Congregation Beth Yeshurun (Houston, Texas)

Congregation Beth Yeshurun is a Conservative synagogue in Houston, Texas.

Founded in 1891 as Adath Yeshurun, it merged in Congregation Beth El in 1946, taking its current name. In 2002 Beth Yeshurun absorbed the membership of Shearith Israel of nearby Wharton, Texas.

Beth Yeshurun was formed as a merger of the Adath Yeshurun and Beth El congregations.

Congregation Adath Yeshurun was founded in 1887 as an Orthodox alternative to Temple Beth Israel (Houston, Texas) which in 1874 had moved from Orthodox to Reform. It was a Russian-Polish congregation. After a period during which the congregation met for prayers in private homes, a wood-framed, former church was purchased at the corner of Walker Ave. and Jackson street. Adath Yeshurun merged into Congregation Adath Yeshurun in 1891. Growth of the congregation, especially an influx of members who moved to Houston after the 1900 Galveston hurricane made the need for a larger space pressing; the congregation dedicated a large, new synagogue at the corner of Preston and Hamilton in 1908.

Congregation Beth El was founded in 1924. It was the first Conservative Judaism synagogue founded in Houston. In 1925 it occupied the former Beth Israel building.

Beth Yeshurun moved from its building at 3501 Southmore Avenue to its present location in 1962. From 1998 to 2004, the synagogue undertook a major renovation. The synagogue's foyer has a memorial to the Jews who died in the Holocaust. A 26 feet (7.9 m)-long ark with a Burning Bush-motifed stained-glass background serves as the focus of the synagogue's sanctuary. The synagogue includes a social hall. The walls of the social hall are decorated with needlepoint recreations of Reuven Rubin's series of biblical lithographs. Beth Yeshurun houses the Louis and Mollie Kaplan Museum of Judaica, which includes ritual objects and books.

Beth Yeshurun Day School – the first Jewish Day School in Texas – was founded in 1949 under the leadership of Rabbi William S. Malev, the rabbi of the congregation at that time. The school is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS).

...
Wikipedia