It covers about 2 acres (0.81 ha) of land in a narrow strip that adjoins the Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery.

[2] The late 19th century saw an influx of Russian and Eastern European Orthodox Jews (now Conservative) to Mobile, joining the well-established Reform Jewish community, started by German Jewish immigrants to the city.

The newcomers began meeting in the home of Jacob Levinson in 1894 and called themselves Ahavas Chesed, or "Love of Kindness.

[2] The group converted a home at the corner of Conti and Warren Streets into a synagogue in 1908 and by 1911 had built a new building on that same site.

The dead are not embalmed prior to interment; instead, the preparers ritually wash the body within a few hours after death and clothe it in simple white garments.