Kesher Israel Congregation (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)
| Kesher Israel Congregation | |
|---|---|
| Basic information | |
| Location | 2500 N. Third Street, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States |
| Geographic coordinates | 40°17′09″N 76°53′57″W / 40.28576°N 76.89925°WCoordinates: 40°17′09″N 76°53′57″W / 40.28576°N 76.89925°W |
| Affiliation | Orthodox Judaism |
| Rite | Ashkenazi |
| Country | United States of America |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Active |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| Completed | 1949 |
| Construction cost | $325,000 |
| Capacity | 800 |
Kesher Israel Congregation is an Orthodox synagogue in the Uptown neighborhood of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1902, it is officially affiliated with the Orthodox Union.
There is some discrepancy about the early name of the congregation. In the annals of the Chisuk Emuna Synagogue, an Orthodox synagogue in Harrisburg from which members split off to form Kesher Israel, the new congregation was called Chasseur Israel. According to a "Golden Book" produced for the congregation's 15th anniversary, the congregation went by the name Keser Israel (Hebrew: כתר ישראל, "Crown of Israel") in both Hebrew and English. However, a listing of rabbis and Jewish educators in United States colleges, published in the 1917 American Jewish Yearbook, identifies the congregation as "Kesher Israel". One explanation is that the "s" and "sh" sounds were conflated in the Lithuanian Yiddish pronunciation of the time.
Kesher Israel was established on October 1, 1902 by breakaway members of Chisuk Emuna B'nai Russia Synagogue. One reason for the split was feuding among synagogue members; another was dissatisfaction with Chisuk Emuna's insistence on maintaining "Old World" Lithuanian synagogue customs in America. For example, Chisuk Emuna conducted all synagogue business in Yiddish rather than English. The breakaway members believed that American culture could and should be integrated into the Orthodox practice of the synagogue. Ironically, Chisuk Emuna would eventually become a Traditional Conservative synagogue, while Kesher Israel remained Orthodox.
For its first synagogue location, Kesher Israel purchased a Baptist mission church (originally the First Free Baptist Church) at Fourth and State Streets, opposite the Pennsylvania State Capitol, for a cost of $11,500. In late 1903, members of the Chevra Talmud Torah (Talmud Torah Society) joined Kesher Israel. From 1910 to 1916 a Hasidic congregation, Machzikei Hadas, held its services in the basement of the Kesher Israel building. Kesher Israel opened a Talmud Torah in 1908 which served all Jewish residents in the city.
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