08/10/2026
📸 Tribute Event Snapshots | Part 2 - The Program
Founded in 1874 by Jewish immigrants fleeing persecution in Czarist Russia, our congregation met in temporary locations until this beautiful building was dedicated in 1910. Today, it stands as the oldest purpose-built synagogue in Philadelphia that has been in continuous use as a synagogue.
Think about that for a moment.
More than a century ago, those founders made sacrifices to build something they knew they would one day leave behind—for Jews they would never meet. Because of their vision, generations have found a Jewish home within these walls.
Today, we are called to do the very same. We have the privilege of ensuring the historic preservation of this synagogue called B’nai Abraham Chabad.
Judaism teaches that every soul needs a body. This beautiful building is the body that has housed Jewish life for more than 115 years.
But every body also needs a soul.
The soul of this synagogue is not found in its walls or stained-glass windows.
The soul is all of us.
It is the children learning Aleph-Bet in our preschool and after-school. It is the adults studying Torah. It is the families celebrating Shabbat. It is every person who walks through these doors searching for connection, meaning, and community.
Every day, I have the privilege of walking through this building, and one of my favorite moments is passing a preschool classroom just before snack time. I hear our wonderful teachers leading the children in a simple blessing before they eat, teaching them to pause and recognize that even the most ordinary moments are gifts from G-d.
That is why this building matters. Not simply because it is historic—but because of the Jewish life it nurtures every single day.
It is not only about bricks and mortar.
It is about giving every Jewish child the opportunity to grow up proud of who they are. It is about ensuring that the next generation has a place to learn, to belong, and to build lifelong Jewish memories.
Thank you for believing in this vision, for partnering with us, and for helping write the next chapter in the remarkable story of B’nai Abraham Chabad.
