[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 28, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1751-E1752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING THE 150-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE TEMPLE HESED SYNAGOGUE IN 
                         SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PAUL E. KANJORSKI

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 28, 2010

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask you and my esteemed 
colleagues in the House of Representatives to pay tribute to the 150th 
anniversary of Temple Hesed, the oldest synagogue in Scranton, 
Pennsylvania.
  Temple Hesed's roots were founded during the mid-19th Century when 
small groups of worshipers would travel back and forth between Scranton 
and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to attend High Holy Day Services.
  The group, made up mostly of German immigrants, was originally known 
in the 1840s as ``Chevra Rodef Shalom,'' meaning, ``Brotherhood of the 
Pursuer of Peace.''
  On August 20, 1860, the group was renamed ``Kehilat Anshe Chesed,'' 
meaning the ``Congregation of the People of Loving-Kindness.''
  By 1862, its membership had increased to 27 and was granted a 
charter.
  The congregation's first synagogue was located in the 100 block of 
Linden Street in Scranton. They purchased the land in 1867 from the 
Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, and worshiped in the original 
synagogue through 1902.

[[Page E1752]]

  During this time, the congregation joined the American Reform 
Movement, an organization founded by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, who was 
present to dedicate the original synagogue in Scranton in April of 
1867.
  In 1902, the congregation moved from its original synagogue to a new 
building on Madison Avenue in Scranton. Over the next few decades, the 
synagogue was renovated and expanded to accommodate the group's growing 
membership, and in the 1960s its name was changed to ``The Madison 
Avenue Temple.''
  The congregation moved into its current synagogue off of Lake 
Scranton Road in 1974, and its name was changed one last time to 
``Temple Hesed,'' meaning the ``Temple of Loving Kindness,'' and 
reflecting the congregation's 19th Century roots.
  Currently, Temple Hesed remains a member of the American Reform 
Movement, today known as the Union of Reform Judaism, which now has 
over 900 member congregations throughout the country.
  The synagogue promotes a ``welcoming'' environment, and offers 
traditional worship services along with youth and adult education 
opportunities to its congregation, which now includes about 180 member 
families of all lifestyles and backgrounds.
  Madam Speaker, please join me in recognizing this remarkable 
anniversary. Over the past 150 years, Temple Hesed has evolved from a 
small group of worshipers to a prominent Jewish community in 
Northeastern Pennsylvania.

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