History of the Broadway Willow Synagogue in Beaumont, Texas explained.

The Broadway Willow Synagogue is one of the lesser known synagogues of Beaumont, Texas. This news article will explain the history behind this synagogue. The history of this synagogue is forgotten to an extent.

In 1900, Pauline Schwerin, who had owned a boarding house in town, purchased a lot on Broadway and Willow for $1,600 and donated the land as the future site of a synagogue. Mr. Spaulding was hired to build the temple (synagogue). The Ladies Benevolent Society made a $3,000 donation to the construction of the temple, providing the necessary funds for electric lighting and attractive interior furnishings. The structure accommodated 300 worshipers, a space large enough to house the 60 families and numerous young men attracted to the area by the Spindletop Oil boom. (Ref: https://www.isjl.org/texas-beaumont-encyclopedia.html)

The building committee staged a dedication ceremony for the new temple on December 1, 1901, and invited Rabbi Max Heller from New Orleans and Rabbi Henry Cohen from Galveston to speak at the ceremony. By 1902, Beaumont’s Jewish population reached about 300, and the pews of the ambitiously large temple were filled to capacity.

Beaumont’s Jewish population dropped during the 1980s thus leading to the decline in the Jewish population in both Beaumont and Port Arthur. So in 1988, Broadway Willow Synagogue was sold to First Baptist Church on a warranty. First Baptist Church made several renovations, additions, and modifications since purchasing the temple from Broadway Willow Synagogue. (Ref: American Jewish Year Book, 2013)

While the Jewish population in Texas has grown, the amount of Jewish Beaumonters has decreased despite the city's population holding steady. (Ref: https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/news/article/Final-days-for-Temple-Emanuel-5651972.php)

The Broadway Willow Synagogue was located at Broadway and Willow in Downtown Beaumont. Address for the Broadway Willow Synagogue is 980 Broadway, Beaumont, Texas, US 77701.