Past Exhibits
Life and Light: Congregation Beth Israel and the Founding of a Community
May 2, 2004 - September 5, 2004
In May 1858, a small group of men gathered together at Portland's National Hotel to organize "a congregation for the worship of the One Only Everlasting God, according to the ritual of the Jewish faith." These discerning pioneers, mostly concerned with making a living, recognized that the community would grow only if religious needs could be met. They called the synagogue Beth Israel and within a few years built a wood frame structure at SW 5th and Oak. In a town that sported five churches, one school and 55 saloons, Oregon's first synagogue emerged..
Life and Light initiated a series of exhibits about the history of synagogues in Oregon. As the oldest in the state, Congregation Beth Israel provided an auspicious beginning. With a 146-year old history, the synagogue is older than the State of Oregon. It outgrew three places of worship in less than five decades. The exhibition interwove the history of the synagogue buildings and their expansion, the rabbis and the families. Through photographs, artifacts, documents and interviews it illustrated the dramatic growth of this pioneer community and the sociological changes within it, building a portrait that depicts the rich diversity of our community and the achievements of Portland's oldest synagogue and its members.
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