Congregation Gemiluth Chassodim was originally established as the Hebrew Benevolent Society of Rapides Parish in 1852 in order to provide a Jewish Cemetery for burials.

One belief for this is that certain families bought a burial ground when a small outbreak of yellow fever claimed six Jewish lives in the early 1850s.

In 1860, the Jewish women of Alexandria assembled to found the Ladies' Hebrew Benevolent Society in order to raise money to buy real estate on which a temple could be built.

It serves as a regional synagogue drawing in members from such neighboring communities as: Natchitoches, Leesville, Natchez, Winnfield, and Fort Johnson.

The Temple actively hosts numerous guest speakers, concerts, and cultural events for the Jewish and non-Jewish communities of Alexandria.