Knesseth Israel Congregation
Knesseth Israel Congregation is an Orthodox Jewish shul (synagogue) which has its origins in the first Orthodox congregation to organize in Birmingham in 1899. The congregation is led by Rabbi Avraham Schmidman, who came to the shul in 1998.
Their first building was constructed in 1903 on the southwest corner of 17th Street and 7th Avenue North, at the heart of what was then a Jewish neighborhood populated by immigrants from Russia and Eastern Europe.
In 1955 the congregation moved to a then-remote site at 3225 Montevallo Road in what is now Mountain Brook. The original synagogue was later incorporated into the structure of the Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God on that site.
In 2004 Knesseth was moving forward with plans for a new building when consideration was given to relocating to the site of the former Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church on Overton Road. The move gave the congregation a return on the high value of the Montevallo Road property, which faces the Birmingham Country Club golf course.
The new 18,000 square-foot brick building, scheduled for completion in 2007, will include a sanctuary, a chapel, offices, classrooms, library, social hall and two kitchens for preparation of kosher meals.
Rabbis
- Louis Werfel, 1940-42
- Moshe Stern, 1968-80
- Reuven Tradburks, 1987-94
- Meir Rosenberg, 1996-98
- Avraham Schmidman, 1998 - present
References
- Wolfson, Hannah (October 1, 2006) "Knesseth Israel moving to Overton Road." Birmingham News.
- Garrison, Greg (September 17, 2004) "Knesseth Israel plans to rebuild." Birmingham News.
External links
- Knesseth Israel Congregation website