Congregation Kesher Israel (Philadelphia) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Congregation Kesher Israel |
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The synagogue, in 2014
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Conservative Judaism |
| Rite | Nusach Ashkenaz |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | |
| Year consecrated |
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| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | 412-418 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Country | United States |
 Location in Philadelphia
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| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | J. Franklin Stuckert (1895) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Date established | 1883 (as a Jewish congregation) |
| Completed |
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| Direction of façade | North |
Congregation Kesher Israel is a synagogue located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a place where Jewish people gather for services and community activities. The synagogue follows the traditions of Conservative Judaism.
Contents
History of the Building
From Church to Synagogue
The building that is now Kesher Israel was first built in 1796. It was originally a church called the First Independent Church of Christ. A famous person named Joseph Priestley helped inspire the creation of this church. He even preached there sometimes.
The church building was quite large. It was about 80 feet long and 50 feet deep. It had five arched doorways facing Lombard Street. There was also a path leading to a graveyard behind the church. Sometimes, other Christian groups used the church building too. For example, Joseph Smith, who started the Mormon faith, once preached there in 1839. The church stopped using the building by 1887.
A New Synagogue Home
A Jewish group called Bnai Jacob synagogue was started in 1883. They bought the empty church building in 1889. They then changed it into a synagogue. Before the sale, the Unitarian Society moved the graves from the churchyard. They were reburied in Fernwood Cemetery.
Another local synagogue, Rodephe Tzedek, joined with Bnai Jacob in 1894. Together, they formed a new congregation called Kesher Israel. The name "Kesher Israel" means "The Bond of Israel." The new synagogue officially opened on January 24, 1897. It was large enough to hold 1,400 people.
Important Meetings and Challenges
In 1897, Kesher Israel hosted one of the first big Zionist meetings in the United States. This happened after Theodor Herzl held the First Zionist Congress in Switzerland. Kesher Israel became an important meeting place for early Zionists in Philadelphia.
On December 4, 1919, a fire started in the synagogue's basement heater. It damaged the main worship area, hallways, and other rooms. The damage cost about $1,500 to fix. Luckily, no one was hurt. People living nearby helped save important holy objects from the building.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the building started to fall apart. The roof leaked for 20 years, causing a hole in the ceiling. Fixing the ceiling cost $80,000. Much of this money came from grants to help preserve historic buildings.
By 1995, Kesher Israel needed many repairs. The ceiling, stained glass windows, bricks, and stone all needed work. In 1998, a member named Michael Yaron donated $2 million to the synagogue. This money was used to renovate the entire building. The renovations started in January 1998 and were finished by September 1998.
Harry Boonin wrote a book about the synagogue's history in 2007. It is called The Life and Times of Congregation Kesher Israel. Mitchell Romirowsky has been the synagogue's interim rabbi since 2018.
See also
