A Conservative Home in Wyomissing, Rooted in Reading
Kesher Zion Synagogue is the Conservative Jewish congregation of Berks County, Pennsylvania, with a fellowship that traces its roots to two early twentieth century shuls in Reading and a single sanctuary dedicated on a winter day in 1950. After sixty-five years in a stately building on Perkiomen Avenue, the congregation has shared space since 2017 with Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom at 555 Warwick Drive in Wyomissing, a few miles south of its historic home. The synagogue describes itself as a kind, welcoming community, eager to share a love of Judaism across the region, and its mission has stayed remarkably consistent for nearly a century: meeting the religious, social, and educational needs of its members within the framework of the Conservative movement.
From Bnai Zion and Kesher Israel to a Single Sanctuary
The story of Kesher Zion begins with two congregations. Congregation Bnai Zion was formed in 1911, and Congregation Kesher Israel was granted its charter two years later. In 1929 the two joined into a single entity, the Kesher Zion Synagogue Center, a union the synagogue still marks as the moment its present community was born. Their first home together was a converted church at the corner of 8th and Court Streets in Reading, which served the membership for two decades.
Jewish education kept pace with the growing congregation. In 1933 the Kesher Zion Hebrew School was created as a separate entity to strengthen youth education and Bar Mitzvah studies, originally housed in a rented building at Eckert and Perkiomen Avenues on a property the synagogue eventually purchased. Under President David Schein, the next era began with groundbreaking in May 1947 on the site at 1245 Perkiomen Avenue, followed by a cornerstone ceremony in April 1949. The new building was dedicated on December 3, 1950, and was noted for its stained-glass windows in the main sanctuary, a Sisterhood Hall for social events, a small chapel, and ample classrooms for the Hebrew School.
For sixty-five years, simchas and family milestones were marked beneath those stained-glass windows. As maintenance costs grew, the congregation searched for a new home, and Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom at 555 Warwick Drive in Wyomissing opened its doors. The two congregations have shared the building since 2017, an arrangement that allows Kesher Zion to continue its work without the burden of an aging structure.
Shabbat Mornings and the Thursday Community Minyan
The weekly rhythm of Kesher Zion is built around Shabbat. Saturday morning services begin at 9:30 AM and are held in person at 555 Warwick Drive and broadcast simultaneously over Zoom. Passwords and links for the Zoom service are sent to members in advance; non-members who would like to attend are asked to contact the KZ office for credentials. The service follows the traditional Conservative liturgy, with congregants participating in the prayers, the Torah reading, and the Musaf under the guidance of Rabbi Prosnitz.
For those who want to gather during the week, the synagogue holds a Thursday Evening Community Minyan at 7:00 PM on the first and third Thursday of each month. This in-person only service provides an opportunity for members and visitors to mark the rhythm of the Jewish calendar and to remember loved ones through the Mourner's Kaddish. Administrative office hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, when the office staff can help with membership questions, school registration, and Holiday plans.
Rabbi Ted Prosnitz, Cantor, Chaplain, and Teacher
The spiritual leader of Kesher Zion is Rabbi Ted Prosnitz, who serves the congregation in the dual tradition of hazzan and rabbi. He was invested by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and earned a Master of Arts in Sacred Music from the same institution, where he also received the Hazzan Israel Weiser Prize for Excellence in Nusach and the Sara and Samuel Katz Memorial Prize in Liturgy and Nusach. He holds Professional Development Certificates from Harvard University in Teaching the Ancient Near East and from the State of New Jersey in Holocaust Education, and earned his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Rochester. He received rabbinic ordination, or smicha, from Mesifta Adath Wolkowisk in 2025.
Before arriving in Berks County, Rabbi Prosnitz served as Ba'al K'riah, Ba'al T'fillah, Cantor, and Kol Bo at congregations from New York to Ohio, Michigan to Missouri, and worked as a chaplain in hospitals and homes, an experience he describes as profound for all concerned. He has sung in performance at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and he has loved teaching and tutoring in schools, shuls, and seminary. His philosophy of spiritual leadership is straightforward: to support each person's connection to the faith and encourage taking a step up the ladder of holiness, working to make study of prayer and prayer of study.
Born and raised in Hackensack, New Jersey, Rabbi Prosnitz is a graduate of public school and Hackensack Hebrew Institute, the University of Rochester, and the University of Michigan. He first pursued the cantorate at the Academy of Jewish Religion before continuing at JTS, leaving the family retail business after a life-changing experience one High Holiday season. He can be reached through the KZ office by phone at 610-374-1763 or by email. He holds drop-in office hours at the synagogue on Mondays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM and Thursdays from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
The Morris Hassel Religious School
The congregation's youth education program, the Morris Hassel Religious School, prepares children from kindergarten through seventh grade for life as Conservative Jews. Its mission statement sets the tone: to provide a student-friendly and parent-involved environment for the learning of Hebrew literacy, Jewish history, customs, and liturgy; to nurture children toward performing mitzvot at home, in synagogue, and in community; to prepare students for becoming a Bar or Bat Mitzvah; and to foster a life-long commitment to the Jewish people.
The school grew out of the original Kesher Zion Hebrew School created in 1933 and continues to meet during the school year at the Warwick Drive campus. For students preparing for a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, the synagogue maintains an extensive B'nai Mitzvah Resources library of audio recordings of prayers from Siddur Hadash and Siddur Shema Yisrael, so that young people can rehearse the liturgy they will lead on the day they are called to the Torah. Parents and students can contact the main office for enrollment details.
Egalitarianism and Interfaith Families
Kesher Zion has been an egalitarian congregation since 1984. Women are counted in the minyan, may serve as baalat tefillah (prayer leaders), can be called for an aliyah to the Torah, and may read Torah or Haftorah. Bar and Bat Mitzvah celebrants are encouraged to lead as much of the service as they are able and to chant the Torah portion and Haftorah according to their capabilities. All men and boys are required to wear a kippah, and Jewish men are expected to wear a tallit on Shabbat and holidays; women are not required to do either but are encouraged, and those called to the bimah for an aliyah or serving as baalat tefillah are asked to wear a tallit. Those who do not identify with a specific gender are free to choose what prayer adornments suit them best, and inclusive language is used during services, with the matriarchs remembered along with the patriarchs in the Amidah and HaShem referred to neutrally in English readings.
The congregation has a long and proud history of welcoming interfaith families. Consistent with Conservative practice, anyone who has a Jewish mother or has converted to Judaism is considered Jewish, and any member of that congregant's family is welcomed as an integral part of the community. Non-Jewish participants are often asked to read English prayers during services and are invited to the bimah alongside their families for life cycle events. The congregation participates in interfaith events throughout Berks County, hosts church groups for services, and visits local churches in return. Children who wish to be called to the Torah as a Bar or Bat Mitzvah must be Jewish, and only Jewish congregants may serve on the board.
The Social Action Committee and Tikkun Olam
Tikkun olam, the Jewish obligation to repair the world, is the work of the Kesher Zion Social Action Committee. The committee is made up of congregants who advocate for positive change in the greater Reading area and has organized clothing, housewares, and book drives distributed across the county and beyond. It has raised funds and awareness for individuals with disabilities and for those affected by tragedies, and regularly prepares meals for a local shelter to help those experiencing food insecurity.
The committee partners closely with the Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Social Action Committee of Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom, the Greater Reading Unity Coalition, and Reading Cares. Through these relationships Kesher Zion stays connected to the wider civic life of Berks County, sharing its faith with neighbors while addressing poverty and inequality in the region.
The Kesher Zion Cemetery in Shillington
The Kesher Zion Cemetery Association, established long ago to serve the synagogue and the broader Jewish community of Berks County, maintains a cemetery at 1051 Philadelphia Avenue in Shillington, on the outskirts of Reading. Lots are available to members of Kesher Zion and to other members of the Jewish community, and detailed rules and regulations are available for both members and non-members through the main office. Driving directions are provided from Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and New York for families traveling from across the region.
The Bulletin, Adult Education, and Becoming a Member
The Kesher Zion Bulletin, the congregation's monthly newsletter, includes a calendar, reflections from members, staff, and clergy, news about upcoming events, and ways to get involved. Members and visitors are also invited to adult education classes designed to enrich Jewish knowledge and encourage continued learning through adult years. Annual support comes from a number of named funds, including the Synagogue Fund, the Dr. Robert N. Greenberg Scholar-in-Residence Program, the Kiddush Fund, the Torah Fund (which supports the Jewish Theological Seminary's programs and scholarship fund), and the Simcha Fund, with cards available for any occasion.
The Lakin Preschool, which for many years educated children from the synagogue and the wider community, has closed. The Jewish Federation of Reading has formed a strategic alliance with the Yocum Institute for Arts Education, which now offers preschool programming that includes cultural aspects of Jewish holidays. Membership at Kesher Zion is open to Jewish households and families of all backgrounds and levels of observance, with dues scaled to ability to pay. Those interested are invited to drop in for a service, class, or activity, and then to complete the membership form. The congregation promises in its own words to be a warm, diverse, and open community for Jewish and interfaith families, couples, and singles throughout Berks County.