Temple Beth Israel

After the War of 1812 and the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, the Jewish population in the New York region grew as individuals immigrated from Central Europe to New York City. The canal, and the construction of a railroad on a route parallel to the canal, created new trade and economic opportunities. Jewish communities began to develop in small towns and growing cities west of New York City. 

One such city was Niagara Falls, New York where Temple Beth Israel was founded in 1898. At the time, Niagara Falls was a “thriving community of about 18,000 people” but there were only about 35-40 Jewish families of Orthodox faith. 

On April 10, 1898, ten men gathered at Joseph Goldstein’s home for the ritual circumcision (or bris) of his infant son Harold. The men discussed the need for a temple and, right then and there, they decided to organize Temple Beth Israel. Elections were soon held, from which emerged 4 cabinet positions and 21 charter members. Men held all these leadership roles.

As for the women, it’s likely that they were in the kitchen comforting Joseph’s wife, Rhea, as her son cried in the next room. Traditionally, women weren’t allowed to participate in the bris or hold leadership roles in the synagogue. However, the women of Temple Beth Israel did establish the Ladies’ Benevolent Society in 1898 which focused on the synagogue’s spiritual and material needs. 

In 1905, Temple Beth Israel formally incorporated as an Orthodox synagogue, and it joined the Conservative movement in 1931. 

In the beginning, about 10 families attended religious services at venues like the second floor above a grocery store. Then in 1911, the first synagogue was built on Cedar Avenue; it served about 22 families. “In its early years Beth Israel could not afford a rabbi, Sunday School, or Hebrew school; High Holiday services were run by guest rabbis, and the rabbi from [another local synagogue] would help out.” 

A new, bigger synagogue opened on College Avenue in October 1967--right in time for High Holiday Services. This was a joyous time because construction plans for the new synagogue were almost abandoned a few times due to financial setbacks; in the end, the temple was built on “sacrifice and faith." Renewed religious spirit and camaraderie created what one observer called “The Miracle on College Street.” “[M]embership soon peaked at over 180 families.” 

Temple Beth Israel continued to thrive until the 1970s when Niagara Falls “entered a long economic downturn: plants run by major employers closed, and the city's population dropped by over 40 percent. Jewish employees were laid off when the plants closed, and many Jewish businesses moved or went out of business. Jewish families left the area, and synagogue membership declined.”



Temple Beth Israel closed in 2012. For over 100 years, Temple members came together to pray, attend weddings, celebrate bar and bat mitzvahs, and participate in other important events central to the Jewish faith.

Hope L. Russell, Ph.D.