Home of the frozen chosen.

According to its website, Temple Beth El is the “home of the frozen chosen”. In 1899 there were about 1750 Jews in North Dakota. Most were immigrants from Eastern Europe or offspring of the German immigrants who came a generation earlier. Nowadays there are only about 400 Jews still residing in the state.

In 1896, a charter was granted to William Gilles, Abraham Rubel and David Mezirow as the incorporators of the Fargo Hebrew Congregation. Following the end of World War II, a split occurred in the Fargo Hebrew Congregation. Forty-nine families, about half the synagogue’s membership, left to form Temple Beth El, a Reform congregation. In 1950 Temple Beth El, with seating for nearly 175 people, was opened. Temple Beth El has about 45 members and the only full-time rabbi in the state of North Dakota.