Temple Beth El was constructed in 1883 and is the oldest temple west of the Mississippi that is still in use, and the 14th oldest in the country.  If you are interested in the history of Pre-1900 Synagogues be sure to look at the article by Mark Gordon listed below.

According to the history of Temple Beth El written by Mrs. Julius Meyerhardt in 1974, records indicate that there were Jewish settlers in Jefferson City as early as 1865. In 1879 nine Jewish men formed the Jefferson City Hebrew Cemetery Association to properly provide Jewish burials. At that time they also organized a congregation, naming it “Congregation Beth El”, which means House of God, to promote the reform Jewish faith.

On April 3, 1882, the six members of the Hebrew Ladies Sewing Society provided the funds to purchase a plot of land and construct the synagogue in the three hundred block of Monroe Street. One year later, in 1883, their house of worship was completed!