Tribute Journal

REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL ring Celebration WeekSp end M AY 4th - 7th, 2 0 1 7 CELEBRATING OUR HISTORIC 170th BIRTHDAY HONORING THE ONGREGATION 20 celebrating 17 KI \"Century Club\" REFORM C years MEMBER FAMILILES FOR ISRAEL • 18 100 YEARS or MORE 47 • KENESETH

Inside Cover TBDDoes the book need a Table of Contents?

REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL ring Celebration WeekSp end M AY 4th - 7th, 2 0 1 7 CELEBRATING OUR HISTORIC 170th BIRTHDAY HONORING THE ONGREGATION 20 celebrating 17 KI \"Century Club\" REFORM C years MEMBER FAMILILES FOR ISRAEL • 100 YEARS or MORE 18 47 • KENESETH

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend CELEBRATIONCommittee & Chairs Anne Brown Cantor Amy E. Levy Dick Brown Arnold Meshkov Fredlyn Brown Norma Meshkov Betty Cohen Diane Miller Lynore Eisman Murray MillerRobin Fine-Furman Rabbi Stacy Rigler Marc Furman Brian RissingerLiz Kaufman-Taylor Diane Rosenthal Leah Kimmet Jim Rosenthal Ann Klein Cohen Peter Soloff Dottie Klein Evonne Kruger Rabbi Lance J. Sussman Karen Langsfeld Liz Sussman Tracy Werner Andrea Yarnoff2 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 Celebration Chairs Denise Soloff & Robert Roseman Patron Dessert Reception Donna & Stefan Keller Scotch Tasting Carey & Robert Roseman Silent Auction Sue & Gary Fried Tribute Journal Mark Pitkow Janice Schwartz-Donahue David Pinsky Elaine Pitkow Karen Sirota Jack Myers Jaimie ShmelzerShabbat Dinner & Celebration Oneg Sonnie Katz & Patricia Nino Sunday Event Bonnie Klein Marketing Partners Paradigm Digital Color Graphics1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 3

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend Dear Friends, One of the main reasons I decided to come to KI sixteen years ago was because of the congregation’s illustrious past. The idea of working at a historic synagogue with rabbinic predecessors like David Einhorn and Joseph Krauskopf was thrilling to me. Although I had an inkling of the depth of KI’s heritage, itRabbi Lance J. Sussman was not until I was here and could begin to explore the congregation’s past through its richarchives that I became fully aware of how incredible our congregation’spast has been. The opportunity to celebrate KI’s 170th year has madethat historic quest even more urgent.It would take a veritable encyclopedia of KI history to fully detail ourcongregation’s story. From modest origins as Philadelphia’s fourthsynagogue, to this area’s first reform synagogue, to the dramaticdecision to call the country’s leading rabbinic abolitionist to its pulpit,to the founding of an Orphan’s Guardians’ Society and the foundingof an agricultural college, to its leading role in the history of ReformJudaism and Reform Jewish music and to its incredible history ofrabbinic and intellectual leadership, KI truly has no peer. Some ofAmerica’s most illustrious Jewish families from the Annenbergs’ to theGuggenheims’ to the Rosenwalds’ have also called KI their spiritualhome. Indeed, we have so much to be proud of and to preserve forthe future.4 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017More than anything else, it is the future of KI and Judaism inAmerica which is foremost today. We are the incubator, the cradle,the nursery of tomorrow’s progressive Judaism in the UnitedStates. Our educational and youth programs from Preschoolto Confirmation are second to none. We strive toward studentengagement and longitudinal commitment. I believe we aresucceeding. Our students are both well prepared and enthusiasticabout Jewish life as adults. For them and for our ancestors, we needto keep striving beyond our 170th to the distant future.At KI, we are very blessed to have both a rich past and promisingfuture. Today, we celebrate and renew ourselves. Tomorrow, itis back to the sacred work of teaching, nurturing and growingJudaism. At KI, we do it with love in our hearts and smiles onour faces.Thank you for your continued commitment to ReformCongregation Keneseth Israel!Sincerely,Rabbi Lance J. Sussman, Ph.D. 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 5

2017 Spring Celebration WeekendCantor Amy E. Levy Dear Friends, Mazal Tov on this wonderful honor of being part of our “Century Club.” Over the last 170 years our synagogue has had the vision to build a legacy for each generation to come. Like the music of our people, we have evolved through changing times, and we express the melody that resonates within this time. We are a synagogue, a community that answers the call for healing, prayer, comfort, learning, and social justice.Thank you for continuing to be a part of our rich andbeautiful legacy. Thank you for understanding the significance ofmembership and commitment to our community. May the light of the sanctuary shine on all of the memories you have inyour heart and remind you of the blessings that we share at KI.I pray that you always know the gift of continuity, that you are part of achain, generation to generation, that says:“Ashreinu Ma Tov Chelkeinu” - We are happy because of heritage, andour heritage causes us deep and meaningful happiness forever.With much love and appreciation,Cantor Amy E. Levy6 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 Dear Keneseth Israel, According to the archives “The purpose of the school [is] to bring pure religion to the minds of our youth and with careful cultivation to fill the hearts of our children with love and respect for their hereditary beliefs.” Though much has changed (including the German instruction, one teacher for 70 students, and annual exams, the core has stayed the same. For the past fourteen Rabbi Stacy Rigler years I have tried to do my part to fulfill this purpose. My work here at KI has been fulfilling,challenging, and a true blessing in my life.Wherever I go I speak about the tremendous honor that Peter and Ihave had to serve a congregation that is 170 years old. The traditionand heritage of this holy congregation lead to a rich, vibrant culturethat exceeded any of my expectations when I arrived.We are blessed with an amazing facility and with warm, sincere, anddedicated congregants who are diverse, creative, and inspirational. Iam honored each day to serve with a team of colleagues who are ascommitted to their work as our founders were, and who aretrue mensches.Congratulations Keneseth Israel on the 170th Anniversary and to allour congregants whose families have been a part of KI for 100 plusyears. It is a true commitment to the Jewish communityof Philadelphia.Rabbi Stacy Eskovitz Rigler 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 7

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend Senior Staff Letters..... text here Brian Rissinger8 • R E F O R M C O N G R E G A T I O N K E N E S E T H LIiSzRSAusEsLman

May 4th - 7th, 2017 Senior Staff Letters..... text hereLiz Sussman 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 9

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend Dear Generations of KI, I clearly remember when we discussed the theme for our 170th anniversary celebration last spring, I expressed my opinion that the focus should be directly on us, the members and our stories. Rabbi Sussman suggested Toledot, the Generations of KI. Each of us is part of the chain of members who shaped and guided Keneseth Israel through seventeen decades. Whether youhave been a member for four generations, four years, or four months,you are part of the Generations of KI.Every day our members step forward to serve on our boards, volunteerfor social action projects, sing in the choir, help with school projects,assistant in the library, facilitate adult education programs , supportthe museum and concerts, attend our many services and programs–the list can go on and on. We are an engaged synagogue. As we allknow, however, it takes a combination of volunteer talent, participation,dues and charitable contributions to operate effectively. The realityis that each year we need to raise an increasing amount of funds tosupplement our dues.I thank all of the many volunteers who have given so much of theirtime and talents organizing and executing this Spring Celebration ofthe Generations of KI under the leadership of Denise Soloff and RobertRoseman, our incredible chairs; and those whohave contributed to this book. I also thank all who have participatedin our Spring Celebration. Collectively you make Keneseth Israel sucha wonderful inclusive relevant synagogue dedicated to meeting theneeds of our members, the Jewish community, andour local community.Thank youEvonne Jonas Kruger, Ph.D.President, Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel10 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 Congratulations! COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA OFFICE OF THE GOVERNORGREETINGS: It is my honor to join with the Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel of Philadelphia incelebration of your 170th anniversary. 170 years ago, Keneseth Israel was founded as the first Reform synagogue in thePhiladelphia area. Since then, it has served its members and its community well, leaving anindelible impact on the hearts and minds of everyone its work has touched. By providing religiousservices, educating preschoolers, and helping to manage a collaborative of Jewish schools in thearea, Keneseth Israel is a tremendous benefit to the Reform Jewish community. In addition, therabbis of this congregation will long be remembered for founding Delaware Valley University,standing up for civil rights, and being noted scholars and teachers at some of our nation’s mostdistinguished universities. The synagogue has also supported a music program that has producedsome of the most influential and moving Jewish liturgical pieces played in the United States. I amsure that all of you are filled with pride when reflecting upon the contributions your rabbis andsynagogue community have made to our nation and our commonwealth. I am confident thatKeneseth Israel will be an inspiration to others for years to come. As Governor, and on behalf of all citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I extendmy best wishes to the members of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel for a memorable 170thanniversary celebration. TOM WOLF Governor May 5, 2017 1 7 0225TMHainBCaIpiRtolTBuiHldinDg | AHarYrisbuhrg,oPAn17o12r0 i| 7n17g.787T.25H00 |EFaxK717I.77“2.8C28E4 |NwwTw.pUa.gRov Y C L U B ” • 1 1

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend Congratulations!12 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 Congratulations!1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 1 3

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend Congratulations! Rabbi Simeon J. Maslin 1420 Locust Street, Apt. 9-I Philadelphia, PA 19102 Phone: 215-546-6664, Email: [email protected] Dear Members of the Keneseth Israel Family: Your venerable Rabbi Emeritus is something of an authority on venerable congregations. As many of you know, I served for five years as rabbi of the oldest congregation in the Western Hemisphere, Congregation Mikve Israel-Emanuel of Curacao. From there I was called to Chicago’s KAM Temple. The initialsKAM stand for Kehillat Anshe Maarav, i.e. Congregation of the Men of the West. Back in1847, the year that KAM was founded (and, coincidentally, the year that KI was founded), theresidents of Chicago thought of themselves as Jewish pioneers of the west, in contrast to thealready well-established Jewish communities in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and elsewherealong the eastern seaboard. To further support my claim of authority in the area of venerableinstitutions, I am a graduate of both the oldest university and the oldest rabbinical seminaryin America.If you were to add up the ages of all those venerable institutions, you would arrive at a figurewell over one thousand years, a millennium, almost forever. And with that word “forever” wecome to the theme of this message of congratulations. The thing that I have enjoyed the mostin the now sixty years of my rabbinic career has been teaching. So now, a lesson.There is an arcane Jewish pseudo-science called Gematria. It consists of figuring out thenumerical value of Hebrew words and relating those words to other words of equal numericvalue. As you may know, each Hebrew letter has a numerical value; for example, alef equals one,bet equals two, yod equals ten, kuf equals one hundred and so on. I have long enjoyed fiddlingaround with gematria, and so when I was invited to write a letter for this 170th year journal,I immediately began looking for the Hebrew numerical equivalent for 170. Lo and behold, itis a Hebrew word that should be familiar to you – l’olam – forever, as in Baruch shem k’vodmalchuto l’olam va-ed or ki l’olam hasdo – God’s lovingkindness endures forever.And so this is my wish and my prayer for our beloved and venerable Congregation KenesethIsrael. May this sacred institution of prayer, assembly, learning and good deeds endure l’olam –forever, and may all the members of the Keneseth Israel family and their descendants l’olam beinspired to deeds of loving-kindness for the sake of humanity.Shalom14 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 Congratulations! People have often asked when I decided to become a rabbi. Perhaps they expected some revelation or flash of insight. None of that. The answer was Confirmation year here at KI We were blessed with outstanding teachers who saw the Confirmation year as a means of advancing our Jewish knowledge quotient in a serious way. Ezra Staples, Horace Stern and Rose Flomenhoft were gifted caring Jews who saw their mission to pass the flame of knowledge to the next generation. Rabbi Arnold Kaiman and Dr. Bert Korn, our rabbis, served as role models, a source of inspiration and were constantly challenging us. It was those Confirmation classes that awakenedthe feeling in me that led me to the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. I was fortunate tostay connected to KI after Confirmation through the synagogue youth group and then, whileat Temple University, advising KI’s youth group. That latter connection led to my involvementwith our Camp Harlam, a relationship that still stands.Throughout my undergraduate days K.I. was part of my life. I recall Rabbi Kaiman taking meto the CCAR convention in 1964, He introduced me to a professor of his from Cincinnati andtold me to take every one of the classes that Dr. Rivkin would teach, as the experience wouldbe educationally transformative. I did and he was. Likewise, I was blessed that Dr. Korn , whowas my sponsor to HUC, allowed me to do High Holy Day services, for what was then a smallcenter-city congregation. As an undergraduate I was honored to be asked to share the bimawith Dr. William Fineshriber.As I went through my HUC training, it was not unusual that a professor would refer to myselfand a few others as “KI boys”. The reputation of the congregation, as a place of integrity,scholarship and a pioneer in Reform Jewish life was well known at the college and aroundthe movement. Still today, as I travel for my work, I encounter native Philadelphians or thosewho know of the congregation and its reputation. I shall be eternally grateful for the Jewishfoundation this congregation provided me. It is and shall always be, my “home” congregation.Thank you.Rabbi Richard F. Address, D.MinJewish Sacred Aging®www.jewishsacredaging.com 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 1 5

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend Congratulations! Dear KI, It’s been a long time, old friend. Do you remember the Hebrew Bazooka chewing gum the gift shop used to sell? One time in third grade I used all my allowance to buy the entire box. I bet I could read those Hebrew comics, now. Do you remember when Janet used to run KIFTY Canteen and wewould all hang out before religious school? My mom used to take me and Alyssa to Fill-A-Bagelon our way to KI. I always got a toasted everything bagel with cream cheese and a Diet PeachSnapple. Mmmmmm. Do you remember my Bar Mitzvah where I called my Pop-Pop from thebimah because he couldn’t be there?Do you remember when my sixth grade class made a mosaic of the ten commandments? Isthat still hanging? I was proud of that. Do you remember Raymond, the Dallas Cowboys lovingsecurity guard? I miss our banter over his misguided sports affiliations.Do you remember when Rabbi Peter Rigler tried to convince me to be a rabbi at 16? I thoughthe was crazy. Now I’m almost ordained. Do you remember when we went to the Darfur Rally inDC? I brought my two best friends with us. They’re married now. Do you remember my Poppy’sfuneral, when I stood on the bimah and said goodbye?We’ve been through a lot. You taught me that being Jewish is fun and also challenging. Youtaught me that nothing is more important than your community. You taught me the power ofJewish ritual. You taught me to stand up for what I believe. You provided me with fearless rolemodels in Rabbi Sussman, Cantor Levy, and Rabbi Stacy. You led me, unbeknownst to myself,straight to the rabbinate.Thank you, KI. I’ll carry you with me forever. Happy 170th!Love,(Almost Rabbi) Alex Kress16 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 Congratulations!1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 1 7

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend Congratulations! Not only did KI shape my way to the Rabbinate as a career, but it shaped my very existence.  My parents, who met and married at KI, were Samuel Cook, of blessed memory, who served KI as “Rabbi,” and my mother Ray M. Cook, who served as your music director -- both around 1940.   Rabbi Michael J. Cook, Ph.D. Bronstein Prof. of Judeo-Christian Studies W: Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion 3101 Clifton Avenue Cincinnati, OH  4522018 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

170 YEARS OF HISTORYKeneseth Israel

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend Hazak, Hazak v’NitHazaik: A BRIEF HISTORY OF KENESETH ISRAEL, 1847-2017 Rabbi Lance J. Sussman, Ph.D. Senior RabbiThere is an old and venerable custom in the synagogue that when a Book of the Torahis completed, the congregation calls out “Hazak, Hazak v’NitHazaik.” It means, “bestrong, be strong and let us strengthen one another.” As we now celebrate our 170thyear as a congregation, it would seem particularly appropriate to use these samewords as we look back at where we have come from and then turn to the future for thework ahead. To better understand our journey and the new road before us, a new andcontextually enhanced history of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, 1847-2017, isin order.The founding of Keneseth Israel is best understood in the context of a sharp increasein Jewish immigration from Germany to the United States during the 1840s. Insearch of a spiritual home for themselves and other new immigrants, nearly 50 Ger-man Jewish families not fully at ease in Philadelphia’s three existing synagogue metearly in March 1847 to create a “synagogue for everybody,” that is, Keneseth Israel, the“Assembly of [All of] Israel” to suggest a new spirit of inclusivity for the city’s mostrecently arrived Jewish immigrants. Led by an intellectual entrepreneur and news-paper publisher, Julian Stern, they quickly attracted other immigrants from Bavaria,mostly owners of small businesses, and launched a lay led traditional German stylesynagogue. An education program for children was established in 1849.The prior year, 1848, witnessed liberal revolutions across Europe. Jewish politicalactivists, particularly from Germany, increasingly sought asylum in the United Statesbringing their liberal politics with them. Closely associated with their progressivepolitical views was their interest in religious reform. By 1855, a small group of Jew-ish religious liberals in Philadelphia came together to create a Reform Religious Soci-ety. The ever adroit Julius Stern reached out to them and offered them a home at KI.Apparently Stern correctly understood the internal evolution of his synagogue andthe two groups easily combined forces. A rapid process of Reform from within hadbegun and proved irrepressible. A combined effort to recruit one of Europe’s leadingReform rabbis, David Einhorn, to lead them failed. Although Einhorn decided to20 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017go to Baltimore, he remained in touch with KI and helped them arrange to bring themusic of the emerging European Reform movement to KI with its emphasis on mixedchoirs and organ arrangements. The same year, KI published a German languagehymnal to promote congregational singing. The practice of Confirmation was ad-opted in 1859 and in the following year, 1860, KI adopted Einhorn’s radical Germanprayer book, Olat Tamid, and used it for its services for nearly 30 years.As American politics polarized around the issues of slavery, states’ rights and union,pro-South Baltimore became increasingly inhospitable to Rabbi Einhorn. KI, nowheaded by an Abolitionist President, Abraham Kaufman, successfully recruited Ein-horn (1809-1879) in 1861. Unrestrained by his new congregation, Einhorn spoke force-fully against slavery and attracted members to the congregation. In 1864, with theCivil War raging, KI built its first major building at North Sixth and Marshall Streets,an impressive structure in the heart of Philadelphia’s German Jewish neighborhood.Known as the “Abolitionist Temple,” it later became a Labor Lyceum hall and servedas a major venue for organized labor and progressive politics in Philadelphia forseveral generations.The year after giving his historic eulogy for the slain President Lincoln (in German),Einhorn left Philadelphia for New York in search of a larger venue for his work. Hewas succeeded by an equally distinguished but even more radical Reform rabbi,Dr. Samuel Hirsch (1815-1889) Hirsch, who had been serving as the Chief Rabbi ofLuxembourg, was well known for his advanced philosophical writings on ReformJudaism. Although related to Einhorn through the marriage of their children, thetwo men did not get along and had a heated public disagreement over Hirsch’s liberalview of rabbinic officiation at mixed marriages. Hirsch hosted the first nationalmeeting of reform rabbis in the United States in his Philadelphia home in 1869 atwhich the two men further collided. They also disagreed about membership in thenewly formed Union of American Hebrew Congregations which KI finally joinedin 1878, five years after it was first organized. Neither Hirsch nor Einhorn cared forthe UAHC’s founder, Rabbi Isaac M Wise nor his more moderate view of AmericanReform Judaism. Hirsch also founded the first American chapter of the internationalFrench relief organization, the Alliance Israelite Universelle (first established in 1860by Adolphe Cremiuex), and a local Orphans’ Guardian Society, the first of KI’s manylocal social justice projects. In 1887, Hirsch was compelled to retire by the congrega-tion and moved to join his son, Emil Hirsch, a leading reform rabbi in Chicago, where 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 2 1

2017 Spring Celebration Weekendhe died two years later.By the 1880s, the cultural situation of Philadelphia and of KI was changing rapidly.Within the congregation, the adult children of the founding generation wanted thecongregation to adopt their native English as the language of congregational busi-ness and worship and externally, increasing numbers of East European Jews werebeginning to arrive in Philadelphia, first through Port Dickinson and later throughthe Emigration State at Pier 53 in South Philly. Moreover, KI’s membership was phys-ically on the move gravitating westward to N. Broad in and around the new campusof Temple University. North Broad was quickly becoming the “Fifth Ave” of Philadel-phia and was attracting numerous Jewish and cultural organizations. By contrast, thewestern suburbs beyond City Avenue were restricted and unavailable to Jewish settle-ment. The time had arrived to reinvent KI from a German immigrant to an Americancongregation in Philadelphia’s rapidly growing affluent North Broad Street corridor.The person chosen to lead the transformation of the congregation was a young,energetic rabbi, Joseph Krauskopf (1858-1923) German born but American raised,Krauskopf was committed to the radical reform program of Einhorn and Hirsch butrecast as a modern American expression of Judaism. Already well known for hispublic speaking abilities and popular publications, Krauskopf, a graduate of thefirst ordination class of the Hebrew Union College (1883) was a bold proponent ofevolution and did not object to the critical study of the Bible like the President of hisrabbinic school. Before coming to KI, Krauskopf had already sparked the writing ofthe classic statement of contemporary Reform Judaism, the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform,and was involved in a number of social welfare projects as rabbi of B’nai Jeshurun inKansas City.Arriving in Philadelphia in 1887, the young Krauskopf went right to work and in timebecame KI’s longest serving rabbi. He edited his own prayer book, an English lan-guage anthology vastly more radical than both Einhorn’s Olat Tamid and the soonto be standard Reform prayer book, the old Union Prayer Book, first issued in 1892.Under Krauskopf, KI remained a ritually unique Reform congregation . His weeklySunday discourses attracted thousands of listeners and were then published and soldon the street. Seemingly in perpetual motion, Krauskopf revived Philadelphia’sdefunct Jewish Publication Society turning it into America’s premier publisher ofclassic Jewish texts and contributed to its classic 1917 English translation of Hebrew22 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017scriptures.Under Krauskopf’s leadership, KI moved to North Broad above Columbia where itbuilt a massive Vatican like structure with a 1700 seat sanctuary. A educational annexwas subsequently built which also housed a “Free Library” in anticipation of Phila-delphia’s public library system. Within the Jewish community, KI demonstratedconsiderable influence as when one its leading members, Jacob Gimbel of the GimbelDepartment Store family, became the first President of the Philadelphia JewishFederation in 1903. Despite his radical Reform religious beliefs, Krauskopf too wasactive with all sectors of Philadelphia Jewish life and played a leading role in the firstAmerican Jewish Congress held in Philadelphia late in 1918 in preparation for theParis Peace talks at the end of World War I. Nearly 100 KI members served in theAmerican military during the war to end all wars. Five were killed.Krauskopf was a world traveller. He visited Germany regularly, India as well as theearly kibbutzim in Turkish Palestine and reported on this travels regularly. His mostfamous trip, however, was to Czarist Russia in 1894. Concerned about the increasingtide of East European Jewish immigrants to the United States, Krauskopf hoped tocreate a reverse flow immigration into Siberia. Having failed to convince the Russiangovernment of his plans, he sought the support of the great Russian novelist, LeoTolstoy. Meeting at Tolstoy’s estate south of Moscow, the Russian Count convincedKrauskopf to encourage Jewish immigrants to America to go into farming and tohelp them by opening a Farm School. In 1896, Krauskopf opened his school, now theDelaware Valley University, near Doylestown, PA. It became the outstanding Jewishsponsored agricultural program in the United States as well as a general social upliftprogram and scientific education program. Today, “Del Val” and KI remain historical-ly connected, one of the great partnerships in the American Jewish experience.A progressive in every respect, Krauskopf maintained a personal relationship withPresident Theodore Roosevelt. A full scale 1919 Roosevelt Memorial Window, advisedby Philadelphia artist Violet Oakley remains on display in the KI Lobby to this day.Under Krauskopf, the role of women in the congregation expanded as well; first, asteachers in the Sunday School and later as Trustees of the Congregation. The KI Sis-terhood was founded on his watch as well in 1912, one year before the creation of theNational Federation of Temple Sisterhoods. In 1923, a Men’s Club was formed at KI toreinvigorate religious life among the congregation’s adult males as well. 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 2 3

2017 Spring Celebration WeekendKI’s golden years on N Broad Street were fortified by the work of two long term Pres-idents. Alfred Klein served from 1903 to 1922. He was followed by Joseph J. Hage-dorn who presided over the Trustees from 1922 to 1938. Their long tenures, paralleledby the long tenures of the rabbis with whom they worked afforded the congregationunparalleled continuity and stability. Although historians of religion in America of-ten talk about an American religious depression in the 1920s and 1930s, first becauseof affluence and then because of the Depression, KI remained vigorous during theentire Interwar Period, a fortress of uptown Jewish life and faith.With the death of Rabbi Krauskopf in 1923, KI turned to its first American born rabbi,William Fineshriber. Born in St. Louis, Fineshriber (1878-1968) was educated at theHebrew Union College, Cincinnati and then settled in Memphis, Tennessee. AtCongregation Children of Israel, Fineshriber achieved national fame for his progres-sive role during the Scopes Trial and in his courageous battles against the Klu KluxKlan. Recruited by KI, Fineshriber took a number of steps to bring KI back into themainstream of Reform worship. First, he replaced the Krauskopf prayer book withthe Union Prayer Book. Second, in addition to choral music he hired Romanian bornBenjamin Grobani as the synagogue’s first Cantor. Together with Rabbi Louis Wol-sey of sister congregation Rodeph Shalom, he organized a “Normal School” for thetraining of teachers for Reform religious schools. Most significantly, in 1931 RabbiFineshriber restored the practice of Bar Mitzvah at KI. Ironically, Bertram W. Korn,later Fineshriber’s rabbinic successor, was one of his first Bar Mitzvah students onNorth Broad Street.Rabbi Fineshriber has several outstanding assistants. From 1925 to 1936, RabbiJulian Feibelman worked alongside Fineshriber at KI before going to Temple Sinaiwhere he excelled in interfaith and civil rights work. In 1937, Fineshriber invitedRabbi Sam Cook to serve as his assistant. Subsequently, Rabbi Cook became thefounder of the National Federation of Temple Youth. In 1938, he hired the first womanDirector of the KI Religious School, Rose Kohn, who in turn created the Elinor KohnTot Lot in memory of her daughter. The KI Tot Lot became a model of social servicesupport to Philadelphia’s indigent children during the Depression and beyond.At the national level, Fineshriber was involved as an ombudsman in labor negotia-tions in the textile industry as well as in a major business dispute at The Philadelphia24 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017Inquirer involving the Annenberg family who were then members of KI. He alsoplayed an important role in creating the ratings system for the American cinema.Much of Fineshriber’s correspondence with Sam Warner and other studio headsremains available in the KI Archives. His interest in movie ratings reflected a mixof concerns for good interfaith relations and promoting positive images of Jews infilms.Deeply concerned about domestic anti-semitism, KI did little during the Nazi era torescue European Jews. However, one 1913 KI Confirmand, Gilbert Kraus along withBrith Shalom lodge with the support of KI members like developer Albert M. Green-field were able to bring scores of Austrian Jewish children to the United States justprior to the outbreak of the war. In 1934, Rabbi Fineshriber reached out to AlbertEinstein who had recently settled in nearby Princeton, NJ and offered the famousscientist membership in the congregation. Einstein accepted and over a thousandpeople attended the special ceremony in which Einstein proclaimed that “destinyhad brought us together.”During the war, Fineshriber strongly supported “the win the war effort.” A MemorialChapel was established at the synagogue to support the numerous Gold Star KI fam-ilies. On the other hand, Fineshriber strongly objected to the creation of a JewishState on the grounds that it would compromise the political wellbeing of AmericanJews. It was a minority position within the larger Reform movement and was notwithout its challengers inside the congregation as well. Nevertheless, Fineshriberwas joined by leading KI congregant and President of Sears & Roebuck, Leesing Ros-enwald, as well as RS’ Rabbi Wolsley in supporting the anti-Zionist American Councilfor Judaism for several years. Fineshriber retired as Senior Rabbi in December, 1947and was made Rabbi Emeritus, a role in which he remained active until his death in1968.With World War II over and the State of Israel newly established, Reform Congrega-tion again found itself facing unprecedented challenges. Long term trends in Jewishresidential patterns in Philadelphia had carried the community up North BroadStreet and into Montgomery County. As early as 1930, Temple Judea, an indepen-dent offshoot of KI, was formed in West Oak Lane to provide closer access for He-brew School families. The synagogue functioned for 50 years before melding into KI.Post-war affiliation patterns significantly drove up membership, in part connected to 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 2 5

2017 Spring Celebration Weekendthe growing demand for Bar Mitzvah and by the 1970s, for Bat Mitzvah. Moreover, thesuburban synagogue was increasingly viewed as a social center for men, women, chil-dren and families necessitating a new kind of multi-functional suburban synagoguearchitecture.Where to locate KI became an increasingly important question after World War II.The Temple University location of the N. Broad Street facility was no longer cen-tral. A small population still remained in Center City and needed close access there.Temporary facilities for programming were found near the city line on CheltenhamAve and a joint venture with RS was opened in Elkins Park for youth and youngcouples programs. However, what was really needed was a new permanent location.The task fell to Arlin M. Adams (1921-2015) who became President of the synagoguein 1955. Adams was a young attorney and later would serve as a distinguished Federaljudge. Basically, there were three options: 1. build in town near the art museum andwait for the population to return 2. create a center near the juncture of West OakLane and Cheltenham to catch new population leaving the city or 3. find a locationin Elkins Park on the Old York Road Corridor. Despite its close proximity to the newFrank Lloyd Wright project of Beth Sholom Congregation, Elkins Park proved to bethe best place for the new KI and Adams secured a large corner property on the SEcorner of Routes 611 and 73.The new KI, the synagogue’s third major location, was formidable. With a foot printof over 100,000 square feet, it had a sanctuary with 1100 permanent seats, expandableto 2,500. The worship space was wired for live radio transmission. Its new audito-rium included a commercial grade kitchen and professional stage. The religiousschool included a permanent library with room for 10,000 books, a book bindery anda large youth lounge. The preschool included a large, sunken state of the art play-ground. The parking lot had over 300 spaces and a second chapel could accommo-date 120 worshippers on traditional wooden benches. As one architect later com-mented, “it seemed like an aircraft carrier!”The rabbi chosen to lead KI on the suburban frontier was one of its own, Betram W.Korn (1918-1979) Korn had grown up at KI. After ordination, he served as a Chaplainin the Pacific during World War II and subsequently became an Rear Admiral in theChaplain Reserve. Korn was also an original and productive scholar of AmericanJewish history and wrote the most important work on American Jews and the Civil26 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017War in addition to numerous other full scale research works and monographs, mostlyon 19th century American Jewish history. He also taught American Jewish history ata number of colleges and universities.Under Korn’s leadership, KI grew to its maximum membership of around 1800families. At one point, there was actually a waiting list to join the congregation. Anadditional auditorium and set of offices was built at the southern end of the buildingto accommodate the needs of the 1000-plus student religious school. Korn also sup-ported the new Reform summer camp program and encouraged KI families to sendtheir children to the Pocono based UAHC Joseph and Betty Harlam Camp-Institute,now an integral part of KI culture.Just before his death, Korn hired Rabbi Ruth N. Sandberg to head the KI ReligiousSchool. Educated at the Reconstructionist Rabbinic School, Sandberg was the firstwoman rabbi to work at KI. Subsequently, she was one of the first women in theUnited States to earn a PhD. in Talmud. Rabbi Sandberg studied under Prof. JudahGoldin at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1989, HUC ordained Shoshana Perrybecame the first ordained woman to work at KI as a pulpit rabbi.Rabbi Korn was a religious liberal but as a military person, was reserved aboutAmerica’s involvement in Vietnam and did not take a leading role in the Civil Rightsstruggle. Ironically, his scholarship debunked the myth of broad Jewish opposittin toslavery priory to the Civil War. On the other hand, Korn actively encouraged the con-gregation to become active in the securing of immigration rights for Soviet Jews andled a 90 member tour to Israel in 1969 and brought the congregation full circle intothe American Zionist camp. He was an outstanding interfaith activist and inspirednearly a dozen members of KI to follow him into the rabbinate.Perhaps the apex of Rabbi Korn’s career and the 20th century history of KI was theinstallation of the Sanctuary’s massive Jacob Landau Windows in 1974. Originallyenvisioned by the wife of President Louis Schwerin, Ruth Schwerin headed the effortto commission ten 23’ x 5’ monumental windows on the theme of “The PropheticQuest.” Modern, provocative and colorful, the windows added both beauty and reli-gious depth to the synagogue’s main worship space and are universally viewed as thesignature artistic expression of KI culture.Finally, under Korn’s leadership a proper synagogue Archives was established at KI. 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 2 7

2017 Spring Celebration WeekendToday, with over 100,000 pages of material, it is one of the largest, best organized ar-chives of its type. The organization of the Archives was headed up by member PhyllisSiche whose father, Sylvan Drucker, had served as President of KI, 1959-1961. Dr.Korn’s sister, Jean, also served as a long term, volunteer KI Archivist and publishedseveral volumes on Korn family history. Dr. Korn died unexpectedly during a visitto New Orleans to visit Rabbi Julian Feibelman in 1979. He was buried at ArlingtonNational Cemetery with full military honors.The last quarter of the 20th c was a time of profound transition for the Reformmovement in American Judaism and for KI. The process of suburbanization slowed,mixed marriage started rising, a counter culture growing out of the anti-VietnamWar movement was changing American society, a digital revolution was beginningand anti-Semitism in America was receding. Reform Judaism was changing too.Classical Reform was in retreat. Neo-traditionalism was unevenly growing and aphilosophy of “personal autonomy” was waxing. Issues of authority, authenticity andrelevance were being broadly debated.Into this uncertain mix, compounded by the loss in continuity following Rabbi Korn’sdeath, KI appointed Rabbi Simeon “Shim” Maslin (1931-) as its sixth senior rabbi.Harvard educated and descended from a distinguished Orthodox family, RabbiMaslin was well known as one of the outstanding rabbinic orator’s of his generator.A fiery opponent of the Orthodox establishment in Israel, Maslin also advocated forgreater tradition in American Reform Judaism. His book 1986, the Gates of Mitz-vah, quickly proved to be one of the most important religious texts of the Reformmovement in the 20th century. As President of the Central Conference of AmericanRabbis, Rabbi Maslin worked tirelessly to block the spread of rabbinic officiatiion atmixed marriages.Rabbi Maslin’s wife, Judith, served as the founding Director of KI’s Temple JudeaMuseum. Following the merger of Temple Judea into KI, a new home for the syna-gogue’s outstanding art collection was created in KI’s main lobby. Judith Maslin wassucceeded by Dr. Susan Isaacs. The Temple Judea Museum is currently headed byRita Rosen Poley who has also established a KI Artists Collaborative and is creatingan online catalogue of the Museum’s 4,000 objects. In 2015, Judith Maslin publishedRabbi and Judy: A Memoir, an autobiography of her life which provides remarkableinsights into the life of a clergy family and the social history of KI.28 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017Following his term as President of the CCAR, Rabbi Maslin retired from KI in 1997.Bradley N. Bleefeld followed briefly as the seventh senior rabbi before the synagogueentered into a period of uncertainty and transition. Thus, KI entered the 21st centurywith the full realization that “the times they are a changin.” The density of Jewishsettlement in the Old York Road corridor was beginning to diminish, particularlychallenging because of the intense amount of Jewish institutional infrastructure thathad been developed north of Cheltenham Ave since the 1950s. The demographicshift included an expansion of the most senior sector of the demographic spectrum.Second, the rate and longevity of congregational membership was, according to allnational surveys beginning to shrink from a lifetime commitment to a matter of a fewyears. Finally, mixed marriage was changing the cultural landscape of Jewish life andnew strategies both for inclusiveness and Jewish authenticity were needed.To meet these challenges and others head on, KI recruited Rabbi Lance J. Sussman,Ph.D. (1954- ) in 2001. A dual career rabbi teaching full time at Binghamton Universityin upstate New York and serving a medium size pulpit, Temple Concord, Sussmandeveloped a multi-prong approach to securing KI’s future. First, was to build on thecongregation’s long term commitment to first class programming in adult education,both sacred and classical music and the synagogue’s Art Museum. Second, Sussmanwas innovative in the areas of worship through the introduction of the country’s firstmajor “Visual Tefillot” program (services presented in power point form), live onlinestreaming and the development of a KI Puppet Program for the Preschool. Finally, asa historian Sussman reinvigorated the synagogue’s Archives and is seeking to makethe totality of KI’s rich past available online for professional researchers and casualusers alike. As a historian, Sussman is best known for his 1995 book, Isaac Leeser andthe Making of American Judaism. Sussman has also taught at Princeton University,Hunter College and Gratz College.For its part, the congregation developed a series of Strategic Plans, recommitted tothe Elkins Park location, conducted several major financial campaigns and commis-sioned the writing of a new Torah scroll as an act of spiritual renewal. A groundswellof activity in recent years has resulted in an expansion of social justice activitiesincluding a tutorial and partnership program with an inner city school, a monthlydinner for the food insecure and the formation of a Social Justice Policy Task Force todeal with issues of hate crime, social discrimination and economic injustice. KI also 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 2 9

2017 Spring Celebration Weekendactively began searching for partners to help sustain itself resulting in one Conser-vative synagogue, Melrose Bnai Israel Emanu-El, permanently leasing space at KIto house its own operation and forging an educational alliance with two other areaConservative synagogues. The congregation also hired, for the first time in its longhistory, a Membership Engagement Director, responsible for recruitment, integrationand retention of synagogue members.As KI moves beyond its 170th year, it remains a vital, active Reform congregationcommitted to it historic mission of providing deeply engaging approaches to Juda-ism and modern Jewish living. While the successes of the past do not guarantee anequally successful future, the depth of KI culture and the passion of its leaders andmembers suggest great promise for the congregation both today and tomorrow. Justas when a book of the Torah is completed in the annual cycle of its reading in thesynagogue and the congregation calls out “Hazak, Hazak V’Nithazaik” - “Let us bestrong, remain strong and continue to strengthen one another,” so, too, do we recom-mit to KI and continuing ts sacred work for another 170 more years and beyond! Maywe continue to go “from strength to strength!”30 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 Music History JEWISH MUSIC AT KI Hazzan David F. Tilman, DHL Conductor, Shir KI Adult Choir and Pastoral Outreach On Shabbat evening, March 3, we began our 170th anniversa- ry celebration by presenting the world premiere of “To Bigot- ry No Sanction,” commissioned by Cantor Amy Levy andwritten by Cantor Jonathan Comisar. It is fitting that our leadership undertook thisproject with great enthusiasm, because Jewish music, in all its diverse and variedforms, styles, and idioms, has been an essential component of Jewish life at KI sincethe congregation’s inception in 1847.Our founders understood the essential role of Jewish musical expression in all as-pects of congregational life: as a vehicle to elevate the prayer experience by inspir-ing congregants to communicate with Almighty G-d, as a builder of Jewish commu-nal expression, and as an educational vehicle to teach Jewish values.The congregational Constitution of April 23, 1856, announced that, “our serviceswill be uplifted with an organ and a well trained choir.” William Fischer was hiredas the first organist and choirmaster. Maestro Fischer communicated with the greatEuropean Synagogue composers of the era, and was instrumental in bringing worksof the great synagogue masters, Louis Lewandowski, Salomon Sulzer, and SamuelNaumbourg, to the early KI worshippers.The KI leadership took the unusual action of compiling its own German/JewishHymnal entitled “Gesänge für Israelitische Reform Gemeinden,” published in 1867,containing German lyrics of the congregation’s hymns.On Saturday evening, September 10th, 1892, the “New Temple Keneseth Israel” wasthe scene of an auspicious organ recital, inaugurating the new Roosevelt Organ in-stalled in the North Broad Street sanctuary. Mr. Marits Leefson, organist of Temple 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 3 1

2017 Spring Celebration WeekendKeneseth Israel, invited five other organists from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to playin this huge program. The 1932 edition of the Union of AmericanHebrew Congregation Hymnal was adopted as an essential worship text. It wasplaced in the pews along with the Reform prayerbook. This Hymnal containedmusic for the service liturgy and for original English texts on Jewish themes.KI engaged several music directors and organist/choirmasters to train the choir forShabbat and Holiday services, and to compose new music for the liturgy. IsadoreFreed served as KI music director from 1933 to 1947. During this period, he composedmany works that are components of the American Reform repertoire, especially “TheSacred Service for Shabbat Morning.” To this day, we sing Freed’s Mi Chamocha set-ting from his Hasidic Service.On April 28, 1961, the new main sanctuary Phyllis K. Goldsmith Organ was dedicated,and was celebrated by an organ recital series featuring world class artists. During the1961-1962 season, organist/choirmaster Earl Ness mounted major oratorios on Biblicalthemes. On January 28, 1962, he conducted a complete performance of Avodath Ha-kodesh/Sacred Service by Ernest Bloch, the most famous Jewish composition of thefirst half of the twentieth century.For the 125th celebration, Michael White was commissioned to write an unusualShabbat evening service for two choirs and two organists! This work was premieredon March 24, 1972.Following the death of Rabbi Bertram Korn, the KI leadership celebrated his illustri-ous career by a series of annual music commissions. Ben Steinberg, Samuel Adler,Bonia Shur, Max Janowski, and Cantor Charles Davidson wrote new liturgical set-tings. Cantor Davidson created “A Celebration of Light,” for the KI Children’s Choir,conducted by his daughter Alyssa. This work was premiered on December 4, 1987.Cantor Amy L. Levy was engaged as Cantor in 2004. She has brought many innova-tions. Cantor Levy leads the prayers with sincerity, beauty, authenticity, and cre-ativity, combining traditional Jewish musical modes with contemporary AmericanJewish music. Cantor Levy designs the “visual presentations” that are projected atevery Shabbat, Festival, and High Holiday Service. She leads Jewish Musical experi-ences for congregants of multiple generations including Yoga and healing activities,32 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017and teaches the very latest in Jewish music to the confirmation class. Cantor Levysupervises the Bar/Bat Mitzvah program, and directs many ensembles, includingShir Joy Children’s Choir, conducted by Liz Z. Sussman, the teenage ensembleShir Glee, Shir KI Adult Choir, conducted by Hazzan David F. Tilman, and the KIBand Hebrew Hammers. Her monthly Shabbat for the Soul Services, co-led by herbeloved husband Ross M. Levy, touches the “Neshamot” of KI congregants. CantorLevy introduced the Hineynu software package which helps organize our pastoralwork. She brings abundant charm and vivacious personality to her interactions withour families.In 2011, Cantor Levy invited virtuoso organist and pianist Andrew Senn, and me, tojoin her musical team.Cantor Levy founded the King David Harp Society to provide major financial sup-port for the KI Jewish music program.Cantor Levy commissioned new music from Michael Isaacson, who wrote an EitzHayim setting, and Elkins Park native Ari Sussman, whose “Hinei Anochi” from theprophet Malachi was featured in the “Hear the Songs: See the Light” 40th Anniver-sary Celebration of the Landau Stained Glass windows. Most recently she commis-sioned the masterpiece “To Bigotry No Sanction,” set to excerpts from PresidentWashington’s letter to the Jews of Newport in August 1790, which so touched wor-shippers who attended the premiere.Our traditional and new Jewish music helps us to stand firmly “At the corner oftradition and innovation,” KI’s motto. We pray that we can continue to reach out toAlmighty G-d, to teach Jewish values and identity, and to develop a great love for theJewish people through the medium of Jewish music for many years to come! 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 3 3

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend34 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 HONORING KI’S \"Century Club\"Our Century Club families have histories of over 100 years at KI, a uniquefeature of our congregation. 18 families can be traced back to the first 30 yearsof KI, a remarkable statement of continuity. KI would not be the communityit is today if not for the 900+ families that started their affiliation during therecent 100 years. Many in the Century Club have siblings and cousins. 7 of the18 early families have a common 18th century ancestor. There are even moreinstances of “overlapping” family trees; where an individual, through marriageand siblings, could be a part of more than one family history. Many marriageswithin the then small community tended to preserve its identity and familyaffiliations. Thank you to all who generously shared their recollections ofpersonal family history. 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 3 5

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend CAROL MONHEIT SCHWARTZCarol Monheit Schwartz and her family have the longest family affiliation with KI,dating back to Carol’s great-great-great-grandparents Julius and Henrietta AdlerStern. Julius Stern was the first to sign the KI membership petition in 1847, and isconsidered the founder of KI. Julius served as KI’s first President and then servedtwo additional terms. All subsequent generations were married at KI as follows:Carol’s great-great-grandparents Henry and Rosa Stern Bamberger (1866), great-grandparents Arthur Julian and Florence Myers Bamberger (1898), grandparentsAlbert and Lillian Monheit (1916) and Alan Stern and Rosalind Bamberger Goodman(1921) and her parents Richard and Jane Goodman Monheit (1943) who had threechildren, Carol, Alan and Nancy. Carol and Alan Jay Schwartz were married in 1968with Rabbi Korn officiating. They have three married children, Julie (Ben Ginsberg),Amy (Chris Seymour) and David (Rachael) and all three celebrated their B’naiMitzvah and Confirmations at KI. Carol and Alan collectively have 7 grandchildren.Their granddaughter Maddie Ginsberg was recently confirmed at KI. It has been animpressive and ongoing history of devotion to KI over its 170 years. EDITH WOLFSONEdith Wolfson and her family’s connection to KI dates back to our congregation’svery beginning. Gustov Lazarus Waldauer, the great grandfather of Edith’s latehusband Harold, was one of the original 52 founders of KI in 1847. Edith joined asocial group at KI when she was a teenager, before she was even a member. Whenshe met Harold, she was so happy to learn that he belonged to KI, and that it wouldnow be a permanent part of her life. Edith and Harold Wolfson were among the firstKI couples to be married after the war in 1946 at KI when it was on Broad Street andColumbia Avenue. Rabbi Fineshriber officiated at that ceremony. The Wolfsons’ twosons Randy and Brian became B’nai Mitzvah at KI and were also confirmed there.Edith remembers her mother-in-law, Blanche Wolfson, talking about attendingKI Shabbat morning services at a church on 22nd and Chestnut Street after thecongregation moved to Elkins Park36 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 RACHEL TAYLOR BROWNRachel Taylor Brown has enjoyed decades of family connections to KI. Rachel’s great-great-great-grandfather on her mother’s side, Moses Simon, married Fanny Straus in1850. The couple moved to Tennessee where Rachel’s great-great-grandfather MarcusSimon and a sister were born. The family returned to Philadelphia in the mid-1850sand had four more children. Moses was an active KI member in the late 1800s; hisdaughter Olga was married at KI in 1894. Rachel’s parents, Richard and Joanne TaylorBrown, were married at KI, and Rachel (confirmed in 1997) was raised there also. Sheremembers her baby naming at age three. She is excited to raise her daughter in thesame warm place where that has been so meaningful to her. ADAM GUTH AND ELENA MARGOLISAdam Guthand Elena Margolis have had a long connection to KI. Adam’s great-great-great-grandfather Aaron Mayer joined KI in 1852 and registered his childrenEva (Adam’s great-great-grandmother) and Joseph in the KI religious school in 1881and 1877, respectively. Eva married Solomon Kraus and had two children Edna andGilbert. Edna married Albert M. Greenfield (Adam’s great-grandparents), and Edna,her brother Gilbert and his wife Eleanor led a successful rescue of 50 Jewish childrenfrom Vienna. Albert and Edna’s daughter Elizabeth married Leonard Zeidman(Adam’s grandparents) in 1943, and in 1959 their daughter Janet andBer-nard Guth (Adam’s parents) were married at KI. The legacy of this long-standingfamily continues. ALAN H. MEYERSAlan H. Meyers and his wife Lois have been active members of KI. Their threedaughters, Karen, Jessica and Julie were all confirmed at KI. Alan was confirmed atKI in 1956. His parents, Stuart and Aline Hahn Meyers were both members of KI’s1928 Confirmation Class. They were married at KI in 1936. Stuart’s two older sisters,Ruth Printz and Eleanor Sondheim, were also confirmed and married at KI. Alan’sgrandparents, William Meyers and Ray Kahn Meyers, who were married at KI in1902, were both from KI families. Ray was one of six children of Charles and BinaKuhn Kahn who were confirmed at KI between 1879 and 1894. William was the son ofSamuel Meyers and Fannie Lowenstein, who were married at KI in 1871. 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 3 7

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend JACK AND LAURIE MYERSJack Myers and Laurie (nee Farber) Myers have found their family’s earliestancestral records relating to KI date back to 1861, with the marriage of HenriettaMyers to Samuel E. Massman by KI’s Rabbi David Einhorn. This was the firstrecorded marriage in Philadelphia by Rabbi Einhorn. (Henrietta was the sister ofSolomon Myers, Jack’s great-grandfather.) In all, Solomon and six siblings were KImembers. Each generation that followed is included in KI marriage, Confirmationand activity records. Through his father’s descendancy from the Fleisher and Kohnfamilies and his mother’s Simon and Armon lineage, Jack is related to several otherCentury Club members. Jack’s father, Albert S. Myers, Jr. was Temple CouncilPresident. Laurie volunteers in the KI Library and participates in the monthlyHaMotzi community dinners. Jack taught at KI for 25 years and is currently the KIarchivist. Their twin sons, Aaron and Seth, both celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah andConfirmations at KI. DOLPH SIMONSIN MEMORIUM: Dolph Simons (1920-2016), a lifelong member and generoussupporter of KI, was the great grandson of Abraham Kaufman, KI’s president (1861-1863). His parents, Julius Simons and Hortense Nadel, were married at KI in 1920.Hortense’s sister, Blanche, married Samuel Axelroth at KI in 1907. Jacob Nadel andSarah Kaufman, Dolph’s grandparents, were married at KI in 1884. JEANNE VOGEL SEMLESSIN MEMORIUM: Jeanne Vogel Semless (1923-2016) was one of several KImembers who trace their ancestry to Samuel Meyers, who, after his first wife RoseKlein, died in 1869, married Fanny Lowenstein at KI in 1871. Jeanne was confirmed atKI in 1939 and married Frank Semless at KI in 1951. There were two Vogel brotherswho were married at KI in 1863 and 1867.38 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 DAVID HAYS SOLIS, IVDavid Hays Solis, IV is a descendant of the well-known early American Jewishfamily which dates back prior to the Revolutionary War. David is the grandson ofAlbert Solis and Blanche Meyers. Blanche’s parents, Samuel Meyers and FannyLowenstein, were married at KI in 1871. Albert was the youngest child of David HaysSolis and Elvira Nathan. His older sister Emily Grace Solis married Dr. Solomon Solis-Cohen, their first cousin. David’s mother, Beatrice Stern is the sister of Harry Stern,KI President from 1941-48. David and his wife, Nancy and 3 sons who all had B’naiMitzvahs and confirmations at KI. JEFFREY G. SNELLENBURG & JANET SNELLENBURG KLINEJeffrey G Snellenburg and his sister, Janet Snellenburg Kline, are the great-great-grandchildren of Nathan Joseph Snellenburg, who, along with his brothers, owneda clothing manufacturing company and established in 1869 N. Snellenburg andCompany, the well-known regional department store. Brother Samuel Snellenburgmarried Hannah Eichholtz in 1877 at KI; and the remaining Snellenburg childrensubsequently married at KI as well. Recent KI B’nai Mitzvah and KI Confirmationstudents include Jacob Snellenberg, Rebekka Kline, and Samuel Kline. LanaSnellenburg will become a Bat Mitzvah at KI this spring. PETER MEYERSPeter Meyers has family roots at KI via both sides of his family. His great-grandparents Daniel Meyers and Clara Wiler were married at KI in 1871. Hisgrandparents Joseph Davis Meyers and Floretta Krauss were married at KI in 1904.His other grandfather Clarence L. Meyers, who married Estelle Maas Seidenbach atKI in 1911, donated the funds for the Meyers Library of KI, a legacy that remains today.His parents Edward N. Myers and Nancy Meyers were married by Rabbi Fineshriberin 1940. Peter remembers KI as a place where people come to make and keep friends. 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 3 9

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend DR. FRANK AND ELLEN MEYERS ABRAHAMSDr. Frank and Ellen Meyers Abrahams have a long history at KI via both families.Ellen’s family’s history dates back to 1871 when her great-grandparents Daniel andClara Weiler were married at KI. Her other great=grandparents Beno Goodman andRose Hope were also married at KI in 1887. Ellen’s grandmother Elsie Goodmanwas confirmed at KI and married Isadore Meyers at KI in 1915; Rabbi Krauskopfofficiated. Ellen’s parents David (confirmed at KI in 1942) and Betty Lamb Meyerswere married by Rabbi Fineshriber at KI in 1942. Frank’s parents Arthur and ElaineStein Abrahams were married at KI in 1943. In his later years, Arthur single-handedlybegan the weekly Shabbat service at Rydal Park led by Rabbi Sussman, and thatservice continues to today. Ellen and Frank met while in KI’s 4th grade. Frank becamea Bar Mitzvah in 1960 and both he and Ellen were confirmed at KI in 1963. Rabbi Kornofficiated at their wedding in 1969. They were both involved in the KI Youth Group.Frank played the organ and other music for the youth choir, and as Professor of MusicEducation at Westminster Choir College, he has brought his choir and their beautifulmusic under his able direction to KI for many Shabbat programs. Frank also served aschair of the Search Committee that recommended Cantor Amy Levy join the KI staff.Frank says, “KI is part of who we are.” LYNN GEISENBERGER BARBELLLynn Geisenberger Barbell has a long family history at KI. Lynn’s great-great-grandparents were Samuel and Fannie Lowenstein Meyers. Their son, William Meyersand his wife Regina Kahn were Lynn’s great =grandparents.  Their daughter, Lynn’sgrandmother, was Eleanor Meyers who married Jerome Printz in 1931. Their daughterRosalind Printz and Jacques Geisenberger (Lynn’s parents) were married at KI in1956. Lynn and Alan Barbell were married in 1992. They both are active at KI withAlan serving on the KI Board and having served as an Officer of the congregation.Alan and Lynn are proud of the KI B’nai Mitzvah and Confirmations of their childrenRobyn and Elliot.40 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 MICKEY AND JUDY LANGSFELDMickey and Judy Langsfeld are proud of their family’s multi-generational connectionto Ki. The Langsfeld branch dates back to 1878 when Jacob Langsfeld married IdaSilberman at KI. Mickey’s maternal grandmother’s family, the Harrisons, joined KI in1862. There is a Jacob and Leah Harrison Bible in the KI archives with their namesengraved. Jacob’s mother, Mickey’s grandmother, Fannie Harrison Grossman, andhis great-aunt, Matilde Harrison, have their Confirmation papers from 1907 in the KIArchives as well. Mickey, a longtime KI Board member, and Judy raised their familyat KI. Mickey and Judy’s children, Mark, Elizabeth and Benjamin all attended KIReligious School and celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah and Confirmations at KI as well.Mark and Karen Langsfeld’s children Jordan and Max are the 8th generation at KI.Karen currently is a KI officer, serving as Associate Secretary. Pictured left to right: Leah Fuerst Harrison Mickey’s great-great grandmother on his mother’s maternal side, David and Sarah Amsel - Mick- ey’s great-greagrandparents on his mother’s paternal side Pictured left to right: Anna Neubauer- Mickey’ great- great-great aunt on his mother’s maternal side, Jacob Abram Harrison Mickey’s great-great grandfather on his mother’s maternal side 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 4 1

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend JOHN BINSWANGERJohn Binswanger and brother Frank Goldstein Binswanger, Jr. are the sons ofFrank G. Binswanger, Sr. and Elizabeth Bacharach who were married at KI in 1902.Their grandparents, Barnett Binswanger and Martha Goldstein, were also marriedat KI in 1887. Barnett’s mother, Elizabeth Sophia Polack, niece of Aaron Levy, isdescended from a Revolutionary War era Dutch family. Frank Binswanger, Jr. and hiswife Suzanne Hirch were married at KI in 1950. The Binswanger family generouslydonated the Family Statue that sits at the circu-lar entrance of KI.Photo description here Photo description here42 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 KAY KRAUSKOPF BRYLAWSKIKay Krauskopf Brylawski has been associated with KI since 1887 when hergrandfather Rabbi Joseph Krauskopf was installed as KI’s Senior Rabbi. Kay’sfamily history is filled with stories about her grandfather, including the founding ofthe National Farm School, now Delaware Valley University, and meeting PresidentTheodore Roosevelt. Manfred and Babetta Krauskopf (Rabbi Krauskopf’s son anddaughter-in-law) raised their two children Kay and Joseph Louis at KI. In 1947, Kayand Michael Brylawski were married by Rabbi Malcolm Stern, and they raised theirtwo children Joan and Robert at KI. Joan’s two daughters (and Kay’s granddaughters)Stephanie and Margot Paaske celebrated their B’not Mitzvah and were confirmedat KI Kay Krauskoph and Michael Brylawski at their wedding 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 4 3

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend EDWIN SCHWERINEREdwin Schweriner and his family began their membership and deep connection toKI in 1898 when his grandparents Herman and Bertha Lachman Schweriner weremarried. Their children, including Ed’s father were confirmed at KI in the early 1900s.Edwin and Claire were married in 1963 in Pittsburg and their children Randi andJeffrey celebrated their B’nai Mitzvah and Confirmations at KI. Claire had an adultBat Mitzvah at KI in 2006. Ed was the Scoutmaster of KI’s Troop 492 for many years.Claire has served on the KI Archives Committee for 26 years and Ed chaired KI’sSafety and Security Committee. Claire and Ed enjoyed traveling to Eastern Europewith Rabbi Sussman. SUE SCHWERIN FRIEDSue Schwerin Fried traces her family’s roots at KI to the 1880’s. Her great-grandfather Louis Schwerin, great-uncle Leon Schwerin and great-aunt PaulineSchwerin were all active KI members. Pauline was a KI Religious School teacher.Louis Schwerin was KI President (1968-71). Sue’s father Norman Schwerin has fondmemories of the dynamic Rabbis Fineshriber and Korn, and remembers how patrioticKI was then. Sue married Gary Fried and are both proud of KI and of their family whohave been active for so many decades. CAROL STERN McMICHAELCarol Stern McMichael traces her KI family history to her great grandparents SidneyMorris and Rose Goldsmith Stern who were married at KI in 1892. Carol’s parentsHorace and Joan Stern were married in 1949 by Rabbi Fineshriber. Horace was deeplywoven into KI and the Reform Movement, teaching religious school at KI for decadesand serving on the KI Board and the Union of American Hebrew CongregationsBoard (now URJ). Horace was the KI Board’s resident parliamentarian and servedproudly as KI President (1976-78). Carol was confirmed at KI in 1971 and married therein 1976.44 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 CHARLES KAHN, JR.Charles Kahn, Jr. and his family’s connections to KI began in 1898 when Charles’grandparents Jacob and Julia Kahn (born in the 1870s in Philadelphia), were marriedat KI September 15, 1898. Their son Charles Kahn, Sr. married Ruth Goldberger atKI in 1921, and their sons Charles, Jr. and Richard continued the deep KI connectionwith Charles being confirmed at KI in 1940. Ruth donated the stained glass window,Jeramiah, in memory of Charles Sr. when he passed. Charles and his brother Richardhonored their mother by establishing the Ruth G. Kahn Fund that continues to thisday to support KI music programming. Charles and his wife Barbara appreciate theopen doors at KI, its willingness, even in the early days, to embrace other non-Jewishreligious institutions and to represent important American values. The Kahn familycontinues to embrace KI and all its wonderful programs. THE NEW AND SALTZBURG FAMILIESThe New & Saltzburg Families are a five-generation KI family, with their longassociation beginning with its first member Albert New, who emigrated fromGermany to Philadelphia and married Sippora Raff at KI in 1898. As German Jews,the New family was attracted to a German speaking synagogue. Ralph and MabelNew followed and raised their two children Jerry & Ronald New at KI. Jerry Newwas in the last class to be confirmed by Rabbi Fineshriber; his brother Ronald wasconfirmed by Rabbi Korn. Jerry and his wife Charlotte raised their three children,Linda, Pamela & David, at KI. All three were confirmed at KI. Pam and David becameB’nai Mitzvah as well. In 1996, Rabbi Maslin & Cantor Allen officiated at the weddingof Pam and Robert Saltzburg who have raised their three children William, Jacob andShayna at KI. Pam is Rabbi Sussman’s very able assistant, and Robert is currently aKI officer, serving as Treasurer. Charlotte and Jerry continue to celebrate ongoingsimchas including the recent B’nai Mitzvah and completed/upcoming Confirmationsof their grandchildren. 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 4 5

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend HOWARD AND MYRNA ASHERHoward and Myrna Asher trace their KI membership back to Howard’s great-grandparents Moses and Julia Hess who were married by Rabbi Krauskopf at KIon Broad Street. His grandparents Antoinette Hess and Harry Asher were marriedat KI in 1899. His parents Abe and Lillian Asher were married in 1928; Lillian was ateacher at KI. Myrna and Howard were married in 1958; Rabbi Korn officiated. Howardserved as President of both Temple Council and Brotherhood and as KI Treasurerand Vice President. He was also instrumental in KI’s move to Elkins Park. Myrna wasSisterhood President (1978-1980) and served on the KI Board for many years. BARBARA ASHER BRONSTEINBarbara Asher Bronstein traces her family’s KI membership to great-grandparentsMoses and Julia Hess who were married by Rabbi Krauskopf at KI on Broad Street.Her grandparents Harry Asher and Antoinette Hess were married in 1899 by RabbiWilliam H. Fineshriber. Barbara’s parents Abe and Liliian Asher were married in 1928.Lillian was a teacher at KI. Barbara and Bob Bronstein were married by Rabbi Kornin 1950, soon after he assumed the pulpit at KI. The Bronsteins raised their threechildren at KI and their KI involvement included both serving on Temple Council,and Barbara serving on the Confirmation Committee, the Nursery School FoundingCommittee and the yearly KI Antiques Fair Committee and as Sisterhood President(1972-74). JAMES GOFF AND RACHEL GOFFJames Goff and Rachel Goff can trace their KI roots to the late 1800s. In the 1950sJim was a neighbor to KI’s new Elkins Park synagogue and watched it being built.He attended KI Sunday school there.  His great-grandfather Ellis and two great-great-uncles also attend KI Sunday school in 1877. These brothers became three of theseven Gimbel brothers of the Gimbels department store.  Ellis A. Gimbel, an activeKI member, went on to become a noted Philadelphia businessman, civic leader andphilanthropist. Jim’s mother Ann Gimbel Goff continued the family’s connectionto KI as has Jim and his wife Rachel (Dr. Rachel Sorokin). The Goffs are grateful toRabbi Sussman for filling in some missing details of their family history.46 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL

May 4th - 7th, 2017 DEAN SILVERMAN SPIEGELDean Silverman Spiegel traces her KI roots back to the late 1800s when hergrandfather Isaac Silverman helped Rabbi Krauskopf open the National FarmSchool, now Delaware Valley University. Isaac and wife Ida had four children,, Meyer,Edwin, Beatrice and Robert. Both Meyer and Edwin were married at KI in 1909 and1923, respectively. Edwin’s wife Alice, was the daughter of Joseph H. Hagedorn,KI President (1922-1938). Carl Spiegel, Dean’s mother-in-law, married BeatriceSchoeneman, sister of Michael Simon’s grandmother Bertha. Dean was confirmedat KI in 1947, and she and Robert Spiegel were married in 1955 by Rabbi Korn at KI.Robert was confirmed at KI in 1936. PHYLLIS DRUCKER SICHEL AND ROBERT DRUCKERPhyllis Drucker Sichel and Robert Drucker have deep ties to KI, tracing their KIroots back to German immigrants in the late 1800s. Phyllis was confirmed at KI in1941; her brother Robert was confirmed in 1943. Their father Sylvan Drucker servedas KI President (1959-61). Phyllis and her husband Howard’s three sons, all wereconfirmed at KI. With a deep appreciation of KI’s history, Phyllis was instrumental ininitiating the KI Ar-chives. FLORENCE ROTHMAN DREIFUS DEUTSCHERFlorence Rothman Dreifus Deutscher has been a KI member her whole life. Hergreat-grandfather Morris Mendelsohn was the first family member to join KI inthe late 1800s. Morris’ brother Emanuel was married at KI in 1872. Another brotherLouis was the grandfather of Dr. Michael Brylawski, who married Kathryn Krauskopf,daughter of Rabbi Krauskopf. Florence’s grandmother Florence Mendelsohn wasconfirmed at KI in 1894, and was married at KI in 1906 to Roy Guthman and againin 1915 to David Wyman. Florence’s parents, Marion and Mark Rothman, werealso married at KI. Florence, her brother, Mark, and Florence’s daughters were allconfirmed at KI. Florence taught kindergarten when KI and RS were combined onHigh School Road. 1 70 TH B I RT H DAY h o n o r i n g T H E K I “C E N TU RY C LU B ” • 47

2017 Spring Celebration Weekend BARBARA GANSMAN PAYNEBarbara Gansman Payne, wife of Michael Payne, is the daughter of Harry M.Gansman, Jr. and Bernice (Bea) Stein who were married at KI in 1939. Harry had beenconfirmed at KI in 1928 as had his brother David in 1926. Bernice’s brother Dr. ArthurStein was married at KI in 1945. Harry Gansman, Sr. was listed as a KI member in1920. Arthur and Bernice were confirmed at KI in 1929 and 1932 respectively. Bernice’sparents, Solomon Stein and Minnie Rosener who had KI roots. Minnie, confirmedat KI in 1905, was the daughter of Julius and Jennie Rosener who were listed asmembers at the turn of the century. Barbara and her brother Stephen were confirmedat KI in 1961 and 1958 respectively. FREDRIC AND KIM ISAACSON PLOTNIKFredric and Kim Isaacson Plotnik trace their multi-generational KI family roots tothe Stern, Kohn and Goldsmith families of the 19th century. Kim’s great-grandparentsSidney M. and Rose Goldsmith Stern were married in 1892 and had been long-time KImembers. Kim’s grandparents Howard E. and Madeline Kohn Stern were married atKI in 1926, and her parents, Julius and Babette Stern Isaacson were married at KI in1952. The Plotnick children Harry and Julian were confirmed at KI. RUTH SCHOENBERGRuth Schoenberg traces her KI roots back to the early 1900s when her Germangrandparents Herman Kaufmann and Rose Wyman Kaufmann joined KI. Four ofthe Kaufmann children were confirmed at KI, the earli-est being Ruth’s father Joelin 1907. Three of the Kaufmann children were married at KI in 1923, 1927 and 1932.In 1964, Ruth and Leonard Schoenberg were married at KI by Rabbi Korn, and theirdaughters Laurie and Heidi Schoenberg had their B’not Mitzvah and Confirmationsat KI. More recently, Rabbi Sussman officiated at the namings of Ruth and Leonard’sgrandchildren Jordan and Brandon Hirsch.48 • REFORM CONGREGATION KENESETH ISRAEL