In 1845-46, only ten years after the founding of Albany, three pioneer Jewish families settled here. The first families in Albany were from German extraction. They fled to the United States in the mid 1840’s along with the Irish. Most Jews tried to find out what certain towns needed in the way of professional talents and trades. They went to the town that needed their skills. Therefore, they were usually successful immediately. They seldom met with animosity, because their services were needed by the community. Most Jews had urban skills, and therefore, settled in cities or towns instead of rural farms.

For the next thirty years there was a steady trickle of Jews into this community. Many served in the Confederate Army. The Albany congregation was basically German, Austrian and Hungarian. Central Europe was where reformed Judaism began. It spread to the United States. From 1890 until World War I, Russian Jews immigrated to this country, but no great numbers came to Albany.

In January 1854, a petition was filed in the Inferior Court of Dougherty County to incorporate the United Hebrew Society of Albany. The fourteen year charter was granted for the purpose of purchasing property to build a synagogue, exercising religious worship according to their faith, and establishing a burial ground. In 1858, the original Jewish cemetery lot was purchased. Many were buried there before the Civil War. Jews were not allowed to be buried in the public cemetery at that time. Neither were Catholics. Therefore, each religion had to have its own cemetery. Also this kept down the problem of mixing religious symbols which are often displayed in cemeteries. No temple was built during this period and worship services were held in the Mayer Building and the Welch Building, both at Broad Avenue and Washington Street. The Albany congregation was chartered in 1876. Some of the members of the 1876 charter congregation were Hoffmeyer, Meyers, David & Richard Robinson, Sterne, Sam Farkas, Max Ullman (who was related to Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., whose real name was Ullman). In 1882, the first Temple was built at the corner of Jefferson and Broad where the old Post Office sits today. It was small and took only a portion of that lot.

Dr. Edmund A Landau, Sr. Rabbi, 1898 - 1945	Charles Wessolowsky President, 1889 - 1894	Samuel Brown President, 1894 - 1922

Few rabbis were available to come here as the place where they were trained was too far away in big cities. So most were sent on a temporary basis. In 1898 the first rabbi who was permanent was Dr. Edmund A Landau, Sr., pictured here. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario and raised in Michigan. His family was originally from East Prussia. His father’s name was Wolf Landau. Dr. Landau, the rabbi, was widely accepted in the community. He gave the eulogy at the funeral of Lamar Simms at the First Baptist Church in Albany. There were clergy of all denominations at Landau’s funeral in 1945.

In the following years the rabbis, after Dr. Landau died in 1945, were Rabbi Kaplan, Martin Hinchin who stayed until 1958, and Joe Freedman, from Waterbury Connecticut who stayed until 1973, and was the only Georgia resident to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Rabbi Freedman passed away in November 1998. Following Rabbi Freedman, were Charles Lessor, David Zalonka and William Cohen. In 1987, Dr. E. E. "Zeke" Palnick moved to Albany from Little Rock, Arkansas to become our rabbi. Rabbi Palnick retired in June, 1999, and served as Rabbi Emeritus until he passed away March 4, 2005. Rabbi Dana Evan Kaplan came for the High Holy Days in 2001 and now serves as our full time rabbi.

The Jewish people have always been prominent in the life of Albany and some people think the Jewish population here is much greater than it really is. Temple B’nai Israel has moved into its new home and continues the tradition of providing a welcoming center for the Jewish community of southwest Georgia, making our community a better place for everyone to live