History
“If Abe Lincoln was Jewish, he could have been Bar Mitzvah’d in our synagogue!”
That’s right. We’re that old…
Built in 1832, our Franklin based historic building originally housed the First Particular Baptist Church. As the town of Franklin grew and developed, the population began to include Jewish immigrants from Russia and other European countries.
In 1909, seventeen of these immigrants purchased a Torah and formed the Congregation Sons of Israel. They met in each other’s homes looking forward to the time when a suitable building could be obtained. This came in the form of a “gift” from the First Presbyterian Church, when their new brick church was dedicated. On March 3, 1919, the congregation purchased the church for $100 and transformed it into an Orthodox synagogue, thus becoming the first synagogue in Sussex County.
In 1975, the Congregation Sons of Israel, merged with members of Temple Shalom of Sussex County and in 2015, after several years of discussion, Temple Shalom merged with The Jewish Center of Sussex County to create B’nai Shalom of Sussex County.
Today, our current membership reflects many people working hard to continue what was started nearly one hundred years ago. The B’nai Shalom Congregation is going strong and growing with a thriving school and 2 locations! We are a very active and viable part of the community. B’nai Shalom continues to proudly serve the growing Jewish community of Sussex County.
Isn’t it time for you and your family to become part of our growing history?