One of very few Jewish houses of worship in the United States to have continuously used the same sanctuary for over 100 years.

Early Jewish settlers, mostly of German descent, formed the Springfield Hebrew Congregation in 1858. The first known Jew in Springfield, Mr. Julius Hammerslough, a friend of Abraham Lincoln, was elected president. For approximately the first ten years the congregation met in one another’s homes. By 1871 the congregation’s membership had grown to twenty-five families and the construction of a synagogue building of their own followed shortly.

Upon the dedication of the new synagogue in 1876 the name Temple B’rith Sholom (Gates of Peace) was adopted and the congregation affiliated with the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (Reform). Between 1915 and 1917, Temple B’rith Sholom built a new synagogue in the Classical Revival style on South Fourth Street, which it still uses.

The synagogue’s sanctuary is distinguished by a graceful barrel-vault ceiling with an impressive stained glass skylight. Outside, the skylight is capped by a dome.

The congregation’s Memorial Building just south of the Temple was completed in 1958 and provided classroom, office and library space as well as a large fellowship hall.

Temple B’rith Sholom is one of very few Reform congregations in the United States to have continuously utilized a sanctuary in same location for over 100 years.