Largely through the efforts of five Christian ministers, this town’s Jewish population of 18 families will have a synagogue which is to celebrate its opening on Sunday, June 27.
The ministers were persuaded to lend their aid to the project for a synagogue three years ago by a Philadelphia Jew named Samuel Kepnick who had just become a Hammonton resident. Responding to their spiritual leaders’ pleas, Hammonton’s Christian population of some 7,000 contributed $4,000 to building Temple Beth-El, or 75 per cent of the entire building fund.
City officials, many Christians and the five ministers will be present at the opening ceremonies. Joseph Stecker is president of the new congregation.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.