Congregation Beth Israel is a reform synagogue serving the greater Austin area. Our mission is to foster a thriving Jewish community by embracing spirituality, learning, and a sense of belonging.
B’tzelem Elohim (In God’s Image) – We embrace the uniqueness of each individual as we are all created in the image of God.
Kehillah Kedoshah (Holy Community) – Together, we create a holy community that is joyful, diverse, and inclusive.
Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World) – Our community works to heal the world through acts of social justice, tzedakah, and g’milut chasadim.
Congregation Beth Israel was the first synagogue founded in Austin, TX. Throughout the years we have grown alongside the city, serving as a warm, welcoming, and diverse religious home to thousands of Reform Jews.
On September 24, 1876, an ad appeared in the Daily Democratic Statesman requesting all “Israelites of Austin” to attend a meeting for the purpose of forming a reform congregation. Thirty people attended the meeting and within weeks, the newly formed Congregation Beth Israel selected a site for a synagogue at 11th and San Jacinto Streets.
Despite meeting in a building with one bathroom and no offices, our congregation grew. In the mid-1950s the board purchased a pasture near the intersection of Shoal Creek Boulevard and 38th Street for $13,500. The new facility opened in 1967, including a 650-seat sanctuary, social hall, chapel, and administrative wing. Under the leadership of Rabbi Steven Folberg in the 1990s and 2000s, CBI membership and religious school enrollment continued to climb.
On October 31, 2021, CBI’s historic front doors were set ablaze in an act of hate. Although the fire was quickly extinguished, the arson rendered the sanctuary unusable. Already coping with the COVID-19 pandemic, CBI leadership pivoted again, holding services at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church. In 2023, congregants returned to a remodeled transitional sanctuary in Smith Auditorium and prepared to say goodbye to Rabbi Folberg after 33 years of leadership. This year the congregation hired the architecture firm Lake|Flato to design a new sanctuary and campus spaces; the first renderings were revealed at CBI’s Annual Meeting in June, 2025.
After 33 years of leadership, CBI said farewell to Rabbi Folberg, the longest tenured rabbi in congregational history. In 2025, CBI welcomed our new settled Senior Rabbi, Brian Leiken, formerly of Temple Beth Sholom in New City, New York.
We invite you to join us at CBI and help write the next chapter of our community’s history!
