Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer

When Sheila Dressner first walked through the doors to Temple Menorah-Keneseth Chai in Northeast Philadelphia in 1980, she was in the process of finding a synagogue for her and her family to join.

On that day, her and one of her daughters were at the shul in Mayfair. Their decision was made quickly.

“We walked into the sanctuary and fell in love with it,” she said. “A gentleman who was a longtime member came up to us and just said, ‘Welcome to Temple Menorah,’ and we looked at each other and said, ‘This is it.’”

A lot has changed at Temple Menorah-Keneseth Chai since then. The community has aged and its event schedule is less busy than it once was. But one thing is for sure: “TKMC,” as members call it, is still alive as it celebrates its 100th year in existence.

“We’ve been able to hold our own,” Dressner said. “We haven’t had to merge. We’ve been able to keep our name alive.”

She laughed as she added that, sometimes, people don’t necessarily know that.

“People will ask what synagogue I am a president at, and I tell them, and they say, ‘Oh, is that still there?’” Dressner said.

While Temple Menorah-Keneseth Chai still has plenty of members and services, its footprint isn’t the same. They sold their building to a day care shortly before the pandemic. The congregants still have access to the building, but most of the members prefer to meet on Zoom.

“Our congregation is elderly — I am 81 and I’m one of the younger members,” Dressner said.

The event calendar mostly consists of Friday night Shabbat and Saturday Havdalah services on Zoom, in-person Torah study once a month and holiday celebrations at the building in Mayfair.

All of this may sound like it is trending in the wrong direction for Temple Menorah-Keneseth Chai, but the congregation has put roots down in the community that Dressner is confident will last.

The synagogue’s finances are supported by the Sisterhood Thrift Shop, which will stick around no matter what happens to the synagogue’s continued physical presence in Mayfair.

“We have a thrift shop that the community relies on, and it’s well loved. People come in and are regulars, and they’re known by name,” she said.

The thrift shop is one element of the synagogue that thrives in person. Zoom is key for a lot of reasons, one being that nearly every member of TKMC no longer drives. One, however, still does. Dressner explained:

“The thrift shop is run by a lady named Betty Barnett,” she said. “She is 98 years old, and she has been the secretary of Temple Menorah for over 50 years. She is part of the glue that holds the synagogue together. She knows everything, her mind is sharp as a tack and she is at the thrift shop every day — she still drives.”

Dressner said that the community is still thriving because it is more of a family than anything else. It was built by a merchant from Frankfurt Avenue who wanted a place to pray nearby. What was first a small shul soon turned into the thrift shop when the community got big enough to build the larger home that is now owned by the day care.

“What does it mean today — it means stability, it means being able to pray and being able to have religious freedom. Mayfair isn’t a Jewish area, but it’s a well-loved synagogue,” Dressner said.

Despite the fact that the days of roaring parties and constantly bustling hallways at TMKC may be over, Dressner recalls them fondly.

“We had beautiful dinners with white glove service and kosher caterers, with tables crowded against each other. We had trips and cruises. I went to New Orleans with the synagogue about a year after my husband died,” she said. “During the High Holidays, it was standing room only. Sometimes you would have to park two or three blocks away. We had movies and musicals and bingo.”

She said that back in the day, one older member liked to write theater, and used to come up with plays for the congregants to act in. Dressner recalled that she took part, in the TMKC auditorium, in a comedy that he wrote.

“It was a very, very active congregation, but gradually people got older and they either died or moved off to places like Paul’s Run [Retirement Community],” Dressner said.

The Temple Menorah-Keneseth Chai community is aging and shrinking, but that doesn’t mean the passion has deteriorated or the memories have faded. There were good times there over the course of their first hundred years. Regardless of how many more are left in store, a century of tradition is impressive.

“We have one member who lives in Delaware, and she still comes for everything,” Dressner said. “The warmth of our members, that’s what makes us special.”

aguckes@midatlanticmedia.com