- Temple Beth-El (Birmingham, Alabama)
Infobox religious building
building_name=Temple Beth-El
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location=Birmingham,Alabama
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religious_affiliation=Conservative Judaism
district=
status=Active
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website=http://www.templebeth-el.net
architecture_type=
architecture_style=
facade_direction=
year_completed=1926
construction_cost=
architect=
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materials=:"For other temples called Beth-El seeTemple Beth-El ."Temple Beth-El is a
synagogue located inBirmingham, Alabama . Founded in 1907, Temple Beth-El is a member of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Temple Beth-El is the only Conservative-affiliated synagogue in Birmingham, and one of only four Conservative synagogues inAlabama .The current
rabbi is Brian Glusman. The currenthazzan is Daniel Gale.History
The first Jews arrived in Birmingham in 1873. They were attracted there by potential business opportunities in this burgeoning
coal andore center of the South. In 1881, a dozen families gathered for the firstRosh Hashanah services which were held in a private home. The 1880s saw a great influx of Jewish newcomers to Birmingham. In 1882, Temple Emanu-El was formally incorporated. With a membership of 100 families, the Reform congregation dedicated its first synagogue building in 1889.An embryonic Orthodox congregation, Knesseth Israel, erected its first synagogue in 1903 to serve the large number of immigrants coming from
Eastern Europe . The third synagogue in Birmingham, Temple Beth-El, was chartered in 1907 as a second Orthodox-affiliated congregation. This group became a part of the Conservative movement in 1944.Temple Beth-El's current
sanctuary was built in 1926 and the facility is located at 2179 Highland Avenue on the Southside of Birmingham. Renovations in the 1990s added a cultural center and classrooms, and further renovations were completed in the 2000s to the sanctuary,chapel , and social hall. Temple Beth-El is one of the few Conservative synagogues in the United States to have its ownmikvah .Fact|date=August 2007Currently, Temple Beth-El serves approximately 600-700 Jewish families in the Birmingham area. Other affiliations include a chapter of Sisterhood (affiliated with the national Women's League for Conservative Judaism), a Men's Club (affiliated with the Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs) and youth groups active within the umbrella organization
United Synagogue Youth .Involvement in the Civil Rights Era
The 1950s and 1960s were a period of upheaval in Birmingham as protesters and police often clashed in the streets during the
Civil Rights Movement . This was unfortunately also a time whenbomb ings of religious institutions were common.On
April 28 ,1958 , 54 sticks ofdynamite were placed outside Temple Beth-El in a bombing attempt. According to police reports, the burning fuses were doused by heavy rainfall, preventing the dynamite from exploding. [Temple, C. and Hansen, J.: [http://www.al.com/specialreport/?bombing/97-min.html "Ministers' homes, churches among bomb targets"] , "The Birmingham News", July 16, 2000.]Although the crime was never solved, police considered
Bobby Frank Cherry , later convicted of bombing the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, to be a suspect. [Wiener, J.: [http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010611/wiener/2 "Southern Explosure"] , "The Nation", June 11, 2001.]References
External links
* [http://www.templebeth-el.net Temple Beth-El]
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