Explore Jewish Life in Greensboro
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Greensboro, located at the state’s center, has a thriving, very active Jewish community with two flourishing congregations and a day school. In 1895 Ceasar and Moses Cone opened their first mill, creating a textile empire. The prominence of Jewish industrialists, along with the city’s Quaker heritage, has made the city especially welcoming for Jews. Nearby High Point, famous for its furniture industry, has supported its own community. From 2001 to 2019 Greensboro hosted the American Hebrew Academy, the world’s first “Jewish pluralistic college prep boarding school,” which is now the AHA International School.
The Institute of Southern Jewish Life highlights the diversity of Greensboro’s Jewish community. Jews appeared in antebellum days, but the Jewish community grew with industrialization led by the Cones, Sternbergers, and Benjamins. The Greensboro Hebrew Congregation, founded in 1907, housed both Reform and Orthodox services until 1944 when Conservative Beth David formed.
For a community its size, Greensboro Jewry is especially active with diverse programming for Jews of all ages. GJF sponsors The Triad Jewish Film Festival, Gesher Greensboro, J Triad Young Adults, PJ Library and more. Its building houses both Federation offices and Jewish Family Services.
The Greensboro Jewish community has an energy and vibrancy beyond its numbers. It supports a Jewish film festival and J-Triad, an organization of young professionals. A bi-monthly magazine, Shalom Greensboro, keeps the community informed and up to date.