Explore Jewish Life in Raleigh
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Raleigh, the state capital and home of North Carolina State University, has an old, established Jewish community, but the overwhelming numbers today, like most other residents, are Sunbelt transplants from northern states. Retirees are drawn by the housing choices, healthcare, and cultural opportunities while professionals find opportunity in high tech at the nearby Research Triangle Park. Neighboring Cary, once a quiet country town, is now a booming, sprawling suburb. Downtown Raleigh is experiencing a revival with a lively cultural and restaurant scene.
Our 30-acre campus includes the Steven N. Guld Family Center, a six lane outdoor swimming pool, playground, basketball court, multipurpose fields, walking trails, an amphitheater and stocked lake.
Although a Confederate tailor kept a Torah and synagogue room in his home after the Civil War, according to The Institute of Southern Jewish Life, organized religious life traces to the Raleigh Hebrew Congregation, which served both Reform and Orthodox. In 1913, with community growth, it split into Reform and Orthodox congregations, Beth Or and Beth Jacob (now Conservative Beth Meyer).
Click here to view a virtual tour of Raleigh’s Jewish history. Click here to watch an interview with two residents who grew up in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Museum of Art is one of two state-sponsored art museums in the country to have a permanent gallery dedicated to Jewish ceremonial art. Founded in 1983 under the inspiration of noted scholar Dr. Abram Kanof, its collection spans three centuries and four continents.