In a city best known for football, this synagogue is located only two blocks from the original home of the Green Bay Packers.

Wisconsin’s Jewish history began in 1793 when Jacob Franks established a trading post in Green Bay. However the area’s Jewish population remained tiny until the two waves of Jewish immigration in the 19th century and early 20th century. In addition to being merchants and tradesmen these Jewish immigrants played an important role in city and state building. Baruch Schleisinger Weil, founder of Schleisingerville, served in the Wisconsin Legistlature from 1852 to 1880. Edward Poznanski served two terms as mayor of Chippewa Falls in the 1850s. John Levy founded La Crosse, to name a few. There were also numerous other Jewish mayors and state legislators.

The 120 families of Congregation Anshe Keneseth Israel dedicated Green Bay’s first synagogue in 1904. By 1951 the name had been changed to Cnesses Israel and a new building was constructed on a pleasant street about two blocks from City Stadium, then the home of the famous Green Bay Packers professional football team.

The chapel of Cnesses Israel incorporates the ark and pews of the original downtown Anshe Keneseth synagogue and the sanctuary features four stained glass windows that were preserved from the old synagogue. Originally the congregation was Orthodox, becoming Conservative upon the 1951 move to the new building. Nowadays the synagogue has about 85 member families and describes itself as being fiercely egalitarian reservadox because they are a mixed congregation: a few orthodox, a few Reform, mainly Conservative.