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Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel (Philadelphia)

1847 establishments in Pennsylvania20th-century synagogues in the United StatesClassical Reform JudaismGerman-Jewish culture in PennsylvaniaJewish German history
Jewish organizations established in 1847Jews and Judaism in PennsylvaniaOrganizations based in PhiladelphiaReform synagogues in PennsylvaniaReligious buildings and structures in Montgomery County, PennsylvaniaSynagogues completed in 1956Use mdy dates from December 2023
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel.Front view
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel.Front view

Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, abbreviated as KI, is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park, just outside the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. Founded in Philadelphia in 1847, it is the sixth oldest Reform congregation in the United States, and, by 1900, it was one of the largest Reform congregations in the United States. The synagogue was at a number of locations in the city before building a large structure on North Broad Street in 1891, until 1956 when it moved north of the city to suburban Elkins Park. The congregation has been led by eight rabbis since its first rabbi commenced in 1861 – and most have been prominent both in the Reform Jewish movement and in other areas of American culture. Rabbi David Einhorn was the most prominent Jewish opponent of slavery when the Civil War began, and from that point on KI was known as the "Abolitionist Temple." Its third rabbi, Joseph Krauskopf was the founder of the Delaware Valley University and was a friend of President Theodore Roosevelt. The fifth rabbi, Bertram Korn was the author of the leading book on Jewish participation in the American Civil War, served as chaplain in the Naval Reserves, and was the first Jewish Chaplain to achieve the rank of a Flag officer in any of the armed forces, when he became a Rear Admiral in 1975. The sixth rabbi, Simeon Maslin served as president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis from 1995 to 1997. The current rabbi, Dr Lance Sussman is an historian and the author of numerous books on American Jewish history. Prominent members of the congregation include Judges Arlin Adams, Edward R. Becker, Jan E. DuBois, and Horace Stern, members of the Gimbel family, and businessmen Lessing Rosenwald, William S. Paley, Simon Guggenheim, and Walter Hubert Annenberg. Albert Einstein accepted an honorary membership in 1934.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel (Philadelphia) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel (Philadelphia)
Old York Road, Cheltenham Township

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 40.0859 ° E -75.1273 °
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Address

Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel

Old York Road 8389
19027 Cheltenham Township
Pennsylvania, United States
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Phone number

call(215)8878700

Website
kenesethisrael.org

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Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel.Front view
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel.Front view
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Nearby Places

Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

Elkins Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is split between Cheltenham and Abington Townships in the northern suburbs outside of Philadelphia, which it borders along Cheltenham Avenue roughly 7 miles (11 km) from Center City. It is four station stops from Center City on Septa Regional Rail. It was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census. Historically Elkins Park was home to Philadelphia's early 20th century business elite, among them John B. Stetson, John Wanamaker, Henry W. Breyer, Jay Cooke, William Lukens Elkins and Peter A.B. Widener. In the later 20th century it was home to Ralph J. Roberts, co-founder of Comcast, as well as to the Gimbels family, founders of the department store chain. Today it remains home to many gilded age mansions such as Lynnewood Hall, a 110-room, neoclassical estate, the Elkins Estate presently being restored as a hotel-spa, distillery and events center and the Henry West Breyer Sr. House, the former residence of the ice cream magnate which now serves as the Cheltenham Township Municipal building.In 2018 New York Magazine described Elkins Park as "an old, elegant neighborhood of close-clustered homes". It is notable for its varied architectural styles (among them: Modern, American colonial and Dutch colonial, Queen Anne, English Cottage and Tudor) its wealth of homes designed by renowned 19th and 20th century architects such as Horace Trumbauer, Louis Kahn and Robert A.M. Stern and its diversity of religious institutions. With six synagogues it also makes up the foundation of the "Old York Road Corridor" of the Philadelphia area Jewish community, supported by the approximately 25,000 Jews in the Cheltenham-Jenkintown-Abington region. Seasonally Elkins Park hosts a variety of religious and cultural festivals such as the "Taste of Greece" food festival, the Romanian food festival, the Serbian food festival, various Jewish festivals such as a multi-congregation Purim celebration, and arts festivals like "Arts in the Park".Though distinct communities, the neighborhoods of Melrose Park and historic La Mott share a postal code with Elkins Park.