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 Jewish place of worship, called a synagogue, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a special community for people who follow Conservative Judaism. This synagogue is a lively place. It holds services for Shabbat (the Jewish day of rest) and other important holidays. It also has a Hebrew school for kids, classes for adults, and many community events.
Contents
History
From Church to Synagogue
The building that is now Congregation Kesher Israel has a long history. It was first built in 1796 as a church. This church was for the first Independent Church of Christ. A person named Joseph Priestley helped inspire this church. He sometimes came to preach there.
The original church building was quite large. It stretched about 80 feet (24 meters) along Lombard Street. It was also 50 feet (15 meters) deep. There were five arched openings facing the street. A path led from the street to a graveyard behind the church. The church stopped using this building by 1887.
A New Beginning as a Synagogue
In 1883, a Jewish group called Bnai Jacob synagogue was formed. They bought the empty church building in 1889. They changed it into a synagogue. Before the sale, the Unitarian Society moved the graves from the churchyard. They were reburied in a cemetery called Fernwood Cemetery.
Another local Jewish group, Rodephe Tzedek, joined with Bnai Jacob in 1894. Together, they created a new congregation called Kesher Israel. The official paperwork for Kesher Israel was approved in July 1894. A historian named Henry Morias wrote about this new group. He noted that the building would be made larger and changed.
On January 24, 1897, the new synagogue building was officially opened. It was big enough to hold 1,400 people.
Important Events and Challenges
In the fall of 1897, a major meeting for Zionism took place at Kesher Israel. This was one of the first large Zionist meetings in the United States. It happened after Theodor Herzl held the First Zionist Congress. Kesher Israel became a key meeting spot for early Zionists in Philadelphia.
On December 4, 1919, a fire started in the basement heater. It damaged the main worship area and other rooms. The total damage was about $1,500. Luckily, no one was hurt. People living nearby helped save important holy items 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 this hole cost $80,000. Much of this money came from grants to help preserve historic buildings.
By 1995, the synagogue needed many repairs. The ceiling, stained glass windows, bricks, and stone work all needed fixing.
In 1998, a member named Michael Yaron gave $2 million to the synagogue. This generous gift helped pay for major renovations. The work started in January 1998. By September 1998, the project was finished. The congregation celebrated the completion of the beautiful new space.
Harry Boonin wrote a book about the synagogue's history in 2007. It was called The Life and Times of Congregation Kesher Israel. Mitchell Romirowsky has been the synagogue's interim rabbi since 2018.
See also
