Temple Beth-El
The Temple Beth-El (ק.ק. בית אל), located at the intersection of Palafox and Cervantes Streets in North Hill, is the oldest Jewish house of worship in Florida. Beth-El is a member of the Union for Reform Judaism, and has led the congregation in Reform Judaism services since the temple's foundation.
The current rabbi is Leonard Zukrow.
History
The first Jews who migrated to northwest Florida originally stopped at Milton, twenty miles to the east, because Milton was a national hub for lumber production and distribution in the South (the first Jews to the area were skilled in lumber production; they came from heavily wooded areas in what is now southern Germany). Sensing more business opportunities to the west, a congregation settled in Pensacola and built a Reform temple in 1876, which was granted a charter by the State of Florida in 1878 under the Beth-El name, making it Florida's first formally recognized Jewish congregation. Many of the lumber workers in Milton did not follow the congregation, and eventually started a smaller Jewish community in Okaloosa County when lumber opportunities dried up. The male members of Beth-El's first congregation consisted largely of businessmen and tavern owners.
Temple Beth-El joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1889 and engaged its first Rabbi in 1892. The original temple, on Chase Street at Jefferson, was destroyed by fire in 1895. It was rebuilt in 1898 on South Palafox Street, but that building was also destroyed by fire in 1929. The current synagogue, at 800 North Palafox Street, was built in 1931 and reflects the Art Deco style popular at the time.
Today, many members of the current congregation consist of descendants of the men who founded the temple over 125 years ago. Immigrants from Eastern Europe, Israel, and the Caucasus eventually settled in Pensacola and became part of the congregation as well. Beth-El is unique today in that a large number of the congregation consists of Jews who converted from other faiths.
Starting in 1962, Paula Ackerman, the first woman to perform rabbinical functions in the United States, served the congregation at Beth-El. A Pensacola native, Beth-El was Mrs. Ackerman's home temple and she was asked to fill in until a suitable replacement was found in 1967.
Well-known members
- Paula Ackerman, both as a child and later serving the congregation as a rabbi.
