The story of Jewish life in Natchez, Mississippi, is a tale of matzoh balls and magnolias, the Civil War and synagogues, King Cotton and merchant life Under-The-Hill. It began in the early 1840s when the first Jewish immigrants were drawn by economic opportunity to the Mississippi frontier. It continues today with the Temple B’nai Israel congregation. 

The temple, built in 1905, houses the oldest Jewish congregation in Mississippi. Its stained glass windows and ark of Italian marble make this synagogue one of the loveliest and most historic in the region. 
Temple B’nai Israel is one of the Mississippi Heritage Trust’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Places in Mississippi.
The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) is currently working with historic preservation architect Robert Parker Adams to develop a master renovation plan and install a ramp along the side of the Temple B'nai Israel building to increase accessibility. This first phase of renovation is made possible by a generous Community Heritage Preservation Grant from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH).