Jewish Community in Pennsylvania: Statewide Guide

A State With Deep Jewish Roots

Pennsylvania’s Jewish history runs further back than almost any other state’s. Congregation Mikveh Israel, founded in Philadelphia in the 1740s, is one of the oldest continuously operating Jewish congregations in the United States, and the state’s Reform movement has equally deep roots: Congregation Rodeph Shalom, founded in Philadelphia in 1795, was the first Ashkenazic congregation established anywhere in the Western Hemisphere. That long history is still visible today in a Jewish landscape that spans Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and smaller communities across the state.

Philadelphia: Reform and Conservative Anchors

Philadelphia’s Reform community is anchored by two historic congregations. Congregation Rodeph Shalom, still on North Broad Street in its landmark 1927 building, played a leading role in shaping the American Reform movement. Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel, founded in Philadelphia in 1847 and now based in Elkins Park, is recognized as the sixth-oldest Reform congregation in the country and was, by 1900, one of the largest in the United States. On the Conservative side, congregations such as Germantown Jewish Centre have served Philadelphia’s Conservative community for generations, offering the kind of traditional-egalitarian worship that sits between Reform and Orthodox practice.

The Main Line: Philadelphia’s Orthodox Corridor

Philadelphia’s Main Line suburbs — Wynnewood, Merion, Bala Cynwyd, and neighboring communities — host one of the largest and most walkable Orthodox Jewish communities in the region, with numerous congregations, kosher establishments, and day schools within a short distance of one another. Orthodox day school education in the area includes institutions such as Politz Yeshiva and Bais Yaakov, while Northeast Philadelphia has historically been home to a large and diverse Jewish population of its own, including Orthodox and Chassidic communities.

Reconstructionist Judaism Calls Philadelphia Home

Philadelphia holds a special place in Reconstructionist Judaism: the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, the only seminary of the Reconstructionist movement, is based in Wyncote, just outside the city, making Greater Philadelphia the intellectual and institutional home of Reconstructionist Judaism nationally. Mishkan Shalom, a Reconstructionist congregation in Philadelphia’s Roxborough neighborhood, offers a hands-on example of that approach to Jewish community and practice.

Jewish Institutions Serving Greater Philadelphia

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia coordinates philanthropic and communal life across the region, operating across multiple campuses to serve a geographically spread-out Jewish population. The Kaiserman Jewish Community Center, in Wynnewood, has served the community since 1971. Jewish day school education in the Philadelphia area includes Perelman Jewish Day School (with campuses in Wynnewood and Melrose Park) and Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, a pluralistic school for grades 6-12 that traces its roots to Akiba Hebrew Academy, the nation’s first pluralistic Jewish secondary school — the two schools have announced plans to unify into a single pre-K-12 institution.

Pittsburgh: Squirrel Hill and a Century of Federated Life

Pittsburgh’s Jewish community is centered on Squirrel Hill, a residential neighborhood a few miles from downtown that has been the heart of Western Pennsylvania Jewish life for well over a century. Squirrel Hill is compact enough that nearly a dozen long-established synagogues, several day schools, kosher restaurants, and a Jewish Community Center all sit within walking distance of one another — an unusually concentrated Jewish neighborhood by American standards.

Reform Judaism in Pittsburgh is anchored by Rodef Shalom Congregation, founded in 1856, the oldest Jewish congregation in Western Pennsylvania and historically one of the largest and most influential Reform congregations in the country; it was where the founding “Pittsburgh Platform” of American Reform Judaism was written in 1885. Beth Shalom Congregation serves as one of Pittsburgh’s leading Conservative synagogues, and the two congregations have a long history of shared educational programming for their religious school students. Squirrel Hill’s Orthodox community is served by numerous congregations clustered within the neighborhood’s walkable core.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, one of the oldest Jewish federations in the country, has coordinated communal giving and services for over a century. Jewish day schools in the Pittsburgh area include Community Day School and Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, giving families across the denominational spectrum options for Jewish education.

The Lehigh Valley: Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton

The Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley serves the tri-city area of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, publishing a biennial community guide and a long-running Jewish newspaper, HAKOL. Congregations in the Lehigh Valley include Congregation Keneseth Israel and Congregation Brith Sholom in Allentown, along with Congregation Am Haskalah and Congregation Bnai Shalom, giving the region a full spread of Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist options alongside a Chabad presence serving the broader area.

Harrisburg: A Compact, Walkable Jewish Community

Pennsylvania’s capital has its own small but complete Jewish community, with four synagogues within walking distance of each other representing Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist Judaism. Beth El Temple serves as Harrisburg’s Conservative congregation, alongside Chisuk Emuna Congregation and Kesher Israel Congregation, giving the capital region a denominational range unusual for a city its size. The Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg and its associated Jewish Community Center round out communal life with early childhood education, youth programs, and adult programming.

Finding a Home or Community in Pennsylvania

Whether you’re drawn to Philadelphia’s Main Line, Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill, or the smaller communities of the Lehigh Valley and Harrisburg, HeimishMart’s Community Explorer can help you compare Jewish community life across Pennsylvania. Search real estate or rentals near the synagogue or day school that fits your family, browse job listings across the state’s Jewish institutions and employers, and check Jewish events for holiday and community programming in your area. New arrivals can also turn to chessed resources for community support, and anyone with a listing, opening, or event to share is welcome to add a listing for Pennsylvania’s Jewish community.

By the HeimishMart Community Desk — HeimishMart is the community marketplace for Jewish homes, jobs, and local life across North America.