Kesher Israel

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Not to be confused with Kesher Israel Congregation (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania).
Kesher Israel
Location: 2801 N Street NW
Washington, D.C.
Area: Georgetown Historic District
Built: 1931
Architectural style: Spanish Colonial Revival Style
Governing body: Private
Part of: Georgetown Historic District (#67000025)
Added to NRHP: May 28, 1967[1]

Kesher Israel (also known as The Georgetown Synagogue[2]) is an Orthodox synagogue located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.[3] Writer and professor Barry Freundel is the Congregation's rabbi.

Contents

History [edit]

Kesher Israel was founded in 1910, thus becoming the seventh synagogue organized in Washington, D.C.[4] In 1915, the Congregation acquired, renovated, and began to meet in a building on the location of the present synagogue, located at 2801 N Street, NW, which was constructed in 1931.[4][5] The synagogue is a contributing property to the Georgetown Historic District, a National Historic Landmark, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[5]

The synagogue gained notoriety when its Rabbi, Philip Yerucham Fishel Aryeh Rabinowitz, was murdered in his home on March 2, 1984.[4]

During the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Kesher Israel attracted media attention when a member, Senator Joseph Lieberman, was selected as the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States.[6][7] When the Senate schedules important votes on Shabbat, Lieberman walks nearly five miles from the synagogue to the United States Capitol, a trek made over 25 times during his Senate career.[8]

Notable members [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. 
  2. ^ Olitzky, Kerry M. (1996). The American Synagogue: A Historical Dictionary and Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 91. ISBN 0-313-28856-9. 
  3. ^ Young, Gayle (August 6, 2005). "House-Hunting, Religiously". The Washington Post. pp. F01. Retrieved December 31, 2009. 
  4. ^ a b c Garfinkle, Martin (2005). The Jewish Community of Washington, D.C. Arcadia Publishing. p. 13. ISBN 0-7385-4156-7. 
  5. ^ a b "District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites". Government of the District of Columbia. September 2004. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  6. ^ a b c Broadway, Bill (2000-08-12). "Candidate's Synagogue in The Spotlight. Congregation Was Booming Before Lieberman Got the Nod. So Now What?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
  7. ^ Goodstein, Laurie (2000-08-18). "Democrats: The Observances. Lieberman Balances Private Faith With Life in the Public Eye". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-04-27. 
  8. ^ Bolton, Alexander (December 5, 2009). "Lieberman faces a long, chilly walk to Saturday's healthcare debate". The Hill. Retrieved December 31, 2009. 
  9. ^ Lowenfeld, Jonah (June 8, 2010). "Flotillas, a New Center and Other Questions for Peter Beinart". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Retrieved July 13, 2010. 
  10. ^ Greenberg, Richard (April 19, 2009). "Man on a mission: Baruch Weiss and the search for justice". Washington Jewish Week (Jewish Telegraphic Agency). Retrieved December 31, 2009. 
  11. ^ a b c Cikins, Warren (2005). In Search of Middle Ground. Devora Publishing. p. 55. ISBN 1-932687-46-7. 
  12. ^ Tanenhaus, Sam (1999-01-24). "Wayward Intellectual Finds God". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kesher Israel

Coordinates: 38°54′25″N 77°03′25″W / 38.906864°N 77.057054°W / 38.906864; -77.057054

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