Our History

 pjcfoundingfathersframed Click here for larger image.———

Shaar Ha-Shamayim, Parkway Jewish Center (PJC), was founded in 1953 by a few devoted families who sought to support a growing Jewish community in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In the early days, the founding families held services in each other’s basements and garages.  

In the picture on the left, the founding fathers are reportedly gathered in either Harry Katz’s basement or a place called “The Barn” near Garden City.  Read about them and this photo here and read the congregation’s first public announcement about the plan to build a synagogue building starting on page 6 of the February 22, 1955 American Jewish Outlook.

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groundbreaking


pjcgroundbreaking1985addition

 pjcgroundbreakingdarkerIn 1965, we added an education wing to the building...

To learn more about the people and events in the history of PJC, search for a name or phrase in the Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Archive or search through the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center.

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PJC is the only Conservative synagogue in the eastern suburbs.  We at PJC like to think of ourselves as a “heimisha”, family-centered, congregation.

 

 

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Posted July 30, 2013 by pjcwebsite