Originally named Nidche Yisroel[1] (transliterated from Hebrew as "Scattered of Israel"[2]), the synagogue was founded in 1830, and for the first fifteen years of its existence, services were held in a small room above a local grocery.

The pressure from the Congregation for modernization was such that its Orthodox first rabbi, Abraham Rice, resigned his position in 1849 over this question.

Isaac Leeser of Philadelphia, together with the ministers of the congregation, Abraham Rice and A. Ansell (Anshel).

[3] As the city of Baltimore and its Jewish population continued to grow, so too did the number of congregants, and also the size of its endowment.

[2] Set on 17 acres (6.9 ha) and designed by Percival Goodman in a combination of the Art Deco, Moderne, and International styles, the red brick building is notable for both its expansive design and artwork that includes eight George Aarons' sculptural reliefs depicting Jewish ethics,[7] a William M. Halsey mural, Arnold Henry Bergier–designed judaica for the sanctuary, Amalie Rothschild cubist–designed tapestry and doors, and 16 stained–glass windows by Nissan Engel that depict the history of the Jewish people from Creation to the Holocaust and the founding of the State of Israel.