K. K. Bene Israel

The Rockdale Temple, K.K. Bene Israel, (19th century spelling K K. Benai Israel) is the oldest Jewish congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains, the oldest congregation in Ohio, the second oldest Ashkenazi congregation in the United States and one of the oldest synagogues in the United States. It is located in Amberley Village, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio and is easily accessible from both I-71 (exit 14) and I-75 (exit 10) via the Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway.

The congregation was founded in 1824 in Cincinnati, then a frontier town. On January 18, 1824, the Congregation Bene Israel was formally organized; those in attendance were Solomon Buckingham, David I. Johnson, Joseph Jonas, Samuel Jonas, Jonas Levy, Morris Moses, Phineas Moses, Simeon Moses, Solomon Moses and Morris Symonds. The congregants were primarily Spanish and Portuguese Jews who had immigrated from England. On January 8, 1830, the Ohio General Assembly granted the congregation a charter.

The leaders recognized the need for a synagogue and efforts were made to raise funds for a building. In 1836 the first home at Sixth and Broadway was consecrated. In 1852 another synagogue was built on the same site. The 1852 building was sold in 1870 to the Allen Temple AME Church.

On 27 August 1869, the congregation dedicated a magnificent building at Eighth and Mound Streets.

In 1906 the congregation moved to the Neoclassical Rockdale Temple, designed by Cincinnati architect Rudolph Tietig (1877–1958). The 1906 building no longer exists.

Since 1969, the congregation has worshiped in a new synagogue at 8501 Ridge Road in Amberley Village, Ohio. Dave Brubeck's cantata The Gates of Justice (1969) had its first performance at the new Rockdale Temple.

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