Congregation Beth Israel (New Orleans)

For similarly named synagogues, see Beth Israel.
Congregation Beth Israel
Hebrew: בית ישראל
Beth Israel building on Canal Boulevard in 2010, gutted and vacant. Lines from long standing floodwaters are still visible.
Religion
AffiliationModern Orthodox Judaism
Ecclesiastical or organizational statusSynagogue
LeadershipRabbi Philip Kaplan
StatusActive
Location
Location4004 West Esplanade Avenue, Metairie, Louisiana
CountryUnited States
Congregation Beth Israel (New Orleans) is located in Louisiana
Congregation Beth Israel (New Orleans)
Location in Louisiana
Geographic coordinates30°00′54″N 90°10′43″W / 30.0148933°N 90.178638°W / 30.0148933; -90.178638
Architecture
Architect(s)Emile Weil (1924)
Date established1903 (as a congregation)
Completed
  • 1924 (Carondelet St)
  • 2012 (Metairie)
Website
bethisraelnola.com

Congregation Beth Israel (Hebrew: בית ישראל) is a Modern Orthodox synagogue located at 4004 West Esplanade Avenue, Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States.

Founded in 1903 or 1904,[1] though tracing its roots back to 1857, it is the oldest Orthodox congregation in the New Orleans region.[2][3] Originally located on Carondelet Street in New Orleans' Central City, it constructed and moved to a building at 7000 Canal Boulevard in Lakeview, New Orleans, in 1971.[4]

At one time the largest Orthodox congregation in the Southern United States, its membership was over 500 families in the 1960s, but fell to under 200 by 2005.[3][4] That year, its Canal Boulevard building was severely flooded by the 2005 New Orleans levee failure disaster during Hurricane Katrina.[5] Despite attempts to save them,[6] all seven of its Torah scrolls were destroyed,[7] as were over 3,000 prayer books.[8] The building suffered further flooding damage caused by the theft of copper air-conditioning tubing in 2007.[5]

In the wake of Katrina, another 50 member families left New Orleans, including the rabbis.[3][9] The congregation began sharing space with Gates of Prayer, a Reform synagogue in Metairie, a suburb of New Orleans. In 2009, the congregation purchased land from Gates of Prayer, and by 2012 had built a new synagogue next to it at 4000 West Esplanade Avenue.[10][11][12] As of 2016 the rabbi was Gabriel Greenberg.[13]

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  13. ^ Our New Rabbinic Family, Synagogue website.