Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel has a remarkable history.
From its modest origins in 1847 as Philadelphia’s fourth synagogue to becoming this area’s first Reform synagogue to the dramatic decision to call the country’s leading rabbinic abolitionist to its pulpit in the middle of the Civil War, to the founding of an agricultural college, to its leading role in the history of Reform Judaism and Reform Jewish music, and to its incredible history of rabbinic and intellectual leadership, KI truly has no peer.
Broad Street and Columbia Avenue,
Philadelphia
Some of America’s most illustrious Jewish families from the Annenbergs to the Guggenheims to the Rosenwalds have also called KI their spiritual home. Indeed, KI has much to be proud of and to preserve for the future. In the 1970s, KI organized a professional archive that now contains 100,000 pages of original documentation.
This website, Kipah.org, is the gateway to our Archives and past. We invite you to explore, discover and learn! Contact us for specific inquiries about our archive.
Visit the Keneseth Israel Website
IN THE NEWS
In addition to its Collection and Website, KIPAH is involved in a wide array of public history projects and events.
NEWS: Stained Glass: The Neumann Chapel at Keneseth Israel, Elkins Park
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NEWS: Keneseth Israel, the “Other” Mid-Century Modern Synagogue in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania
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NEWS: Temple Judea Museum Unveils Teddy Roosevelt Exhibit
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