EARLY BEGINNINGS: 1906-1920
Jewish settlers in Phoenix began gathering for High Holiday services as early as 1906. A formal congregation was established by Barnett E. Marks, a lawyer from Chicago, who held services in a room above Melczer’s saloon and organized a Sunday School for his two sons. By 1918, the congregation was known as “Emanuel,” holding services in English and Hebrew during Jewish festivals. In 1920, it incorporated as “Congregation Beth Israel.” Its first rabbi was David L. Liknaitz, and its first president was Charles Steinberg. Liknaitz served until 1924.
FIRST TEMPLE BETH lSRAEL: 1921-1949
In 1921, the congregation purchased a church and converted it into Phoenix’s first synagogue. The building, constructed in 1921–1922, is listed on both the city’s historic property register and the National Register of Historic Places. After being sold in 1949, it housed churches until 2002, when the Jewish community repurchased it. In 2007, the Arizona Jewish Historical Society started a $4 million campaign to restore it and convert it into a museum.
Image suggestion: Historic photo of the original Temple Beth Israel building
THE KROHN ERA: 1938-1953
Abraham Lincoln Krohn served as rabbi from 1938 to 1953. During his tenure, the congregation grew from under 100 to almost 600 member families. He was succeeded by Albert Plotkin, who served for almost 40 years. Beth Israel’s original building in Downtown Phoenix, constructed in 1921–1922, is listed on both the city’s historic property register and the National Register of Historic Places. After being sold in 1949, it housed churches until 2002, when the Jewish community repurchased it. In 2007, the Arizona Jewish Historical Society started a $4 million campaign to restore it and convert it into a museum.
Image suggestion: Portrait of Rabbi Abraham Lincoln Krohn (pg 132)
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SECOND TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL:1949-1997
In 1949, the congregation moved to a new location at Eleventh and Flower in Downtown Phoenix. The building, designed by the architectural firm Lescher, Kibbey, and Mahoney, was constructed in the Mission Revival Style. An annex was added in 1930. The Phoenix area had only 120 Jewish residents when the building was constructed. The synagogue served as a cultural center for the Jewish community, hosting communal Passover Seders at a time when Jews faced discrimination at hotels and other places of public gathering.
Image suggestion: Photograph of the second Temple Beth Israel building
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THE SYLVIA PLOTKIN JUDAICA MUSEUM: 1967-1996
In 1967, Beth Israel added a cultural and educational wing to its Flower Street building. Sylvia Plotkin founded a Jewish museum within this space, which had three galleries: one housing artifacts from a Tunisian synagogue, a second holding a Judaica collection that chronicled the history of Arizona Jewry, and a third used for exhibitions. Sylvia Plotkin directed the museum until her death in 1996. Renamed the “Sylvia Plotkin Judaica Museum” the day before her death, it became one of the largest and most respected synagogue museums in the United States.
Image suggestion: Exhibit at the Sylvia Plotkin Judaica Museum
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THIRD TEMPLE BETH ISRAEL: 1997-Present
In 1997, the congregation moved to its current location at 10460 North 56th Street and Shea Boulevard in Scottsdale. The 45,000-square- foot building includes a main sanctuary that seats 500 and a chapel that seats 300. The Torah ark is decorated with fused glass surrounded by colored glass. As of 2014, Beth Israel was the oldest congregation in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The senior rabbi was Stephen Kahn, the associate rabbi was Rony Keller, and the cantor was Jaime Shpall. jmaw.org
Image suggestion: Exterior of the current Congregation Beth Israel building
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REVERTING TO CONGREGATION BETH ISRAEL: 2005
In 2005, the congregation reverted to its original name of “Congregation Beth Israel.” Rabbi Stephen Kahn explained, “To me, a congregation represents people and community, while the word ‘temple’ represents a place or building. I would like us to be about the people.”
Image suggestion: Congregation Beth Israel logo or signage
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Recent developments
- 2007: Opened the Phoenix metropolitan area’s first mikvah (ritual bath), approved under the auspices of Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox rabbis.
- 2014: Recognized as the oldest congregation in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
- 2018: Maintained status as the oldest synagogue in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Image suggestion: Interior of the mikvah or community event at the synagogue
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