B'nai Israel Temple (Salt Lake City)

This article is about the former congregation and synagogue. For the surviving and merged congregation and synagogue, see Congregation Kol Ami (Salt Lake City, Utah).

For similarly named synagogues, see B'nai Israel.

B'nai Israel Temple is a historic former Jewish congregation and synagogue, located at 249 South 400 East in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. The congregation was established in 1873,^[2] and the synagogue was built in 1890.

B'nai Israel Temple
The former synagogue, in 2010
Religion
Affiliation	Orthodox Judaism (1873–1883) Reform Judaism (1883–1973)
Ecclesiastical or organisational status	Synagogue (1873–1973) Commercial premises (since c. 1978)
Status	Closed (as a synagogue); Repurposed
Location
Location	249 South 400 East, Salt Lake City, Utah
Country	United States
Location of the former synagogue in Utah
Geographic coordinates	40°45′48″N 111°52′42″W
Architecture
Architect(s)	Philip Meyer, Henry Monheim
Type	Synagogue architecture
Style	Moorish Revival
General contractor	Joy & Black
Date established	1873 (as a congregation)
Completed	1890
B'nai Israel Temple
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	less than one acre
NRHP reference No.	78002666
Added to NRHP	November 16, 1978
[1]

History

The synagogue was built in 1890 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It replaced an older synagogue, which was located on the corner of 300 South and 200 West in downtown Salt Lake City. The building was originally planned to be a "facsimile in miniature" of Berlin's Fasanenstrasse Synagogue, as most of the congregation had originated in Germany, but plans were changed during construction.^[3]

The congregation observed an Orthodox style of worship until 1883, when it joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the Reform movement. In 1885, the members who wanted B'nai Israel to continue to follow Orthodox tradition split off to form Congregation Montefiore (which later affiliated itself with Conservative practices). In 1973, Montefiore and B'nai Israel merged to form Congregation Kol Ami, which is a member of both the Union for Reform Judaism and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.^[4]

At the time the building was listed by the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the building had been sold and was being used a restaurant.^[3] As of 2023, the building is used by Henriksen/Butler Design Group.^[5]

See also

• Congregation Sharey Tzedek Synagogue, a former congregation and synagogue in Salt Lake City

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. "Congregation B'nai Israel, the First Synagogue in Salt Lake City, Utah". Jewish Museum of American W.
3. John S. Smith (1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination Form: B'Nai Israel Temple". National Park Service. and accompanying two photos
4. "Our History". Congregation Kol Ami. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
5. "B'nai Israel Temple Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved May 11, 2023.