Sherith Israel Temple (Cincinnati, Ohio)

The Sherith Israel Temple is located on Ruth Lyons Way (originally Lodge Street) off the 600 block of Walnut Street, in the backstage entertainment district in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. This is the oldest existing synagogue building west of the Allegheny Mountains and the fourth oldest building in downtown Cincinnati. It is the seventh oldest synagogue building in the United States.

The synagogue was built in 1860 and was an active synagogue until 1882,^[1] after that the building served as a warehouse, plumbing supply house and machine shop.

Chris Cain, the city's historic preservation officer said, "This is a building of importance".

Despite the history of the former Sherith Israel Temple downtown, the city officially decided it should not be declared "historic" in 1998. Officials debated more than a year whether the building, once an Orthodox Jewish synagogue, should be saved.

The former synagogue was saved from demolition, renovated and today houses condominia.^[2]

History

The congregation was founded in 1855 as an Orthodox^[3] congregation that objected to the Reform tendencies of the Rockdale Temple, then known as K.K. Bene Israel.^[4][5] The congregation merged with Congregation Ahabeth Achim in 1906.^[5]

See also

• Oldest synagogues in the United States

External links

• Future of temple at stake
• Potential Backstage Buyer Eyes Lost Temple
• Sturmon, Sarah (1997-04-04). "Temple may get reprieve". The Cincinnati Post. E. W. Scripps Company. Archived from the original on 2005-01-14. 
• "No historic designation for ex-temple". The Cincinnati Post. E. W. Scripps Company. 1998-04-09. Archived from the original on 2003-05-14. 

References