The first Jew to settle in Macon was Nathan Grossmayer, who opened a store there in 1840; he later opened another store in Americus, Georgia. A handful of other Jews moved to the area in the early 1840s. Eleven men called together “the Israelitish community” on October 30, 1859, at the home of Emanuel Brown to discuss the possibility of forming a congregation. In 1880, Beth Israel finally joined the Reform Union of American Hebrew Congregations and, just a few years later, decided that men no longer had to wear hats during services. By 1909, the Macon Jewish community was thriving. According to a survey taken by the Industrial Removal Office, there were approximately 470 Jews (110 families) living in Macon at the time. The population seems to have plateaued in recent decades at around 1000 people, though it has likely declined a bit over the last decade or so.