There has been a Jewish community in Tuscaloosa since before the 1880s; Jews met in private homes and leased larger spaces for the High Holidays. In 1912, the community--Orthodox and Reform--joined together to move into the first synagogue building in town, on what is now University Boulevard in the Old City. By 1913 Temple Emanu-El had affiliated with UAHC (now URJ)--the Reform movement. Since then, we have occupied three other synagogues, most recently moving into a brand new building on the University of Alabama campus in what is fondly called the "God Quad." We share our land and parking lot with the Jewish student organization, Bloom Hillel.

As the only Jewish congregation in Tuscaloosa, we welcome all Jewish families and individuals, whether Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox in practice. Indeed, our rabbi grew up in an Orthodox home but trained in the Reform tradition at H.U.C., Cincinnati.

Welcome to Temple Emanu-El, and to Tuscaloosa, Northport, and the University of Alabama. You can follow links to all these sites for further information.

Don't hesitate to contact us by e-mail at templeemanuel.tuscaloosa@gmail.com.