The origins of Kesher Zion in Reading, Pennsylvania date back to the earliest years of the 20th century.

Congregation Bnai Zion, formed in 1911, and Congregation Kesher Israel, granted a charter in 1913, eventually merged into one entity—the Kesher Zion Synagogue Center—in 1929. It was a joyous union despite the looming years of the Great Depression.

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The synagogue building itself, a converted church on the corner of 8th and Court Streets in Reading, became the Conservative congregation’s home for the next two decades.

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In 1933, a separate entity—Kesher Zion Hebrew School—was created to further Jewish youth education and Bar Mitzvah studies. The school was originally located in a rented building on a property at Eckert & Perkiomen Avenues, which the synagogue eventually purchased.

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In May 1947, under the leadership of President David Schein, groundbreaking for a spacious new synagogue at 1245 Perkiomen Avenue was held. It was followed in April 1949 by a “Dedication of Cornerstone” ceremony. Finally, after years of imagining, planning and construction, Kesher Zion’s new house of worship was dedicated on December 3, 1950. The imposing structure featured magnificent stained-glass windows in the main sanctuary, a beautiful Sisterhood Hall for social functions, a charming chapel, and ample classrooms for a growing Hebrew School.

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