In 1864, the Hebrew Benevolent Association of Knoxville was formed by a few Jewish families in order to purchase a cemetery and aid the needy. Heska Amuna Congregation was established in 1890 as an Orthodox alternative to Temple Beth El, which grew out of the original Association to follow the Reform movement. Since that time, Knoxville has included these two Jewish houses of worship. Heska Amuna's founders, most of whom were Eastern European immigrants unfamiliar with written English, apparently mistransliterated the Hebrew words Chazkei Emunah ("Strongholders of the Faith".) That name appeared on the congregation's state charter, so it continued to be used. Small minyanin were held in the home of Heska Amuna's first rabbi, Isaac Winick. As more immigrants arrived, the congregation grew rapidly and was able to purchase a building in the downtown area where many small Jewish-run businesses were located. To celebrate the opening of their new sanctuary, members of Heska Amuna, donned their prayer shawls and paraded the scrolls of the Torahs to their new home. Most people had close ties of kinship or commerce. From the Yom Kippur Break-the-Fast gathering to the annual Purim Ball, social life revolved around the nearby Jewish Community Center opened in 1930.
Jewish Knoxville began to change dramatically in the period from 1960-1990. College education became a top priority for local families. The Jewish population moved to the Western suburbs and downtown businesses began to close. In 1960, Heska Amuna constructed a new building at 3811 Kingston Pike and became affiliated with the Conservative movement. Fully egalitarian services were instituted in 1988. As the sons and daughters of merchants often relocated to other cities, the growth of University of Tennessee, hospitals and scientific/technical industries brought in many Jewish professionals. Today, the overwhelming majority of households in our congregation are headed by professionals not born in Knoxville. Yet despite all these new "immigrants", the close-knit character of our community remains the same.
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