K.K. Bene Israel

Founded January 18, 1824. Rabbi David Philipson (source: AJC 1899 Directory)

In the year 1841 Cincinnati, with its forty-seven thousand inhabitants, was already known as the Queen

City of the West. Though it was without railroads, and had but a small business area, viz., that space

between the river, Fifth, Vine and Main Streets, Cincinnati was already a prominent center of trade,

industry, wealth and culture. Among its religious organizations there was a congregation of

Israelites, K. K.Bene Israel. This had been established by some English families, among whom were the

Johnson, Jonas, Moses, Harris, Abraham and other families. This pioneer band was afterward reinforced

by some Dutch families, the Workums; some French, the Mayers, and later by some Poles and Germans, the

Moehrings, Alexanders, Makers, Heidelbachs. Seasongoods, Miliuses, Sessels, Assurs, Blooms and others.

This congregation owned a burial ground, and worshiped first in a frame building on Broadway and Sixth

Streets, then in 1852 it erected a substantial structure known as the " Broadway Shuhl," and in 1868

it dedicated its present handsome temple on Eighth and Mound Streets. Under its auspices there had

been established a benevolent society and a ladies' society, which took care of the poor. This

English congregation was strictly orthodox, used the Polish Minhag, had a sexton and a reader (Chazan)

, a Rev. Hart Judah, who attending to his ecclesiastical duties, supervised the supplying of kosher

meats, matzos, etc. Toward the end of the thirties, there were in and about Cincinnati a number of

young, energetic Germans, who, although religiously inclined, were not in sympathy with the English

congregation. -- "The history of the K. K. Bene Yeshurun, of Cincinnati, Ohio, from the date of its

organization" 1892

The second building was located at 6th and Broadway. It was described in the book "Cincinnati, the Queen City, 1788-1912" by Charles Frederic Goss as being next to the shul's lot on Broadway between 5th and 6th.

In 1840, some members who spoke German broke away from the synagogue to form B'nai Yeshurun

In 1870, the location at 538 Broadway was sold to the Allen Temple, A.M.E. Church. They moved in 1979 and the property was torn down for Proctor and Gamble's twin towers. An 1891 directory gives the location as the Southeast corner of the intersection.

This is the SE corner today:

The shul moved to Eighth and Mound Streets. This was the first home of Hebrew Union College, which was founded in 1875 by Rabbi Isaac M. Wise

K.K. Bene Israel 1869 - 1906. The building was then sold to congregation Beth Tefila

Today, the streets no longer intersect, but would be near the grassy area below

In 1906 the congregation moved to the Rockdale Temple