ANSHAI EMETH
Around 1847 the first Jewish settlers began arriving in Peoria. Their number had grown enough by 1863 that they formed the Anshai Emeth congregation and purchased the old Presbyterian Church on Fulton between Adams and Jefferson. In 1874 new arrivals from Eastern Europe plus others who favored a more Orthodox approach formed the Congregation Beth Israel and purchased the church on Seventh Street near Franklin that had originally been erected by the Central Christian Church in 1855. By 1886 the two congregations decided to re-merge and the Beth Israel property was sold and the proceeds turned over to Anshai Emeth. In 1896 the temple on Fulton was destroyed by fire, so a new temple was erected in 1898 on the corner of Monroe and Hancock Streets. This temple, constructed of the same Lake Superior sandstone used in the City Hall building, served Anshai Emeth until 1967 when the congregation moved to a new facility. The building on Monroe was sold to the Christian Assembly Church.

AGUDAS ACHIM
In the second half of the 1800s, the Orthodox Jews who could not be accommodated by the Reformed congregation continued to grow in numbers, so they organized the Agudas Achim congregation in 1897 and purchased the old Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Monson Street at a cost of $3,000 for the land and building and $1,200 for improvements. In 1912 a new temple was constructed a half block away at the corner of Monson and Sixth Streets. The old site subsequently housed several other churches, then served for many years as the Musicians Union Hall, and recently has been remodeled and is occupied by First Capital Bank. In 1958 a new temple was built near the corner of Sheridan Road and War Memorial Drive and served as the home of Agudas Achim until the congregation sold the building to the New Hope International Church. Agudas Achim now holds Orthodox services at the Anshai Emeth temple on University.