Plum Street Synagogue of Wise Temple

Isaac M. Wise Temple, Bene Yeshurun Congregation

Congregation Bene Yeshurun was founded in 1841 after an influx of German Jews to Cincinnati; its first building was dedicated in 1848. Its first rabbi in 1846, James Gutheim, was an early reformer who wanted to add a choir to worship services. From 1854 until 1900, Congregation Bene Yeshurun was led by Isaac Mayer Wise, who transformed the synagogue into a pioneering Reform temple. During his tenure, he added an organ during services, abolished the observance of the second day of most holidays, and permitted men to leave their heads uncovered in the synagogue. On August 24, 1866, Bene Yeshurun's new building on Plum Street was dedicated. In 1931, Bene Yeshurun merged with Congregation She'erith Israel Ahabath Achim to form Isaac M. Wise Temple, Bene Yeshurun Congregation. The same year, the basement of the Plum Street building became an overnight shelter for homeless men, serving an average of about two hundred men per night for five years. In 1975 the Plum Street Synagogue was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Isaac M. Wise Temple currently has about 1400 members.