B'nai Israel Temple (Salt Lake City)

B'nai Israel Temple was a Reform Jewish congregation in Salt Lake City, Utah, from 1881 until its merger with Congregation Montefiore in the early 1970s. In 1909, Temple B'nai Israel was located at 249 S. 4th East, where Friday evening services were held at 8 p.m. under Rabbi Charles J. Freund.[1]

Salt Lake City's Jewish community occupied an unusual position in American Jewish life. Utah has been described as a rare place where Jews were considered "Gentiles"—meaning non-Mormons—in the broader social landscape.[2] This was the setting in which B'nai Israel and the city's other Jewish communal institutions developed.

Jewish communal life in Salt Lake City predated the formal incorporation of B'nai Israel by more than a decade. In 1866, the Hebrew Benevolent Society was established to aid needy Jews and provide a burial ground for the community.[3] That same year, Brigham Young donated land to the Jewish community for a cemetery.[3] The society's fundraising appeal described Salt Lake City as "the thoroughfare of the great West" and emphasized the importance of having a "resting-place" for Jewish travelers who might be called to "that long journey."[3]

Before B'nai Israel was organized, the community's existing communal body was the Religious and Educational Association of Salt Lake City. It was reorganized as B'nai Israel Congregation in 1881.[3] Articles of incorporation were filed under the laws of the Territory of Utah on March 28, 1881, with Reform German members incorporating the congregation.[3][2]

In July 1881, the congregation purchased a lot on which to build a synagogue. The project faced "many financial and administrative setbacks," but the synagogue was dedicated on September 30, 1883.[3] Jewish residents had initially worshipped in private homes before a permanent structure was secured.[2]

A parallel Conservative congregation emerged later in the century. Russian and Polish Jewish immigrants began holding Conservative services in Nathan Rosenblatt's home in 1889, and Congregation Montefiore built its own facility in 1904.[2] For decades, B'nai Israel represented the Reform tradition while Congregation Montefiore served the Conservative community.

Closely linked to the congregation is B'nai Israel Cemetery, situated within Salt Lake City Cemetery at 1021 4th Avenue.[4] The cemetery's first burial dates to 1869—predating the formal incorporation of B'nai Israel—and JewishGen lists 931 burials.[4] Formerly owned by Reform Temple B'nai Israel, the cemetery is now owned by Congregation Kol Ami and managed by the Kol Ami Cemetery Association under an irrevocable trust.[4] The 1869 burial date, together with the 1866 donation of cemetery land, documents the early and continuing Jewish presence in the Utah Territory and Salt Lake City.[3][4]

During the early 1970s, B'nai Israel and Congregation Montefiore merged to form Congregation Kol Ami, bringing Salt Lake City's longstanding Reform and Conservative congregations together. Sources give different years for the merger.[2][5] A 1976 community study dates the union to 1974 and reports that the combined congregation had approximately 250 family units.[6] In the study's household survey, 99 of 154 interviewed Jewish households reported belonging to Kol Ami.[6]

The union was not without friction. The study said open-ended comments "highlight the difficulties inherent in the merger of two congregations." Some respondents wanted services to be more traditional and "less like church," while others wanted them to be more consistent with Reform Judaism.[6] One respondent stated that "combined conservative and reformed services detract from religious significance."[6] Kol Ami continued as the successor to both congregations and retained ownership of B'nai Israel Cemetery.[2][4]

Several dates associated with B'nai Israel's history are reported inconsistently. The Jewish Encyclopedia gives 1880 as the year Salt Lake City's first congregation was established.[7] The Jewish Virtual Library places the incorporation of Congregation B'nai Israel in 1881.[2] A JewishGen community entry lists a founding date of 1891.[5]

The merger with Congregation Montefiore is likewise dated to 1970 by JewishGen, 1972 by the Jewish Virtual Library, and 1974 by the 1976 Jewish DataBank community study.[5][2] The 1974 date is reported directly in the contemporary community study.[6] The available sources do not explain why these founding and merger dates differ.