The name "Mickve Israel" means " Hope of Israel." For nearly thirty years, this "Hope" met in various facilities before the first Georgia synagogue was built. This small wooden structure was built in 1820 after Savannah's Jewish community had grown to a size that needed its own permanent place of worship. Dr. Moses Sheftall and Dr. Jacob De la Motta, leaders of Mickve Israel at that time, convinced the congregation to let a respectable mechanic use the eight small buildings that the synagogue owned, rent free, for eight years in exchange for his erecting the new synagogue building. This wooden structure was destroyed by fire on December 4, 1829. Rebuilding efforts began in 1834. This time, a brick structure was built. On February 11, 1868, the congregation took its first steps toward reform Judaism.

On March 1, 1876, the cornerstone was laid for the present building. The new synagogue was dedicated on April 11, 1878. New York architect, Henry Harrison, designed this synagogue. The Congregation Mickve Israel is the only Gothic Jewish synagogue in America. It is located on Monterey Square in downtown Savannah. Located in the Mickve Israel museum is the Torah Scroll brought to Savannah from London. On special occasions, this scroll is still used. Also found in the museum are the letters from United States Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George Bush , and Bill Clinton.

Below is a picture of the crest for Congregation Mickve Israel which was designed by Jane Abeshouse Feiler in 1983 for the cover of the book Third to None: The Saga of Savannah Jewry, 1733 - 1983 by Rabbi Saul Jacob Rubin. In 1991, the crest was adapted by the Board of Adjunta as the official crest of the congregation.

Researched by Kevin