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Congregation Kesher Israel is based in one of the most historic houses of worship in the United States, and it is located in the Society Hill section of Philadelphia.
Originally constructed in 1796 as the First Independent Church of Christ, it became the First Universalist Church sometime thereafter, and then in 1889, the house of worship was converted into the Kesher Israel synagogue, which served many Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe.
The History as a Church
When John Adams was serving as the Vice President of the United States, Adams sat in the pews of this historic house of worship.
On January 14, 1840, Joseph Smith spoke at the Philadelphia Conference of The Church of Latter-day Saints which met at the First Independent Church of Christ, and at that conference, Smith preached from the Book of Mormon.
The History as a Synagogue
In the Fall of 1897, the first large Zionist meeting in the United States met at Kesher Israel right after Theodor Herzl, the founder of the modern Zionism movement, had convened the First Zionist Congress in Basle Switzerland.
Additional Information
Historic Kesher Israel
412 Lombard Street
Philadelphia, PA 19147
215.922.1776
