Congregation Beth Israel, Reform synagogue in Meridian, United States
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform synagogue in Meridian, Mississippi, built in 1964 and situated in the city's religious district. The building has large front windows and serves a small community of around twenty member families, led by a part-time rabbi.
The congregation was founded in 1868 by ten families and built its first permanent building in 1879 in a Middle Eastern style. A Greek Revival structure followed in 1906, and the community moved into the current building in 1964.
The congregation still holds Shabbat services and holiday gatherings in the current building, keeping the space in active use. The front windows, made partly from salvaged glass, give the interior a quality that reflects the community's past.
It is best to contact the synagogue in advance to find out about service times or community events before your visit. As an active place of worship for a small community, access outside of scheduled times may be limited.
After a bombing in 1968 destroyed the congregation's education building, fragments of its glass were incorporated into the front windows of the current synagogue. These pieces are still visible today, making the windows a direct physical record of that event.
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