B'nai Jacob Synagogue - Ottumwa, IA
N 41° 00.834 W 092° 24.420
15T E 549861 N 4540469
B'Nai Jacob Synagogue is a Conservative congregation in Ottumwa, Iowa. Established in 1898, it was originally Orthodox. The current synagogue building was constructed in 1915.
Waymark Code: WMM3T1
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 07/16/2014
Views: 1
B'Nai Jacob Synagogue was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Constructed in 1915, the architects were L.T. Chrisman and company and George M. Kerns.
From Wikipedia:
"The B'Nai Jacob congregation was organized in 1898. In 1907, the congregation was located at 404 E. Main St., and had 15 members out of an estimated Jewish population of 150. The Hebrew school had 15 pupils and met once per week. By 1919, the Jewish population of Ottumwa had risen to 412 and the congregation had moved one block into the current building. The school still only had one teacher on staff, but there were 21 pupils and the school met daily. The B'nai Jacob congregation numbered around 250 in the 1930s and 1940s. The synagogue affiliated with the Conservative movement in the 1950s.
"The Jewish population of Ottumwa was 231 in 1951. By 1960, the Jewish population was estimated at 175, and by 1962, 150. For the next two decades, through 1983, the population estimate remained unchanged. By 2010, the congregation on a typical Saturday morning had shrunk to seven or so."
Shabbat morning services are still performed most Saturdays at 9 am.