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General Description

The Temple of Israel is the oldest synagogue in Wilmington, North Carolina. It stands at the corner of Fourth and Market Street in downtown Wilmington. More than just a place of worship, the Temple provides education for the youth as well as adults. It also is a communal place for annual celebrations and dances.

History

The Temple of Israel is credited to being the first Jewish Synagogue in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Temple began its construction in 1875 and was finished in 1876. During the years of 1840 through 1850, the number of Jewish immigrants from Germany began to grow as Wilmington became an empowering Port City, as it was North Carolina’s largest city on the coast. Before the Temple was built Jewish followers gathered in the home of Nathaniel Jacobi, here they formed the Wilmington Hebrew Congregation in 1872. The Congregation started with forty families and continued to grow thereafter. At this time, the Jewish population followed the Minhag America practice of Judaism. In 1875, land was purchased at the corner of Fourth and Market Street in Wilmington. A total amount of $20,000 was donated from the local community. Joseph Abbott, owner of Abbott’s Building Company (also Cape Gear Building Company) was responsible for the production of the Temple of Israel. The supervising architects were Alex Strausz and James Walker. In 1872, the Ladies Concordia Society was introduced into the programs of the Temple as well as the B’nai Birth in 1874. However, the foundations of all aspects of the Temple and its population was put to a halt as many Jewish men enlisted into the confederacy as the Civil War began.