List of synagogues and Jewish congregations in Washington

Humanist Judaism Groups

• Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound], or "SJC" (Seattle), founded in 1994, is affiliated with the Society for Humanistic Judaism. It holds non-theistic holiday and shabbat events, and a K-7 Sunday school.^[1]

Conservative Congregations

A former synagogue of the Herzl Congregation is now the Odessa Brown Neighborhood Health Clinic

• Congregation Beth Shalom (Seattle)^[2]
• Temple Beth Shalom (Spokane)
  • This merges the earlier Temple Emanu-El (who founded the state's first synagogue, opened September 12, 1892) and Keneseth Israel.^[3]
• Congregation Beth Sholom (Richland)
  • Originally (1950) Richland Jewish Congregation, took current name 1957.^[4]
• Congregation B'nai Torah (Olympia)^[5]
• Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation (Mercer Island)
  • Originally the Herzl Congregation was an Orthodox congregation in Seattle; in 1929, Congregation Machzikay Hadath split off, remaining Orthodox as the group that retained the name and the synagogue was realigning toward Conservative Judaism. The short-lived New Conservative Congregation, founded 1930 merged with Herzl in 1932 to form the Herzl Conservative Congregation. In 1970 they merged with Congregation Ner Tamid to form the Herzl-Ner Tamid Conservative Congregation, which moved to a new facility on Mercer Island in 1971.^[6][7]
• Kehilat Shalom (Seattle)

Reform Temples

The Alhadeff Sanctuary of Temple De Hirsch Sinai.

• Temple Adath Israel (Centralia, defunct)
  • Orthodox 1928–1950s, then Reform. Temple sold 1994.^[8]
• Bet Chaverim Community Synagogue of South King County (Des Moines)^[9]
• Temple Beth Am (Seattle) ^[10]
• Temple Beth El (Tacoma)
  • This merges the earlier Temple Beth Israel and Sinai Temple. The latter, a Conservative congregation since 1938, traces back to the Orthodox Congregation Hevra Talmud Torah, founded 1909.^[11]
• Congregation Beth Hatikvah (Bremerton)^[12]
• Congregation Beth Israel (Walla Walla)
• Congregation Emmanu-El (Spokane) (merger of Congregations Beth Haverim and Ner-Tamid in 2009)
• Temple Beth Israel (Aberdeen)
  • An antecedent was the Grays Harbor Reform Hebrew Congregation that met in a F.O.E. hall 1913–1928. Serves both Reform and Orthodox.^[13]
• Congregation Beth Israel (Bellingham)
  • Founded 1906, officially affiliated as Orthodox 1908–1986, Reform since then.^[14]
• Temple Beth Or (Everett)
  • In 1987, Temple Beth Or absorbed the former Congregation Moses Montefiore, Orthodox.^[15]
• Temple B'nai Torah (Bellevue)^[16]
• Congregation Kol Ami (Vancouver)^[17]
• Olympic B'nai Shalom Havurah (Port Angeles)
• Temple De Hirsch Sinai (Seattle)
  • This merges the earlier Temple De Hirsch (Seattle) and Temple Sinai (Bellevue)^[18]
• Congregation House of Israel, Everett (defunct, 1915–1920)^[19]
• Congregation Kol Ami (Woodinville)
• Kol HaNeshamah—West Seattle's Progressive Synagogue Community (Seattle)^[20]
• Congregation Kol Shalom (Bainbridge Island)^[21]
• Temple Shalom (Yakima)^[22]

Active Orthodox Synagogues

• Ashreichem Yisrael

A former synagogue of the Bikur Cholim Congregation is now the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center

A former synagogue of the Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation is now the Tolliver Temple (Church of Christ)

• Beth Israel (Aberdeen)
  • Serves both Reform and Orthodox.^[13]
• Bikur Cholim Machzikay Hadath Congregation (Seattle)
  • A merger of several earlier congregations: Chevra Bikur Cholim, Yavneh Congregation, Seattle Congregation Machzikay Hadath.^[23]
• Chabad of Whatcom County (Bellingham)
• Chabad of Snohomish County (Edmonds)
• Chabad of Central Cascades (Issaquah)
• Chabad of the Pacific Northwest (Seattle)
• Chabad at the UW (Seattle)
• Chabad of Evergreen State College and Olympia (Olympia)
• Chabad of Spokane County (Spokane)
• Chabad of Pierce County (Tacoma])
• Chabad of Clark County (Vancouver)
• Chai Center of Greater Seattle (Seattle)
• Eastside Torah Center (Bellevue)
• Emanuel Congregation (Seattle)^[24]
• Congregation Ezra Bessaroth (Seattle) ^[25]
• Minyan Ohr Chadash (Seattle), Modern Orthodox minyan meets for Shabbat and Yom Tov
• Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation (Seattle)^[26]
• Congregation Shaarei Tefilah-Lubavitch (Seattle)^[27]
• Congregation Shevet Achim (Mercer Island)^[9]
• West Seattle Torah Learning Center (Seattle)
• Chabad of Shoreline (Shoreline)

Defunct Orthodox Synagogues

• Ahavath Ahim (Seattle, defunct)
  • Founded by Marmara Jews, built a synagogue in 1922 at 17th and Fir. After 1929, lost members to Sephardic Bikur Holim (consequently known from 1929 into the 1960s as Sephardic Bikur Cholim-Ahavath Ahim) and to Congregation Ezra Bessaroth. Dissolved 1939.^[28][29]

Renewal Congregations

• Bet B'rachot (Bellingham)
• Congregation Eitz Or (Seattle)^[30]
• Chavurat Shir Hayam (Also Reconstructionist) (Bainbridge Island)

Reconstructionist Congregations

• Temple Beth Hatfiloh (Olympia)
  • After being unaffiliated since its founding in 1937, the congregation officially aligned with Reconstructionism in 2000.^[31]
• Chavurat Shir Hayam (Also Renewal) (Bainbridge Island)
• Kadima (Seattle)
  • Founded in 1978 as a progressive Jewish social action group, it became a Reconstructionist congregation in 2005.^[32]

Meditational Synagogue

• Bet Alef Meditative Synagogue (Seattle)^[5]

Unaffiliated Synagogues & Groups

• Bet Shira (Port Townsend)
• Congregation Beth Israel Myer Youdovich Memorial(Walla Walla)^[33]
• Fort Lewis Jewish Chapel (Fort Lewis)
• Havurat Ee Shalom (Vashon Island)
• Hillel: Jewish Student Organization of WSU & UI (Pullman, Washington & Moscow, Idaho)
• Jewish Community of the Palouse (Pullman, Washington & Moscow, Idaho)
• Jewish Federation at Bastyr (JFAB, a Jewish student group at Bastyr University with campuses and Clinics in Kenmore, Washington, Seattle, Washington and San Diego, California)
• Congregation Tikvah Chadashah (Seattle)
  • A gay and lesbian congregation.^[34]
• Greater Wenatchee Jewish Community (Wenatchee, WA)
• Ohaveth Sholum Congregation (Seattle, defunct)
  • Described by the Washington State Jewish Historical Society (WSJHS) as "a quasi-Reform temple," it was Seattle's first congregation (1889) and synagogue (1892).^[35]

Notes

1. http://secularjewishcircle.org
2. WSJHS 2006, p. 76–77.
3. WSJHS 2006, p. 14–15.
4. WSJHS 2006, p. 71.
5. WSJHS 2006, p. 91.
6. WSJHS 2006, p. 29–32, 75.
7. Writing on the synagogue building in Seattles' Central District that later became the Odessa Brown clinic, Summary for 172 20th AVE / Parcel ID 9826701245, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods (accessed online 4 December 2007) says "In 1929, the Herzl Congregation voted to modernize and became Seattle’s first Conservative congregation. The congregation remained in this location until 1971 when it moved to its present location on Mercer Island, where it is now called Herzl-Ner Conservative Congregation.".
8. WSJHS 2006, p. 57–58.
9. WSJHS 2006, p. 89.
10. WSJHS 2006, p. 72–73.
11. WSJHS 2006, p. 16–17, 36–37.
12. WSJHS 2006, p. 68.
13. WSJHS 2006, p. 43.
14. WSJHS 2006, p. 28.
15. WSJHS 2006, p. 46, 87.
16. WSJHS 2006, p. 78.
17. Home page, Congregation Kol Ami. Accessed online 23 November 2008.
18. WSJHS 2006, p. 21–23.
19. WSJHS 2006, p. 46.
20. WSJHS 2006, p. 94.
21. WSJHS 2006, p. 84 refers to it as "Chavarat Kol Shalom", but About us at kolshalom.net says they have been affiliated as a Reform Congregation since 1998.
22. WSJHS 2006, p. 86.
23. WSJHS 2006, p. 11–14.
24. WSJHS 2006, p. 77.
25. WSJHS 2006, p. 43–44.
26. WSJHS 2006, p. 40–41.
27. WSJHS 2006, p. 79.
28. Lee Micklin, Ahavath Ahim Congregation (Jewish), is founded in 1914, HistoryLink, January 0, 1999. Accessed online 19 November 2008.
29. WSJHS 2006, p. 36.
30. WSJHS 2006, p. 90.
31. WSJHS 2006, p. 62–63.
32. WSJHS 2006, p. 82–83.
33. WSJHS 2006, p. 63.
34. WSJHS 2006, p. 83.
35. WSJHS 2006, p. 10–11.

References

• WSJHS (2006), The Jewish Experience in Washington State: A Chronology 1845–2005, Washington State Jewish Historical Society (WSJHS).