The oldest Conservative congregation in Miami Beach.

Congregation Jacob Joseph was established in 1938. The members later divided into Orthodox and Conservative groups. Temple Emanu-el, the oldest Conservative congregation on Miami Beach, is the product of that division.

Seating 1,400 worshipers, the domed sanctuary was completed in 1948. The eclectic Byzantine and Moorish architecture features a rotunda building and aluminum dome more than ten stories tall. It is said to have been modeled after the Great Synagogue of Oran, Algeria however that assertion appears to be in error as the Great Synagogue of Oran was not a domed building and did not have a similar floor plan. Temple Emanuel’s imposing domed structure endures as an anomalous historical landmark in the Art-Deco cityscape of Miami Beach.