Oldest synagogues in the United States

The designation of the oldest synagogue in the United States requires careful use of definitions, and must be divided into two parts, the oldest in the sense of oldest surviving building, and the oldest in the sense of oldest congregation. Even here, there is the distinction between old synagogue buildings that have been in continuous use as synagogues, and those that have been converted to other purposes, between buildings that have been in continuous use as synagogues and those, such as the Touro, that were shuttered for many decades, and between early established congregations that have been in continuous existence and early congregations that ceased to exist.

Sephardi congregations

All of the oldest congregations in the new world were founded by Sephardi Jews

Sephardi Jews

Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...

and followed the Sephardic liturgy.

Congregation Shearith Israel
Congregation Shearith Israel
Congregation Shearith Israel, often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. It was established in 1654....

, 1655, in New York City, is the oldest congregation in the United States, its present building dates from 1897.
Congregation Jeshuat Israel, ca. 1658, in Newport, Rhode Island is dated to sometime after the arrival of Jews in 1658 and prior to the 1677 purchase of a communal cemetery, now known as Touro Cemetery
Touro Cemetery
Touro Synagogue Cemetery , dedicated in 1677, is located in the colonial historic district of Newport, Rhode Island, not far from the Touro Synagogue. Other Jewish graves are found nearby as part of the Common Burying Ground and Island Cemetery on Farewell Street.-History:The cemetery was founded...

. Prayers were conducted in private homes until Congregation Jeshuat Israel, the Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue
The Touro Synagogue is a 1763 synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States,the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America, and the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S...

, was established in the 1750s. In much of the nineteenth century no Jews lived in Newport and the ownership of the building and synagogue were entrusted to Congregation Shearith Israel
Congregation Shearith Israel
Congregation Shearith Israel, often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. It was established in 1654....

. The building was reopened for the use of Ashkenazi Jews in 1883.
Congregation Mickve Israel
Congregation Mickve Israel
Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, Georgia, is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States, the congregation having begun in 1733. The synagogue, located on Monterey Square in historic Savannah, was consecrated in 1878, and is a rare example of a Gothic-style synagogue...

of Savannah, Georgia was organized in 1733.
Congregation Mikveh Israel of Philadelphia was organized in the 1740s.
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, Charleston, South Carolina, was founded in the 1740s.
Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalom, Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

, was founded in 1789. In 1898, it merged with Congregation Beth Ahabah
Congregation Beth Ahabah
Beth Ahabah is a Reform synagogue in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in 1789 by Spanish and Portuguese Jews as Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome it is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.-History:When the congregation was founded, there were 100 Jews in Richmond's population of 3,900...

, which was founded in 1841.
The St. Thomas Synagogue
St. Thomas Synagogue
St. Thomas Synagogue is an historic synagogue in Charlotte Amalie on the island of Saint Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The real name of the synagogue is Beracha Veshalom Vegmiluth Hasidim. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997....

in the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...

was founded in 1796.

Ashkenazi congregations

Until 1795, all congregations in the United States were Sephardic, although many or even most of the members of these congregations were descended from Eastern European Jews.

Congregation Rodeph Shalom (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Congregation Rodeph Shalom (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Congregation Rodeph Shalom of Philadelphia, founded in 1795, is the oldest Ashkenazic synagogue in the Western Hemisphere. It is noted historically for its leadership of the Reform movement among American Hebrew congregations, for its spiritual influence upon international Jewry, and for its unique...

, founded in 1795 is the oldest Ashkenazi congregation in the United States.
K.K. Bene Israel in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, now known as the Rockdale Temple
Rockdale Temple
The Rockdale Temple, K.K. Bene Israel, is the oldest Jewish congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains, the oldest congregation in Ohio, the second oldest Ashkenazi congregation in the United States and one of the oldest synagogues in the United States...

(1824) is the oldest congregation west of the Alleghany Mountains and the second oldest Ashkenazi congregation in the United States.
B'nai Jeshurun in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, founded 1825, is the third oldest Ashkenazi congregation in the United States.

Oldest existing buildings

This list includes only buildings that are still standing. Some are still in use as synagogues, others have been repurposed.

The Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue
The Touro Synagogue is a 1763 synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States,the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America, and the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S...

in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

, is the oldest Jewish house of worship in North America that is still standing. (1759)
Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue, Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

, (1840)
Lloyd Street Synagogue
Lloyd Street Synagogue
The Lloyd Street Synagogue is an 1845, Greek Revival style synagogue building in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the oldest synagogues in the United States, Lloyd Street was the first synagogue building erected in Maryland and is the third oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States...

, Baltimore, (1845)
Angel Orensanz Center
Angel Orensanz Center
The Angel Orensanz Center is located at 172 Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side of New York City, New York...

, New York City, (1849) (oldest Ashkenazi building)
Congregation Rodeph Sholom (Manhattan, New York)
Congregation Rodeph Sholom (Manhattan, New York)
Congregation Rodeph Sholom is a Reform synagogue in New York City. Founded in 1842 by immigrants form the German lands, it is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.- History :...

, now Congregation Chasam Sopher
Congregation Chasam Sopher
Congregation Chasam Sopher is an Orthodox synagogue located at 10 Clinton Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.It was formed in 1892 by the merger of two congregations of immigrants from Poland. It occupies an historic Romanesque Revival synagogue building built in 1853 by Congregation...

(1852)
Congregation Beth Israel (Honesdale, Pennsylvania)
Congregation Beth Israel (Honesdale, Pennsylvania)
Congregation Beth Israel , a Reform synagogue located at 615 Court Street in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1849 by German Jews, its 1856 synagogue building was the smallest in the United States. The congregation was originally Orthodox, but rapidly moved to "Classical Reform"...

(1856)
Sherith Israel Temple (Cincinnati, Ohio) (1860)
Shaarei Shamayim (Madison,Wisconsin) (1863)
Congregation Talmud Torah Adereth El, Manhattan, (1863) (near-total renovation; some of the original building apparently remains)
Plum Street Temple, Cincinnati, (1866)
B'er Chayim Temple
B'er Chayim Temple
The B'er Chayim Temple in Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland, was built in 1866 for the local Jewish congregation. Originally Orthodox, it is now Reform...

(Cumberland, Maryland), (1865)
Temple Israel (Lafayette, Indiana)
Temple Israel (Lafayette, Indiana)
Temple Israel is a former synagogue in Lafayette, Indiana, United States. Its 1867 building is one of the ten oldest synagogue buildings in the United States....

, (1867)
B'nai Sholom Temple, Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...

, (1870)
Congregation B'nai Israel (Galveston, Texas), (1870)
Congregation Berith Sholom
Congregation Berith Sholom
Congregation Berith Sholom is a synagogue in Troy, New York. The synagogue is the oldest continuously used synagogue in the state of New York, the second oldest house of worship in the state outside of the city of New York, and one of the oldest synagogue buildings in the United...

, Troy, New York
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...

, (1870)
Central Synagogue
Central Synagogue
The Central Synagogue is located at 652 Lexington Avenue on the corner of 55th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built in 1872 in the Moorish Revival style as a copy of Budapest's Dohány Street Synagogue, it pays homage to the Jewish existence in Moorish Spain...

, New York, New York, (1872)
The Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville is a city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Acadians began to settle in the area in...

synagogue was built in 1872 by Congregation Bikur Cholim, which disbanded in the 1940s. The wooden building is now an Ace Hardware store.
Congregation Mickve Israel
Congregation Mickve Israel
Congregation Mickve Israel in Savannah, Georgia, is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States, the congregation having begun in 1733. The synagogue, located on Monterey Square in historic Savannah, was consecrated in 1878, and is a rare example of a Gothic-style synagogue...

, Savannah, Georgia (1874–78)
Congregation Beth Israel (West Hartford, Connecticut) (1876)
Temple of Israel (Wilmington, North Carolina)
Temple of Israel (Wilmington, North Carolina)
The Temple of Israel is a Jewish house of prayer located on the corner of Fourth and Market Streets in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States. Built in 1876, the Temple of Israel is the oldest synagogue in North Carolina and one of the earliest Reform synagogues in the American South...

(1876)
B'nai Israel Synagogue (Baltimore, Maryland)
B'nai Israel Synagogue (Baltimore, Maryland)
B'nai Israel is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located in the historic Inner Harbor neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. It is among the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United States.It is noted for its Moorish Revival architecture...

1876
Union Temple (Brooklyn, New York)
Union Temple (Brooklyn, New York)
Union Temple is a Reform synagogue in Brooklyn, New York. It is the result of the merger of two nineteenth century congregations, K. K. Beth Elohim and Temple Israel.-K.K. Beth Elohim:...

, the (1876) building known as the Keap Street Temple
Adas Israel Congregation (Washington, D.C.)
Adas Israel Congregation (Washington, D.C.)
Adas Israel, located in the Cleveland Park neighborhood, is the largest Conservative synagogue in Washington, D.C.-History:The congregation was founded in 1869 by 69 members of the Washington Hebrew Congregation who objected to that congregation's move towards Reform Judaism.Sermons were given in...

(1876)
Temple Adath Israel (Owensboro, Kentucky) (1877)
Congregation Adas Emuno
Congregation Adas Emuno (New Jersey)
Congregation Adas Emuno is a Reform synagogue in Leonia, New Jersey.The congregation was founded in 1871 and erected a synagogue building in 1883 in Hoboken, New Jersey. The small building in a mix of Gothic and Romanesque styles, is now the oldest synagogue building still standing in New Jersey...

Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...

(1883)
Prince Street Synagogue
Prince Street Synagogue
Prince Street Synagogue , in the Springfield/Belmont neighborhood, is the oldest synagogue building still standing in Newark, New Jersey.-History:...

Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

(1884)
Ohavi Zedek, (Burlington, Vermont)
Ohavi Zedek, (Burlington, Vermont)
Ohavi Zedek is a Conservative synagogue in Burlington, Vermont, USA.-History:Founded in 1885, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Vermont. The synagogue's original building, a brick Gothic Revival structure erected in 1885 , is among the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United...

(1885)
Congregation Beth Emeth
Congregation Beth Emeth
-History:The congregation was formed in 1885 with the merger of a "dwindling" orthodox congregation, Anshe Emeth and a "growing" Reform Congregation, Beth El -Architecture:...

, Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

, (1887)
Temple Aaron
Temple Aaron
Temple Aaron is a synagogue in Trinidad, Colorado. It is among the oldest synagogues in the state.The synagogue, which was built in 1888-9, underwent a careful restoration in 2006.-External links:*...

, Trinidad, Colorado
Trinidad, Colorado
The historic City of Trinidad is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Las Animas County, Colorado, United States...

, 1888
Congregation Beth Israel (San Diego, California)
Congregation Beth Israel (San Diego, California)
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 9001 Towne Centre Drive in San Diego, California. Formally incorporated in 1887, Beth Israel traces it roots back to 1861. It is San Diego's largest and oldest Jewish congregation.-History:...

(1889)
Moses Montefiore Congregation
Moses Montefiore Congregation
The Moses Montefiore Congregation is a synagogue in Bloomington, Illinois.Although Jews had arrived in Bloomington by the 1850s, the synagogue was organized in 1884 and named for Sir Moses Montefiore. In 1889 the congregation dedicated a Moorish Revival synagogue building at the southeast corner...

, Bloomington, Illinois (1889)
Ahavas Sholem
Ligonier Historical Museum
The Ligonier Historical Museum is a museum in Ligonier, Indiana that is housed in the 1889 building of Congregation Ahavas Sholem . The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located at 503 Main Street. It is one of the few surviving 19th-century synagogues in...

Ligonier, Indiana, (1889)
Tifereth Israel, Alliance Colony
Alliance Colony
The Alliance Colony was a Jewish agricultural community that was founded in Alliance, New Jersey on May 10, 1882. It was named after the Alliance Israélite Universelle of Paris and was funded by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society of New York and Philadelphia...

, New Jersey, 1889, disused
B'nai Abraham Synagogue, Brenham
B'nai Abraham Synagogue, Brenham
-History:Early Jewish settlers in the Washington County, Texas arrived during the 1860s. B. Levinson, an original founder, arrived in 1861. Alex Simon arrived in 1866. These individuals became active in the business community of Brenham, and as other Jewish settlers arrived, the need for a...

(Brenham, Texas
Brenham, Texas
Brenham is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, Texas, United States, with a population of 16,147 according to the 2009 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...

) (1893)
Ahavath Beth Israel (Boise, Idaho)
Ahavath Beth Israel (Boise, Idaho)
Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel is a synagogue in Boise, Idaho. Its 1896 building is thought to be the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in the United States west of the Mississippi River...

(1896)
Rosenhayn synagogue
Rosenhayn Synagogue
Rosenhayn Synagogue is an 1898 synagogue located in Rosenhayn, New Jersey. It is one of fewer than 100 surviving nineteenth century synagogue buildings in the United States....

, Rosenhayn, New Jersey (1898)
Temple Beth El (Alpena, Michigan)
Temple Beth El (Alpena, Michigan)
Temple Beth-El is a reform Jewish synagogue in Alpena, Michigan.The temple is located at 125 White Street in a vernacular style building built in 1889, making it one of America's relatively few surviving 19th century synagogues....

, 1899

By state

Alabama

Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim
Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim (Mobile, Alabama)
Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim is the oldest Jewish congregation in the state of Alabama and one of the oldest Reform Jewish congregations in the United States. Located in Mobile, the congregation was formally organized in 1844...

, the oldest congregation in Alabama, was formally organized on January 25, 1844. Their first synagogue was Emanuel Street Synagogue, dedicated on December 27, 1846. The current Springhill Avenue Temple is their fifth location.

Arizona

Emanu-El dedicated the first synagogue in the Arizona Territory on October 3, 1910 in Tucson. The congregation stopped holding services there in 1949. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places and currently houses the Jewish Heritage Center of the Southwest.

California

Temple Israel (Stockton, California)
Temple Israel (Stockton, California)
Temple Israel is a synagogue in Stockton, California. It is one of the oldest Jewish congregations in California.-History:The congregation was founded during the goldrush as a Jewish society called Ryhim Ahovim by tradition in 1849 but documentably no later than 1850...

, founded 1851. Congregation has been in continuous existence, housed in four different locations over time.
The two next oldest congregations in California are Emanu-El
Congregation Emanu-El (San Francisco)
Congregation Emanu-El of San Francisco, California, is one of the two oldest Jewish congregations in California.During the Gold Rush in 1849, a small group of Jews held the first High Holy Days services on the west coast of the United States in San Francisco. This group of traders and merchants...

and Sherith Israel
Congregation Sherith Israel (San Francisco, California)
Congregation Sherith Israel is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. It was established during California’s Gold Rush period and reflects the ambitions of early Jewish settlers to San Francisco. Today it is a congregation widely known for its innovative approach to worship and...

, in San Francisco. Both were founded in 1851. The two synagogues were founded simultaneously because the city's Jews could not agree on whether to follow the prayer customs of the Polish or German Jews. Emanu-El was therefore, founded as the congregation of the German Jews and Sherith Israel as the congregation of the Polish Jews.
Congregation B'nai Israel (Sacramento, California)
Congregation B'nai Israel (Sacramento, California)
Congregation B'nai Israel is the oldest Jewish congregation in Sacramento, California. The congregation, which began as an Orthodox community, traces its history back to the gold rush of 1849, when Jewish settlers gathered to observe the high holy days...

is the oldest congregation in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

tracing its history back to September 2, 1852 making it the first congregationally owned synagogue west of the Mississippi River.
Congregation Beth Israel (San Diego, California)
Congregation Beth Israel (San Diego, California)
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 9001 Towne Centre Drive in San Diego, California. Formally incorporated in 1887, Beth Israel traces it roots back to 1861. It is San Diego's largest and oldest Jewish congregation.-History:...

's 1889 building may be the oldest in California.

Connecticut

Congregation Beth Israel (West Hartford, Connecticut) and Congregation Mishkan Israel
Congregation Mishkan Israel
Congregation Mishkan Israel, in Hamden, Connecticut, founded in 1840 and incorporated in 1843, the year the Connecticut legislature first permitted non-Christian organizations to incorporate in the state, is one of the two the oldest Jewish congregations in Connecticut. .The congregation was...

in New Haven, were both founded in 1843, the year the Connecticut legislature first permitted public worship by Jews in the state.
Beth Israel's 1876 building is the oldest in the state.

Delaware

Adas Kodesch Shel Emeth in Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...

is the oldest congregation in the state. It was formed from the merger in 1957 of the Orthodox Adas Kodesch Congregation, which was established in 1885, and the Chesed Shel Emeth Congregation. It is usually referred to simply as Adas Kodesch and is billed as "The First Synagogue in the First State".

Florida

Ahavath Chesed in Jacksonville, and Temple Beth-El
Temple Beth-El (Pensacola, Florida)
The Temple Beth-El , located in downtown Pensacola, Florida, is the oldest dedicated Jewish house of worship in Florida. The temple was founded in 1876....

in Pensacola each has claims to being the oldest Jewish congregation in Florida. The Jacksonville congregation was meeting for prayer by 1867, but appears to have incorporated later than Pensacola which dedicated its first building in 1876, well before Jacksonville's 1882 building.
The United Hebrews of Ocala
United Hebrews of Ocala (Florida)
The former United Hebrews of Ocala synagogue is an historic Carpenter Gothic building located at 729 N.E. 2nd Street, in the Tuscawilla Park Historic District of Ocala, Florida. Built in 1888, it was one of the first synagogues in Florida...

building built in 1888 may be the oldest Florida synagogue building still standing.

Hawaii

Temple Emanu-El
Temple Emanu-El (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Temple Emanu-El is a Reform Jewish congregation in Honolulu that was established in 1938, and joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1952. The synagogue building at 2550 Pali Highway was consecrated in 1960 under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Roy A. Rosenberg. The architect was...

dates back to 1938 when 35 Jewish families on Oahu formed the Honolulu Jewish Community. In 1939, in cooperation with the Jewish Welfare Board, a small chapel on Young Street was leased and converted into a Jewish Community Center (JCC), which also served as Honolulu's first permanent synagogue.

Idaho

Ahavath Beth Israel
Ahavath Beth Israel (Boise, Idaho)
Congregation Ahavath Beth Israel is a synagogue in Boise, Idaho. Its 1896 building is thought to be the oldest synagogue building in continuous use in the United States west of the Mississippi River...

, Boise, Idaho (1896). The synagogue was built for Beth Israel (founded 1895). In the 1980s, the congregation was formed as a merger of Congregation Beth Israel and Ahavath Israel (founded 1912).

Illinois

KAM Isaiah Israel merged several older congregations in Chicago, the oldest of which - Kehillat Anshe Maarav - was founded in 1847.

Iowa

Temple Emanuel
Temple Emanuel (Davenport, Iowa)
Temple Emanuel is a Reform synagogue located on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. Organized in 1861, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Iowa. It has a membership of 150 families, and it is affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism .-History:Among the first 500 residents of...

of Davenport was formed as B’Nai Israel Congregation on October 21, 1861.

Kentucky

Congregation Adath Israel Brith Sholom founded 1842 is the oldest congregation in Kentucky
Temple Adath Israel's 1877 building in Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...

is the oldest in the state.

Louisiana

The 1872 building of Congregation Bikur Cholim in Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville is a city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Acadians began to settle in the area in...

is the oldest in the state.

Maryland

Baltimore Hebrew Congregation
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation is a synagogue and Jewish community in Baltimore. It is affiliated with the Reform Judaism movement.Originally named Nidche Yisroel, the synagogue was founded in 1830, and for the first fifteen years of its existence, services were held in a small room above a local...

, incorporated 1830, is the oldest congregation in Maryland.
Lloyd Street Synagogue
Lloyd Street Synagogue
The Lloyd Street Synagogue is an 1845, Greek Revival style synagogue building in Baltimore, Maryland. One of the oldest synagogues in the United States, Lloyd Street was the first synagogue building erected in Maryland and is the third oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States...

is the oldest synagogue building.

Massachusetts

Ohabei Shalom
Ohabei Shalom
Temple Ohabei Shalom is a large, Reform synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts under the spiritual leadership of Rabbi Sonia Saltzman , Cantor Randall Schloss and Rabbi Emerita, Emily Gopen Lipof....

, founded in 1843, is the oldest congregation.
Temple Israel, (Boston, Massachusetts), the 1885 building, now a church, is the oldest synagogue still standing in Massachusetts.

Mississippi

B'nai Israel was organized in Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...

in 1843, making it the oldest congregation in Mississippi.
An historic marker on the corner of South Street and South Main Street in Jackson marks the site of the first synagogue built in the state, Beth Israel, built in 1867. The building was destroyed by fire on July 10, 1874.

Missouri

United Hebrew Congregation
United Hebrew Congregation
The United Hebrew Congregation at 13788 Conway Road in St. Louis, Missouri is a Reform Jewish synagogue. It is the first Jewish Congregation established west of the Mississippi River.- History :...

, 1837, is the oldest congregation in Missouri and west of the Mississippi River.

New Jersey

Congregation Adas Emuno (New Jersey)
Congregation Adas Emuno (New Jersey)
Congregation Adas Emuno is a Reform synagogue in Leonia, New Jersey.The congregation was founded in 1871 and erected a synagogue building in 1883 in Hoboken, New Jersey. The small building in a mix of Gothic and Romanesque styles, is now the oldest synagogue building still standing in New Jersey...

's 1883 building is the oldest surviving synagogue building in New Jersey.
Congregation B'nai Jeshurun was founded in 1848. Originally located in Newark, it is currently located in Short Hills, NJ

New York

Congregation Shearith Israel
Congregation Shearith Israel
Congregation Shearith Israel, often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. It was established in 1654....

, 1654, is the oldest congregation in New York and the United States.
Angel Orensanz Center
Angel Orensanz Center
The Angel Orensanz Center is located at 172 Norfolk Street on the Lower East Side of New York City, New York...

, 1849, is the oldest synagogue building still standing in New York State.
Temple Society of Concord
Temple Society of Concord
The Temple Society of Concord is located at 910 Madison Street, Syracuse, New York. The Society of Concord is a Jewish congregation founded in 1839 by German immigrants. The present Temple was dedicated in 1911. It was built at a cost of $100,000....

, 1839, located in Syracuse.

North Carolina

The Temple of Israel
Temple of Israel (Wilmington, North Carolina)
The Temple of Israel is a Jewish house of prayer located on the corner of Fourth and Market Streets in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States. Built in 1876, the Temple of Israel is the oldest synagogue in North Carolina and one of the earliest Reform synagogues in the American South...

in Wilmington
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...

was organized in 1872. It is the oldest congregation in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

and one of the earliest Reform synagogues (built 1876) in the South.

Ohio

The Rockdale Temple
Rockdale Temple
The Rockdale Temple, K.K. Bene Israel, is the oldest Jewish congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains, the oldest congregation in Ohio, the second oldest Ashkenazi congregation in the United States and one of the oldest synagogues in the United States...

(1824), originally known as K.K. Bene Israel in Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, is not only the oldest congregation in Ohio, it is the oldest congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...

and the second oldest Ashkenazi congregation in the United States.
Sherith Israel Temple
Sherith Israel Temple
The Sherith Israel Temple is located on Ruth Lyons Way 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...

, also in Cincinnati (1860) is the oldest synagogue structure west of the Alleghenies.

Oklahoma

Temple Emeth, in Ardmore
Ardmore, Oklahoma
Ardmore is a business, cultural and tourism city in and the county seat of Carter County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 24,283, while a 2007 estimate has the Ardmore micropolitan statistical area totaling 56,694 residents...

was the oldest known Jewish congregation in Oklahoma. Founded prior to statehood, they acquired their first building in 1912. The congregation disbanded in 2004.
Temple B'nai Israel was formed in May 1903 in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...

, making it the oldest active congregation in Oklahoma.

Rhode Island

The Touro Synagogue
Touro Synagogue
The Touro Synagogue is a 1763 synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, that is the oldest synagogue building still standing in the United States,the oldest surviving Jewish synagogue building in North America, and the only surviving synagogue building in the U.S...

in Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...

, founded in 1658, is the oldest Jewish house of worship in North America that is still standing. (1759)

South Carolina

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim Synagogue in Charleston
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...

was started in 1740.

Tennessee

The 1882 building of Temple Adas Israel
Temple Adas Israel
Temple Adas Israel is a historic synagogue located at the intersection of Washington and College Streets in Brownsville, Tennessee, United States. Built in 1882, it is the oldest synagogue building in Tennessee and one of fewer than a hundred surviving 19th century synagogues in the country...

, Brownsville
Brownsville, Tennessee
Brownsville is a city in Haywood County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Haywood County. The city is named after Jacob Jennings Brown, an officer who served during The War of 1812.-Geography:...

, is thought to be the oldest synagogue building in Tennessee.

Texas

The 1870 building of Congregation B'nai Israel (Galveston, Texas), is the oldest synagogue building.

Temple Beth Israel (Houston, Texas)
Temple Beth Israel (Houston, Texas)
Congregation Beth Israel of Houston, the oldest Jewish congregation in Texas, was founded in Houston in 1854.-History:The congregation was founded in 1854 as an Orthodox Jewish kehilla and legally chartered in 1859...

, founded in 1854, is the oldest congregation in the state.

B'nai Abraham Synagogue, Brenham
B'nai Abraham Synagogue, Brenham
-History:Early Jewish settlers in the Washington County, Texas arrived during the 1860s. B. Levinson, an original founder, arrived in 1861. Alex Simon arrived in 1866. These individuals became active in the business community of Brenham, and as other Jewish settlers arrived, the need for a...

, Brenham, Texas
Brenham, Texas
Brenham is a city in east-central Texas in Washington County, Texas, United States, with a population of 16,147 according to the 2009 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...

Congregation founded in 1885.

Vermont

Ohavi Zedek, (Burlington, Vermont)
Ohavi Zedek, (Burlington, Vermont)
Ohavi Zedek is a Conservative synagogue in Burlington, Vermont, USA.-History:Founded in 1885, it is the oldest Jewish congregation in Vermont. The synagogue's original building, a brick Gothic Revival structure erected in 1885 , is among the oldest synagogue buildings still standing in the United...

, The first synagogue built in Burlington, started by 18 people in 1885; the name means "Lovers of Justice." The congregation, affectionately known as "OZ,", now some 400 families, has a somewhat more modern (1958) facility a few blocks away. This building is now occupied by the Ahavath Garem congregation.

Virginia

Congregation Beth Ahabah
Congregation Beth Ahabah
Beth Ahabah is a Reform synagogue in Richmond, Virginia. Founded in 1789 by Spanish and Portuguese Jews as Kahal Kadosh Beth Shalome it is one of the oldest synagogues in the United States.-History:When the congregation was founded, there were 100 Jews in Richmond's population of 3,900...

, Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

, 1789 is the oldest congregation.
Congregation Beth Israel (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Congregation Beth Israel (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Congregation Beth Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 301 East Jefferson Street in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1882, it grew out of Charlottesville's Hebrew Benevolent Society, which was created in 1870....

1882 building is the oldest in the state.

Washington

The state's first synagogue was Temple Emamu-El (Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...

, September 12, 1892, demolished). The congregation later merged with Keneseth Israel to form the present-day Temple Beth Shalom.

Wisconsin

The 1863 Gates of Heaven Synagogue in Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....

is the oldest in the state and the eighth-oldest in the country.

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