HISTORY OF OCALA & JUDAISM
Learn more about the history of Judaism in Ocala, Florida.
Marion County established the town of Ocala in 1846, and the first Jews in Ocala began arriving shortly before the Civil War.
Ocala was one of the first towns in Florida to have a synagogue, established by the United Hebrews of Ocala in 1888. Because of this early foundation, Jewish religious life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was well organized. This was also the period of the Jewish population’s greatest growth and success; Jews were local leaders and business owners who left legacies lasting well into the 20th century.
Jewish migrants first arrived in Ocala during the 1860s and 1870s. Many of the newcomers to Ocala had immigrated to the United States from German speaking lands and then made their move to Ocala from larger U.S. cities such as Jacksonville and Savannah.
As the Jewish population grew, they organized the United Hebrews of Ocala, and by 1873, members Louis Fox, Nathan Crown, and Herman Scherwin purchased the land for a Jewish cemetery.
The United Hebrews of Ocala began constructing a synagogue in 1884 and completed the structure in 1888. Later known as Temple B’nai Darom (meaning Children of the South), the United Hebrews of Ocala synagogue was the third to be erected in Florida, after Temple Beth El in Pensacola (1878) and Ahavath Chesed in Jacksonville (1882).
Notably, Temple B’nai Darom was the only synagogue in the state with Carpenter Gothic architecture, a style popular among small churches in Florida in the late 19th century.
Early leadership of the United Hebrews of Ocala included Fox, Crown, and Scherwin—who helped organize the construction of the temple in addition to the cemetery— and Simon Benjamin—who donated land for the temple and later served as president for ten years.
Once local Jewish leaders had established the congregation, the Jewish Women’s Auxiliary directed the social and religious activities of the United Hebrews of Ocala.
Rabbi Harold Jaye served as rabbi from 1987 until his retirement in 2024 when Cantor Alisa Forman became spiritual leader. At that time, Rabbi Jaye became Rabbi Emeritus of Temple B’nai Darom.
