First Congregation Sons of Israel

At first, there was a congregation with no building. 

Founding of the Congregation

The First Congregation Sons of Israel was founded in 1908 after several Eastern European Jewish families had settled in St. Augustine around Cordova Street. 

Some of these families came from the Northern United States, while others settled here shortly after moving from Europe. At least three families brought Torahs (scrolls of the Old Testament) with them, and the congregation held religious services in their homes. In 1923, the congregation built a synagogue on Cordova Street and celebrated their first service in March of 1924.

The Synagogue

The synagogue was an orthodox one, in which the women and men separated during the service, with the women and young children seated on benches in the balcony. Originally, the first floor had pews for seating and the ark was in the center of the room. In the 1920s the congregation added a social hall and in 1970 they added a small school.

The synagogue has changed in other ways over the years. During the first half of the 20th century, the hard benches and pews were replaced with previously used theater seats, a bimah was built at one end of the sanctuary, and the ark was moved to that location. In 1958, the original windows were replaced with stained glass windows carefully removed from a synagogue that was going to be torn down in Atlanta — a gift from the three daughters of the congregation's first rabbi.

Hurricanes and Upgrades

In this century, the building was damaged during Hurricanes, Matthew in 2016 and Irma in 2017, and has since undergone repairs and upgrades. The original floors were saved, the old theater seats were restored by a local cushion maker, and the wooden seats were restored by a local craftsman. The original chandelier and ceiling decoration had also been lost. In their place is a large Star of David, designed and created by a Flagler student, who based her design on those found in Eastern European synagogues of the same era. One of the members of the congregation searched for an appropriate chandelier and found an old European one elsewhere in Florida.

Today

Currently, the First Congregation Sons of Israel is a conservative congregation that no longer requires separate seating. Services are held monthly on the second and fourth Fridays from October through May with Friday services at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday services at 10:00 a.m. The events calendar on their website includes their special services.

For more information, to take a tour, or to arrange a ceremony at the synagogue, call (904) 829-9532.

There is one other synagogue in St. Augustine, Temple Bet Yam, a Reform Congregation, at 2055 Wildwood Drive.