Congregation Beth Israel

Congregation Beth Israel was founded in 1959 by a number of local Jewish families, who wanted a permanent home for the Jewish community. Beth Israel was the first, and for many decades, the only Jewish presence on the Mississippi Gulf Coast which Jews from all different backgrounds could call home. Beth Israel was first located in Biloxi and after... being ravaged by hurricane Katrina in 2005, relocated to its current home at Three Rivers Road in Gulfport. From its inception Beth Israel never maintained a full time Rabbi until early 2020 when Rabbi Akiva and Rebbetzin Hannah Hall were brought on board. Beth Israel is a traditional synagogue which conducts itself according to authentic Jewish beliefs and practices. A major foundation of our community is inclusion and outreach and we strive to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable regardless of level of observance, Jewish education or affiliation. Rabbi Akiva Hall was born in Las Vegas in 1989, and as a child relocated with his family to Ocean Springs, MS. Akiva attended local public schools through high school, graduating in 2008. An "only child, Akiva was raised by his parents Ron and Lara (zl), and from a young age was brought up in a proud Jewish environment, the family being active members of Congregation Both IsraeI for many years. After being inspired to become a rabbi while still in Hebrew School, Akiva attended Yeshiva Or Elchonon Chabad in Los Angeles, The Rabbinical Collage of America in Morristown, and received his ordination from Yeshiva Chovevei Torah Lubavitch in New York in 2012.That year he married his wife Hannah and they moved to Los Angeles, where their daughter Leah was born. Shortly after, Akiva and Hannah were given the opportunity to move back to the Gulf Coast to create Chabad of Southern Mississippi. This move gave Akiva the unique ability to work and live in the community that he had grown up in. Over the years, Akiva has served as rabbi and spiritual leader for many, as well as a chaplain, teacher, and Jewish advocate. He also ...Read More