Temple Anshe Hesed is a

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

located at 5401 Old Zuck Road in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

. The congregation is affiliated with the

Union for Reform Judaism The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established ...

History

Anshe Hesed, once spelled as Anschai Chesed, Bates, Samuel P., History of Erie County, Pennsylvania, Part III, Chapter IV, Churches "was incorporated on 23 May 1862 and organized as a classical Reform congregation on October 24, 1875, making it one of the oldest Reform communities in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

."Temple Anshe Hesed webpage The synagogue's name literally means "people of benevolence" (or kindness) in Hebrew. In his history of the region, Samuel Bates reports that eight to ten members of this congregation began meeting in 1858. Members first met in an upstairs room at the corner of Fifth Street and French Street (the Lyons property) and subsequently met in temporary facilities on French Street, Holland Street, State Street; and then at another location on French Street. Built in 1882, the congregation's first synagogue was "a brick structure trimmed in stone and an ornament to the city". The land was purchased and the synagogue was built for a total cost of $13,000. It was located on the north side of West Eighth Street, between Myrtle Street and Sassafras Street. At the time Samuel Bates published his history, the membership of Anshe Hesed was 35. The Tenth Street location was dedicated on 27 June 1930. The Temple moved to its current location at 5401 Old Zuck Road in 2018.

Rabbis and prominent members of the congregation

Fourteen rabbis have served Anshe Hesed. Rabbi Weil served the congregation for about a year. Rabbi M. Wertzel, also known as M Wurzel, then served the congregation twice for a total of approximately fourteen years. He was followed by Rabbis Fuld, Dr. Flengel, Levi, and Stemple. Rabbi Max C. Currick served the longest at 47 years (1901 to 1948). The most recent to serve have been Rabbis Randall M. Falk, Leonard Zion, Bernard Perlmuter, Lewis Littman, Bradley N. Bleefeld, Samuel Weinstein, Michael L. Feshbach, John L. Bush, and, from 2015 to 2018, Emily Ilana Losben-Ostrov. Emily Ilana Losben-Ostrov was Anshe Hesed's first female rabbi and the first female rabbi in the Erie area. The current rabbi is Robert Morais. Mr. B. Baker was the first president of the congregation. As one of the congregation's oldest members, Mr. Baker laid the cornerstone of the first synagogue in 1882.

Cemetery

Erie's earliest

Jewish cemetery A Jewish cemetery ( he, בית עלמין ''beit almin'' or ''beit kvarot'') is a cemetery where Jews are buried in keeping with Jewish tradition. Cemeteries are referred to in several different ways in Hebrew, including ''beit kevarot'' ...

, which is now called the Anshe Hesed Cemetery, was founded in 1846. It is located a block west of

Erie Cemetery Erie Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Erie, Pennsylvania. It is situated on of land bordered on the east by Chestnut Street, the west by Cherry Street, the north by 19th Street, and the south by 26th Street. History The cemete ...

on West 26th Street between Cherry Street and Poplar Street.Visit to premises by writer, 13 June 2007

References

External links

Temple Anshe Hesed

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anshe Hesed Buildings and structures in Erie, Pennsylvania Classical Reform Judaism Reform synagogues in Pennsylvania Synagogues completed in 1930 1862 establishments in Pennsylvania Religious organizations established in 1862 Religious buildings and structures in Erie County, Pennsylvania