Longview, Gregg County
During the early 1900s oil boom, many Jewish families settled in northeast Texas. Longview’s Temple Emanu-El (God is with us) has its origins in the 1936 Kilgore Temple Beth Sholom (House of Peace). For two decades, Jewish families traveled to Kilgore for services until a new temple was built in 1957-58 in Longview with fifty-four charter member families. The sanctuary is an architectural representation of a menorah. During its existence, the members worked to serve the community through education, outreach and fundraising. As the Jewish communities in the region began to decline, Longview’s Temple Emanu-El became the repository of Jewish activity and memory for the area. (2014)