(WBIR) Knoxville's Jewish community is honoring a special milestone this weekend, as the area's first congregation turns 150 years-old.
Temple Beth El hosted a 150th anniversary gala Saturday evening in downtown Knoxville.
Current and former congregants from across the country came into town to celebrate.
The synagogue's Rabbi said the weekend isn't just about recognizing the past accomplishments, but to anticipate the joys of the future.
"What's our 151st year going to look like and beyond that. And to take those experiences that we are prideful about and how do we build on that for the next generation," Rabbi Mathew Michaels said.
Temple Beth El moved to its current building on Kingston Pike back in 1957.
The congregation got its start back in 1864 as the Hebrew Benevolent Association of Knoxville. It originally formed to help a Jewish Knoxville family find a place to bury their son who died during the Civil War.
