The Celebration of the Century

It’s not often that members of a congregation get a peek into the past to see and touch artifacts representative of their local religious origins. But congregants belonging to the Jewish community’s Bnai Zedek Chabad will have such on opportunity on Oct. 17 during the celebration of their nearly 100-year-old synagogue.

During the event, a time capsule that was placed in the Bnai Zedek synagogue cornerstone in 1911 will be opened. The time capsule, records indicate, was filled with artifacts of early Jewish life in Kenosha.

Rabbi Tzali Wilschanski has no expectations of what could be in the capsule.

“I have no idea what could be in there,” Wilschanski said, adding with a grin, “maybe it’s Coca-Cola stock.”

The celebration and time capsule opening will be held at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Pleasant Prairie. Gathering in appreciation of 100 years of keeping the spark of Judaism alive in Kenosha will be rabbis, congregational lay leaders and community members.

A special memorial will be held at the event for two pillars of the Jewish community: Bnai Zedek past president Dr. Leslie Fai and Bernice Rosen, past president of Hadassah, a local Jewish women’s group.

Jewish legacy

According to old newspaper clippings, the Bnai Zedek congregation had struggled in Kenosha a full decade before being able to build their synagogue at 1602 56th St.

The congregation started out as orthodox, changed to a conservative affiliation in the 1950s and about 10 years ago returned to orthodoxy.

“One of the easy signs of an orthodox synagogue versus a non-orthodox synagogue is the women’s gallery, because (in orthodoxy) men and women pray separately,” Wilschanski explained. “And the building on 56th Street has a women’s gallery and upstairs balcony, so it was built as an orthodox structure.”

When it was built, the synagogue was in a heavily Jewish neighborhood with a Jewish bookstore, kosher butcher shop and other Jewish establishments nearby.

In the last several years the aging synagogue has become hard to heat and the congregation decided to cease holding services there.

The west side Kenosha home Wilschanski shares with his wife, Rivkie, and three daughters, Musy, 4, Chana, 2, and Goldie, 1, serves now as the meeting place for the small congregation.

Promoting outreach

Three years ago Bnai Zedek partnered with Chabad, hoping to strengthen the Kenosha Jewish community by promoting Jewish pride, study and celebration. A Hasidic movement, Chabad provides outreach and educational activities through Jewish community centers, synagogues, schools and camps throughout the world.

Bnai Zedek is the older of the two Jewish congregations in Kenosha and has become more of an outreach center.

A few of the oldest members of the congregation remain involved, but most of the younger people who grew up here attending Bnai Zedek with their parents have moved away.

“It’s now for the more unaffiliated. The larger numbers coming to the services are new to the community,” Wilschanski said. “Our job here is to try and find those who do not identify themselves as Jewish. We’re inviting them back to their roots and making it accessible.”

The 100th year anniversary event is by invitation only, but anyone wishing to receive an invitation can e-mail Wilschanski at rabbitzali@JewishKenosha.com.

Congregation Bnai Zedek Chabad fast facts

— Rabbi Louis Lepkovsky became the first rabbi of Congregation Bnai Zedek in 1904.

— Bnai Zedek has had about 17 spiritual leaders in its history.

— Merchant Jacob Stern was one of the first Jewish settlers to arrive in Kenosha in the 1880s.

— The first donation toward building the Bnai Zedek synagogue was $500 donated by Kenosha industrialist Zalmon Simmons, who donated to religious buildings of many faiths.

— The Stern and Epstein families, along with other founding members, generously donated to the building fund.

— The laying of the cornerstone was postponed two weeks because of rain and finally happened on Aug. 7, 1911.

— Most of the paint colors inside the synagogue today are identical to the original design of the building.

— The congregation established Bnai Zedek cemetery northwest of Alford Park on Kenosha’s north side, which is still in use.

— A home next to the synagogue served as a community center until it was sold nearly 20 years ago.

— Three years ago Bnai Zedek partnered with Chabad.

— Chabad centers are Jewish community outreach sites serving both education and observance purposes.