except when the Rabbi is visiting when services begin at 7:00 p.m.
All are welcome!
Welcome...
Welcome to Congregation B'nai Israel
In Jackson, Tennessee pride abounds in our Southernness and Judaism. A community in all aspects of the word. This is a place where everyone knows each other's name and Shabbat dinner is shared as one family.
For over 120 years, the congregation has continued its vital role of weaving our rich culture throughout its community. Our beautiful stately structure has graced the corners of West Grand and Campbell streets since 1941. A small welcoming Reform congregation of about 50 families overflowing with a rich history dating back to 1885.
Shabbat services are held every Friday evening at 6:00p.m. in the beautiful sanctuary, which was completely restored in April of 2000. These services are a treat simply in their variety as they are led by members of the congregation. Please refer to our Shabbat schedule page for more information.
In true Jewish and Southern tradition, this congregation combines faith and community in everything aspect. Following Shabbat services the congregation joins together for friendly, informal dinner at a local restaurant as this weekly celebration marks the arrival of Shabbat as a congregational family, with true fellowship.
Holidays are celebrated, adult education classes are offered and the children have education oppotunities through Sunday school and Youth Group.
If you are new to the area, contemplating a move to Jackson/West Tennessee or may already live in the area, we invite you to join us for services and to become a part of this family. All are welcome to join the service. Call, Email Us, or just come by for services this Shabbat.
It takes each one of us to make this community a success.
An Amazing Area to Live
If you are looking to move away from the expense and frustration of the Florida / Southeastern coastal area, consider Jackson / Western Tennessee.
This area is the “best kept secret” of retirees and people seeking a more relaxed, less expensive place to enjoy life. This is the true Southern way of life.
West Tennessee is blessed with a temperate climate. We neither receive summer hurricanes nor severe winter snows, sleets or freezing rains. We are fortunate to have a very low cost of living, and your home buying dollars can go much farther here in the Jackson area. There is plenty of open land and lots of newly constructed brick homes available to the savvy buyer.
If you are a boater, we have both the Mississippi and TennesseeRivers and their various lakes available close by to Jackson.
Jackson is home to two major hospitals, numerous clinics and excellent health facilities, as well as 4 universities and several private schools for an excellent educational system. Tennessee taxes are among the lowest in the nation. In west TN we also enjoy some of the lowest utility rates in the US.
Jackson is only a 45 – 60 minute drive from Memphis, and about 2 hours from Nashville. We are located right on I-40, America’s Highway. With the excellent roads from Jackson you can reach about 2/3 of the US within one days drive: Atlanta – 6 hrs.; Birmingham – 5 hrs.; Chattanooga – 4 hrs.; Cleveland – 6 hrs.; Chicago – 8 hrs.; Dallas – 8 hrs.; Kansas City – 8 hrs.; Lexington – 6 hrs.; Little Rock – 4 hrs.; Louisville – 4 hrs.; New Orleans – 8 hrs.; St. Louis – 5 hrs. International airports in both Memphis and Nashville open your travels all around the world. We also have a great regional airport right here.
Jackson’s Southern Jewish community is proud of our 125 year history of being an integral part of western Tennessee and would be pleased to have you join our family!
If all this sounds like a place you would like to move to, and you want more personal information, contact David Cohen of Congregation B’Nai Israel in Jackson, Tennessee. (731)225-4494 or tenn-cohen@eplus.net
Regional Interfaith Association
The RIFAChildren's Snack Backpack Program enables RIFA to provide kid-friendly food to take home on Friday throughout the school year. The schools have identified certain children who come to school on Monday having little or nothing to eat during the weekend. Evey Friday RIFA provides 25 mini-backpacks of food so we can be assured those children have something to eat on Saturdays and Sundays. Below is a list of items needed to fill the backpacks:
Mac & Cheese (microwave)
Chef Boyardee Spagehetti/Ravioli/Lasagna (microwave or pop-top)
Granola Bars, Raisins, Cereal Bars
Pop-top cans of Fruit, Vegetables, Vienna Sausages
For more information, contact RIFA at (731)427-7963.
Israel Update
Lambuth - B'nai Israel Center for Jewish Research
Lambuth University, as an institution of the United Methodist Church, and Congregation B'nai Israel are bound together by our common faith in the God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. Desiring to give mutual expression to this common faith, Lambuth University and Congregation B'nai Israel hereby enter into a relationship of mutual encouragement and support for
The cultural and spiritual environment of both the Lambuth campus and the Temple congregation and
The promotion of understanding and reconciliation between Christians and Jews.
Activities to carry out this relationship will include lectures, symposia, conferences and various other cultural events. In connection with this relationship, Lambuth University anticipates becoming a resource center for the study of Judaism and of the Holocaust for schools and the general public in West Tennessee. The Luther L. Gobbel Library has been designated by the Tennessee Holocaust Commission as the location of at least two Teacher Trunks provided by the Commission for West Tennessee, and a section of the Library will be devoted to studies of Judaism and of the Holocaust.
A Steering Committee to plan and oversee the activities undertaken in this relationship will consist of six persons - three from Lambuth University, appointed by the President of Lambuth University; and three from Congregation B'nai Israel, appointed according to Congregation protocol.
The members of the Steering Committee are Gene Davenport, Rebecca Cook, and Pam Dennis from Lambuth and Joel Newman and Janice Riddler from Congregation B'nai Israel.
