Talk:Congregation Mikveh Israel

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(Contribution of 190.155.56.216; removed from Timeline of Philadelphia history on 3/23/14): Congregation Mikveh Israel, Mikveh Israel synagogue, officially called Kahal Kadosh Mikveh Israel (קהל קדוש מקוה ישראל, The congregation traces its history to 1740 when a number of Jews organized themselves for services meeting in private homes. The congregation came to acquire a Torah scroll in 1761 and met a private residence on Sterling Alley. The congregation moved to a building on Cherry Street in 1771, chartered itself as an organization in 1773, and dedicated its first building in 1782. It is estimated that in 1775, the city of Philadelphia had a population of approximately 35,000 of whom 300 were Jewish. Benjamin Franklin was an earlier contributor to its building fund. which translates as "Holy Community of the Hope of Israel) is a synagogue located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founded in the 1740s. Established by Spanish and Portuguese Jews, the congregation practices according to the Spanish and Portuguese rite. The congregation conducts daily, Sabbath, and Jewish holy day services. The synagogue will host the Abrams Hebrew Academy Center City Jewish elementary day school beginning in September 2014. The congregation is also responsible for Mikveh Israel Cemetery, the second oldest surviving Jewish cemetery in the United States.