Jackson, Italy
Beth Israel Congregation (Hebrew: בית ישראל) is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 5315 Old Canton Road in Jackson, Mississippi, United States. Organized in 1860 by Jews of German background, it is the only Jewish synagogue in Jackson. Beth Israel built the first synagogue in Miss
issippi in 1867, and, after it burned down, its 1874 replacement was at one time the oldest religious building in Jackson. Originally Orthodox, the congregation joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1874. After going through a series of rabbis, and periods without one, the congregation hired Meyer Lovitt as rabbi in 1929; he would remain until 1954. The congregation moved to a new building in 1941. Dr. Perry Nussbaum, Beth Israel's rabbi from 1954 to 1973, was active in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1967, the congregation moved to a new synagogue building, and both the new building and Nussbaum's house were bombed by the Ku Klux Klan that year. In 2003, Valerie Cohen became the congregation's first female rabbi. Rabbi Rosen began at Beth Israel Congregation in July 2019. With a growing membership of over 200 families, Beth Israel was the largest Jewish congregation in the state.
Listen to the audio guide for Beth Israel Congregation Free on WIP — starts by itself when you arrive, even with the screen off