Explore Jewish Life in Kinston
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Jews first settled in Kinston, a small town located on the coastal plain, in the Civil War era. Kinston flourished as a mill and market town, drawing East European Jews in the early 1900s and again in the 1920s. With the growth of the textile industry, the Jewish community thrived. In recent years with the decline of cotton and tobacco, Kinston’s Jewish numbers have dwindled, but the congregation continues to hold services and maintain Temple Israel as a vibrant Jewish center.
The Institute for Southern Jewish Life traces Jewish roots to the 1860s. East European Jews arrived to peddle and open stores. Its fortunes followed the textile industry, notably led by industrialists Samuel Fuchs and Sol Schechter.
In 1903 Kinston Jews organized orthodox Tifereth Israel, purchasing a former church in 1924. A new Temple Israel opened in 1954, which evolved to Reform. Still in use, it is now shared with a Unitarian congregation.