 structure as the state's oldest Jewish house of worship. Oheb Sholom in Goldsboro dates only to 1886 and is identified as second-oldest.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Temple of Israel, 1890 — New Hanover County / Cape Fear Museum

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • State's First Jewish House of Worship, Temple of Israel — North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
  • Temple of Israel (D-44) — North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources
  • Facade Temple of Israel image by Jlewis52586 — Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Side view, Temple of Israel, Wilmington, NC IMG 4316 image by Billy Hathorn — Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

Related records

Exterior of the former Shaare Tefilah synagogue at 709 Jackson Avenue in New Orleans
JWR Verified
Jewish Heritage · Synagoguesoldest surviving

Oldest Building in Louisiana Originally Built as a Synagogue

Record holder

Former Shaare Tefilah Synagogue

Record value

Built in 1867

The former Shaare Tefilah Synagogue at 709 Jackson Avenue in New Orleans holds the record as the "Oldest Building in Louisiana Originally Built as a Synagogue". The structure, which was "Built in 1867", establishes a key heritage benchmark for the state’s Jewish community. Although the congregation purchased the lot for the site in 1859, construction was delayed by the Civil War. The completed building, long known as the Jackson Avenue Shul, was formally dedicated on 5 April 1867.

Country
United States
Achievement location
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Achievement date
5 April 1867
View full record
Historic Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Boise, Idaho
JWR Verified
Jewish Heritage · SynagoguesOldest

Oldest Surviving Synagogue Building in Idaho

Record holder

Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel

Record value

Congregation Beth Israel formed in 1895; historic synagogue completed and in use by 1896; building survives and remains in Jewish worship use after intact relocation in 2003

Boise's historic Beth Israel synagogue is a rare surviving landmark of Jewish life in the American West. Congregation Beth Israel was organized in 1895 and the purpose-built synagogue was completed and in use by 1896. In 2003 the historic building was moved intact from State Street to Latah Street, preserving the same nineteenth-century structure. It continues to serve Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel.

Country
United States
Achievement location
Boise, United States
Achievement date
1896
View full record
Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island
JWR Verified
Jewish Heritage · SynagoguesOldest

Oldest Surviving Synagogue Building in the United States

Record holder

Touro Synagogue

Record value

Dedicated 2 December 1763

Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, is the Oldest Surviving Synagogue Building in the United States. The record is based on its dedication date of 2 December 1763. The building was purpose-designed by Peter Harrison as a permanent Jewish house of worship, with construction beginning in 1759. The metric for this record is the documented construction and dedication chronology for a surviving purpose-built synagogue, not its continuous use.

Country
United States
Achievement location
Newport, Rhode Island, United States
Achievement date
2 December 1763
View full record