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JWR VerifiedFounding RecordJWR-2026-000063

Oldest Synagogue Building Still Used for Jewish Worship in Ohio

Record holder

Plum Street Temple / Isaac M. Wise TemplePlace

Record value

Built and dedicated 1866; still regularly used for Jewish worship

Country: United StatesAchievement location: Cincinnati, United StatesAchievement date: 1866Current record

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Verified by Jewish World RecordsHow we verify records

Exterior of Isaac M. Wise Temple / Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio

Isaac M. Wise Temple / Plum Street Temple, the 1866 synagogue building in Cincinnati.Nheyob / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC BY-SA 3.0

Official record definition

The earliest-built surviving purpose-built synagogue building in Ohio that is still regularly used for Jewish worship. Congregation founding date, uninterrupted or continuous use, former synagogue buildings, floor area, membership and seating capacity are outside the metric.

Measurement methodology

State-level chronology of surviving purpose-built synagogue buildings cross-checked against current regular Jewish worship use.

Measurement point: earliest-built qualifying surviving purpose-built synagogue still in regular Jewish worship use

Record story

Plum Street Temple in Cincinnati holds the record for the 'Oldest Synagogue in Continuous Jewish Use in Ohio', having been built in 1866. The record specifically concerns the earliest-built surviving purpose-built synagogue building in Ohio that is still regularly used for Jewish worship. Also known as the Isaac M. Wise Temple, the building was erected and dedicated in 1866 and continues to be used for Sabbath services, lifecycle events, and other Jewish religious functions. The definition of the achievement does not require that its use for worship has been uninterrupted.

The 1866 construction date is documented in the temple's official history and independently confirmed by the National Park Service and the Library of Congress. To establish this record, other potential candidates in Ohio were evaluated. Notably, an older purpose-built synagogue, Sherith Israel, which was built in 1860, still survives but it no longer functions as a synagogue and is now residential. This makes Plum Street Temple the earliest-built qualifying building under the specific terms of this record metric.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
29 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Wise Temple's official history documents that Plum Street Temple was erected and dedicated in 1866 and remains in regular use for Sabbath services, lifecycle events and other Jewish religious functions. National Park Service and Library of Congress records independently confirm the 1866 building.

Superiority evidence

Ohio counter-candidates were tested. Sherith Israel's 1860 purpose-built synagogue survives but ceased synagogue use in the nineteenth century and is now residential; older congregational histories do not provide an earlier surviving qualifying building in current Jewish worship use.

Achievement / record verification

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

  • History of Plum Street Temple — Isaac M. Wise Temple / Wise Temple

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

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

  • Isaac M. Wise Temple National Historic Landmark documentation — National Park Service
  • Isaac M. Wise Temple, Cincinnati, Ohio — Library of Congress

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 of Plum Street Temple

    Official recordIsaac M. Wise Temple / Wise Temple

    What this proves: Documents erection and dedication in 1866 and the building's continuing regular use for Sabbath services, lifecycle events and other religious functions.

  • Isaac M. Wise Temple National Historic Landmark documentation

    Official recordNational Park Service

    What this proves: Independently confirms the 1866 Plum Street Temple building and its national historical significance.

  • Isaac M. Wise Temple, Cincinnati, Ohio

    Official recordLibrary of Congress

    What this proves: Identifies the Cincinnati synagogue and its 1866 construction-era historical identity.

  • Isaac M. Wise Temple

    Official recordANU Museum of the Jewish People / Synagogues360

    What this proves: Corroborates the site's synagogue identity, architecture and Jewish historical context.

History

  1. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

  2. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

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