Welcome to our Wooster, Ohio Jewish community!

There has been an active Jewish population in the Wooster area since the 1840’s. In the 1880’s, the group of about 20 Jewish families (mostly merchants) decided they needed to form a more structured religious community — and in 1931, their dream of a permanent house of worship came true with the establishment of Knesseth Israel Temple (KIT). Originally Orthodox to accommodate the religious needs and tastes of many recent immigrants to the US, KIT formed a comfortable compromise between Conservative and Reform practice and in the 1990’s affiliated as a Reconstructionist congregation. For many years it is believed that KIT was the smallest congregation in the country with a full time rabbi.

Today, our part-time Rabbi and part-time Cantor offer services every other Friday night (with some exceptions in the summer months). Our current membership totals approximately 35 families of all ages and walks of life. The Wooster area boosts 4 institutions of higher learning within an 8-mile radius, which gives the community an educational and ethnic diversity much more varied than generally seen in a town this size.

KIT offers educational programs for all ages, and services are available for life transition events. We offer many opportunities to become involved with the temple community through holding board office or serving on committees. We maintain a strong connection to Wooster and many of our members are involved in civic enterprises.