| Knesseth Israel Congregation | |
|---|---|
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Nusach Ashkenaz |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Synagogue |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 3793 Crosby DriveMountain Brook,Birmingham,Alabama 35243 |
| Country | United States |
  Location inAlabama | |
| Coordinates | 33°28′03″N86°44′10″W / 33.46750°N 86.73611°W /33.46750; -86.73611 |
| Architecture | |
| Architects | Jeffrey S. Fowler, Evan Terry Associates |
| Type | Synagogue |
| General contractor | Birmingham Hallmark Builders |
| Established | 1889(as a congregation) |
| Completed | 2007 |
| Demolished | 2024 |
| Website | |
| kicong | |
Knesseth Israel Congregation (abbreviated asKI) is anOrthodoxJewishsynagogue, located at 3793 Crosby DriveMountain Brook, inBirmingham,Alabama, in the United States. The congregation was formed in 1889. Eytan Yammer, a graduate ofYeshivat Chovevei Torah, served as rabbi from 2010 through 2016 and was named byThe Forward as one of its 33 most inspiring American rabbis in 2015.[1]
Since 2022, the congregation has been led bylay members.
After incorporating in 1889,[2]: 8 the first building for the congregation was constructed in 1903 at cost of $15,000 on the southwest corner of 17th Street North and 7th Avenue North,[2]: 15 Birmingham at the heart of what was then a Jewish neighborhood populated by immigrants fromRussia andEastern Europe.
In 1955 the congregation moved to a then-remote site at 3225 Montevallo Road in what is now Mountain Brook.[2]: 46 A pillar erected in the yard of the $200,000 synagogue on Montevallo Road (which was considered incomplete, with further plans for a 1200-1500 seat sanctuary)[2]: 49 was intended to serve as the cornerstone of a more permanent building. A second phase, adding a social and recreational wing, was undertaken in 1969.[2]: 61
In May, 1984, then Rabbi Harry (Tzvi) Rosen (who went on to editKashrus Kurrents for theStar-K) discovered that one of thetorahs had been stolen from the synagogue. While talking with local police about the theft, he received a phone call asking for ransom money to return thetorah scroll, at which point the police called in theFBI. While the investigation was ongoing, early the following month the Rabbi received another phone call indicating that the missing torah had been found in aSalvation Army donation bin.[2]: 64–65
Knesseth Israel, facing deteriorating conditions in their synagogue, began moving forward with plans for a new building in 2003,[2]: 155 taking up the suggestion of relocating to the site of the former Our Savior Evangelical Lutheran Church on Overton Road. The congregation hoped to take advantage of the high value of the Montevallo Road property, which faces theBirmingham Country Club golf course, to help finance the move, which brought them within a few blocks of the Bais ArielChabad Center and strengthening ties within Birmingham's Orthodox Jewish community.[3] The congregation voted in December 2005 to make the move and raised $5.4 million in donations. Of the nearly 100 families in Knesseth Israel at the time, many walked toSabbath services so the decision required them to find new homes in the Overton neighborhood straddling Mountain Brook andCahaba Heights.[4]
The new 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) brick building was completed in Fall 2007. On November 11, 2007, the congregation held a celebratory procession to the new building, carrying the congregation's sixTorah scrolls. The new facility included a sanctuary, a smaller chapel, amikvah for ritual immersion, an outdoor permanentSukkah structure, offices, classrooms, library, social hall, playground, and two separate kitchens for the preparation ofkosher meals. It also featured a 50 square footrose stylestained glass window designed and fabricated by local artist Andrea Lucas.[5][6] Across the street a new house was also built for the KI rabbi.
However, in July 2012 the congregation, faced with debts arising from a disappointing return on their former property (which was only sold after the nationwide collapse of the real estate market during the2008 financial crisis), put the new Overton Road building up for sale.[7][8]Birmingham Jewish Federation president Jimmy Filler contacted prominent community members Fred and Brenda Friedman about the possibility of helping the congregation remain in place by purchasing the building.[citation needed] The result was the establishment of the Fred and Brenda Friedman Center for Jewish Life which hosts events and programs for several Jewish organizations while also providing a temporary home for Knesseth Israel.[citation needed]
In June 2022, the building was sold to the City of Mountain Brook to be the site for a new fire station. The congregation moved all its operations into the nearby rabbi's house in August of that year.[9] The building was razed and the new fire station built. It opened in May 2025.[10]
In February 2012, aneruv covering two square miles ofMountain Brook andCahaba Heights was erected by Rabbi Yammer[11] (with theHalachic guidance of Rabbi Yaakov Love).As of January 2015, the congregation has a daily morningShacharit service in combination with theChabad Center (Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays at Chabad; Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at KI), regularShabbat andHoliday services followed by a fullkiddush lunch, and Friday nightKabbalat Shabbat services weekly. There is also an education program for young children held on Sunday mornings and multiple weekly adult learning programs.
Elderly members of the Knesseth Israel Congregation appeared in the 1990music video for "Minyan Man", recorded by Lenny Solomon andShlock Rock.[12]
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The following individuals have served as rabbis:
| Ordinal | Office holder | Term begin | Term end | Time in office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rev. M. Herman | 1891 | 1891 | 0 year | |
| 2 | M. Grosberg | 1897 | 1899 | 1–2 years | |
| 3 | Rev. Rabbi Yasgour | 1904 | 1904 | 0 year | |
| 4 | J. T. Loeb | 1909 | 1913 | 3–4 years | |
| 5 | Rev. A. Feinsilver | 1913 | 1918 | 4–5 years | |
| 6 | Rev. Jacob Mendelsohn | 1918 | 1920 | 1–2 years | |
| 7 | Solomon Katz | 1921 | 1922 | 0–1 year | |
| 8 | Rev. David Stein | 1923 | 1924 | 0–1 year | |
| 9 | Abraham Chaimovitz | 1925 | 1926 | 0–1 year | |
| 10 | H. A. Laibovitz | 1926 | 1930 | 3–4 years | |
| 11 | Abraham Bengis | 1930 | 1933 | 2–3 years | |
| − | Isadore Sperling | 1933 | 1934 | 0–1 year | Lay leader |
| 12 | Alex Klein | 1937 | 1941 | 2–3 years | |
| 13 | Louis Werfel | 1942 | 1943 | 0–1 year | |
| 14 | Joseph Goldberg | 1943 | 1946 | 2–3 years | |
| 15 | Jonathan Silberberg | 1949 | 1955 | 5–6 years | |
| 16 | David Tamarkin | 1955 | 1957 | 1–2 years | |
| 17 | Seymour Atlas | 1959 | 1962 | 2–3 years | |
| 18 | Nahum Ben Nathan | 1963 | 1967 | 3–4 years | |
| 19 | Moshe Stern | 1968 | 1980 | 11–12 years | |
| 20 | Harry (Tzvi) Rosen | 1980 | 1987 | 6–7 years | |
| 21 | Reuven Tradburks | 1987 | 1994 | 6–7 years | |
| 22 | Meir Rosenberg | 1995 | 1997 | 1–2 years | |
| 23 | Avraham Shmidman | 1998 | 2007 | 8–9 years | |
| 24 | Karmi Ingber | 2007 | 2009 | 1–2 years | |
| − | Eldad Zamir | 2009 | 2009 | 0 years | visiting Rabbi for High Holidays |
| 25 | Eytan Yammer | 2010 | 2016 | 5–6 years | |
| 26 | Moshe Rube | 2017 | 2022 | 4–5 years | [13] |
Knesseth Israel Congregation ... Among the venerable teachers were ... and Philip Birnbaum.
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