Submitted by Rockdale Temple
K.K. Bene Israel/Rockdale Temple will commemorate its 200th anniversary at its Bicentennial Weekend, January 26 – 28, 2024. The weekend celebration begins on Friday evening, January 26 at 8:00 p.m. with a Legacy Shabbat Service in Rockdale’s Messer Chapel, featuring music through the ages. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, of which Kehal Kodesh Bene Israel is a founding member, will be a special guest. Former rabbis, past presidents, and their families will be honored during the service. An elegant oneg will follow. The community is warmly welcomed to celebrate this special Shabbat.
On Saturday evening, January 27, a celebratory Bicentennial Gala begins at 6:00 p.m. with a cocktail hour in Rockdale’s Heldman Social Hall. Guests will enjoy a walk through the congregation’s history while reconnecting with friends, neighbors, and former members. The celebration continues with dinner, dancing, and special moments in the Mayerson JCC Amberley Room. The Rockdale family invites the community to reserve a seat at the Gala, place a virtual ad, or send a “mazel tov” greeting. Rockdale’s Kehal Kodesh Religious School will host a special Bicentennial celebration for its students and families on Sunday morning, January 28, a tradition begun during Rockdale’s 190th anniversary celebration.
Senior Rabbi Meredith Kahan commented, “I am honored to be part of our historic congregation’s Bicentennial Celebration! K.K. Bene Israel joins a very small group of communities to reach this milestone, and we are proud to share this moment with our Rockdale family, past and present, as well as the entire community. Our congregation played a central role in the development of the Cincinnati Jewish community and served as an important partner in the founding of the Reform Movement. Since its founding 200 years ago, K.K. Bene Israel has stood as a house of prayer, study, and gathering. I am grateful for the way this community has adapted, grown, and innovated throughout its history to create the strong, vibrant congregation we know today.”
Sally Korkin, Rockdale Temple President, noted, “As a lifelong member of Rockdale Temple, it is wonderful to be in my role during our Bicentennial year. A dedicated Bicentennial Committee has worked tirelessly during the last several years planning celebratory 200th anniversary programs beginning with an Opening Event at Tikkun Farm during Sukkot. We have hosted educational programs, guest speakers, and special events, and look forward to a full calendar of Bicentennial events throughout the spring. Our Bicentennial Weekend will be the highlight of our celebration, and we invite our friends throughout the community to join us, especially if you have Rockdale roots, at a party 200 years in the making!”
Kehal Kodesh Bene Israel was founded on January 18, 1824 by Joseph Jonas, an immigrant from England who arrived in Cincinnati in 1817. K.K. Bene Israel is the oldest continuous Jewish congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains. Congregants originally worshipped in homes until the first permanent location on Broadway was constructed in 1836. A second Broadway Temple was built in 1852, and the Mound Street Temple became home in 1869. The congregation relocated to the Rockdale Avenue Temple at the corner of Rockdale and Harvey Avenues in 1906, and is still known as Rockdale Temple. In 1969, K.K. Bene Israel moved to its current location on Ridge Road in Amberley Village.
Two hundred years after its founding, K.K. Bene Israel remains a vibrant, inclusive, innovative congregation creating connections to Judaism and each other. Today, Rockdale Temple celebrates lifelong learning, strives to repair the world, and creates meaningful worship and transformative Jewish experiences.
