Temple B’nai Sholom in Huntsville, Alabama is beginning their 150th anniversary celebration at the end July.

For 150 years, Temple B’nai Sholom has been the heart of Jewish life in Huntsville, Alabama. Guided by its founding mission of worship, learning, fellowship, and service, the congregation has remained a welcoming spiritual home for generations of Jewish families, newcomers, interfaith families, LGBTQ individuals, and all who seek community. As it celebrates its sesquicentennial, Temple B’nai Sholom honors a rich legacy while looking ahead to the future.

I would like to thank the esteemed Rabbi PJ Schwartz for his guidance.

Temple B’nai Sholom’s synagogue, built in 1898 and completed in1899, is one of Huntsville’s architectural treasures. Designed by noted architect R.H. Hunt of Chattanooga, Tennessee, the brick building is an outstanding example of Romanesque Revival architecture, a style inspired by the great Romanesque churches of 11th- and 12th-century Europe. The synagogue was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 1977 and is a contributing property in Huntsville’s Old Town Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Temple B’nai Sholom is honored to be the permanent home of a Holocaust Torah scroll on loan from the Memorial Scrolls Trust in London, England. Rescued after World War II from a destroyed Jewish community in Bohemia or Moravia, which is now part of the Czech Republic, the scroll was brought to the congregation in 1997 through the generosity of Dr. Louis Weiner and dedicated in memory of his daughter, Julie Ann Weiner. Though separated from its original community, the Torah now occupies a place of honor in the sanctuary, serving as a powerful symbol of remembrance, resilience, and the enduring continuity of Jewish life.

Jewish life at Temple B’nai Sholom is vibrant, welcoming, and rooted in the traditions of Reform Judaism. As a congregation of the Union for Reform Judaism, they celebrate their heritage through worship, lifelong learning, meaningful holidays, and acts of justice and compassion. Whether marking life’s milestones or exploring Jewish traditions, their community offers a place where everyone can grow, connect, and belong.

Shabbat at Temple B’nai Sholom is every Friday evening, our congregation gathers in our historic sanctuary........

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