The Life and Times of Congregation Kesher Israel, by Harry D. Boonin. 192 pages. $29.95. Self-published, 2008.
Society Hill, a picturesque area of colonial Philadelphia, was home to this old synagogue, around which grew a lively community of Eastern European Jewish immigrants in the late 19th century. Kesher Israel played a significant role in the rise of early American Zionism, just as two other nearby institutions—Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell—are central symbols of American freedom.
The book is a superb example of a well-established genre of Jewish historical writing that focuses on given synagogues or communities. Its value to genealogists lies in its colorful portrait of an early, important Jewish community and the many pioneers associated with it. A sample of how well the author envisions the milieu: “Curbside and pushcart markets, teams of horses flying over cobblestone streets, immigrants just off steamers from Europe, cigar smoke and pickle barrels, numbers writers and union enforcers, dreamers and paupers, teahouses and saloons, pool halls and feed stores—and in the middle of this excitement was the synagogue.”
Boonin, a long-time president of the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Philadelphia and well-known genealogical researcher and writer, has produced a loving, first-rate history replete with dozens of photographs redolent of Jewish life in decades past. Anyone with roots in the Philadelphia area—indeed, anyone who likes well-researched, fully illustrated and easily readable Jewish histories—will find this book highly interesting and even enchanting.
Bill Gladstone
