CONGREGATION CNESSES ISRAEL
Who We Are
Our name, translated from Hebrew, signifies a beautiful and noteworthy sentiment:
Our synagogue is a gathering place open to all the people of Israel.
Cnesses is, first and foremost, a second home for our community. Some of our congregants have attended services at CCI for their entire lives; others perhaps only for a few years. All are welcome at CCI, and regardless of race, sex, gender, or level of religious education. All who enter our synagogue are family.
People of all faiths and traditions are welcome here. Whether you are a Jew, are a member of a Jewish family or Jewish partnership, care about the Jewish community, or are interested in learning more about Jewish faith and practice, we please invite you to visit. CCI is not a place exclusively for Jews, but rather one where all can come together to experience Jewish life and culture.
Here at CCI, we learn together. We celebrate Shabbat and holidays. Our community hosts carnivals, picnics, book groups, movie screenings, and bowling outings; we delight when our children run, laugh, and play.
Indeed, a synagogue is not solely a house of prayer, but a gathering for all that life has to offer!
So please, feel free to come and join us anytime. We look forward to welcoming you and your family.
History
By the turn of the 20th century, Green Bay’s Orthodox Jewish community was in need of somewhere to worship. Early congregants, who first had met together at the home of a local cantor, began formally to organize our shul as early as 1889. Five years later (and within just half a century of Green Bay’s own incorporation as a city), Congregation Anshe Keneseth Israel opened its doors. This original building, at the corner of Pine and North Jackson Streets, was later outgrown, and a new location established in 1951. With this transition came also a new alignment to Conservative Judaism, as well as the adoption of our current name, Congregation Cnesses Israel.
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Today, however, Cnesses is an unaffiliated synagogue. We welcome with open arms any and all congregants, be they Conservative, Orthodox, or Reform!
Join or Visit
Please note: while guests are always welcome at CCI, we have been advised by local law enforcement to take additional precautions. If you are new to our community, or otherwise wish to attend a prayer service or event, we must require you to please contact us beforehand.
To schedule a visit, or to inquire about membership, please call (920) 437-4841, or email us at cci.info.gb@gmail.com.