Lancaster: Recreation

Sightseeing

Lancaster and its environs maintain many buildings of historic interest. Among them are the 1852 Fulton Opera House, which has been restored and houses a wooden statue of Robert Fulton; the 1889 Central Market, which is the oldest publicly-owned continually operating farmers market in the country; Rock Ford Plantation, a Georgian mansion built in 1792 for General Edward Hand; Wheatland, the 1828 country estate of President James Buchanan; and 1719 Hans Herr House, the oldest house built by European settlers in the county and the Western Hemisphere's oldest Mennonite meeting house.

The Heritage Center Museums of Lancaster County, including the Lancaster Cultural History Museum and the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum, provide information about the cultural history of Lancaster County and have attractive displays of decorative and fine arts produced by generations of local artists and craftspeople. Lancaster Newspapers' Newseum explores the history of newspapers. At the Charles Demuth House and Garden, visitors can tour the eighteenth century home, studio, and gardens of world-famous artist Charles Demuth; the Demuth Tobacco Shop, located next door, was founded in 1770 and is the oldest tobacco shop in the U.S. The city also offers the Historic Lancaster Walking Tour, which concentrates on Revolutionary War era sites; the Pennsylvania Railroad Museum, which displays more than 100 locomotives and cars; the Ephrata Cloisters, one of the country's earliest and most influential religious communities; and the Robert Fulton Birthplace.

The countryside surrounding Lancaster is a favorite destination of visitors, who have made Lancaster County one of the top ten tourist attractions in the country. By car, bicycle, bus, buggy, or steam train, passing through covered bridges, one can tour re-created Amish farms and visit farmers' markets and Pennsylvania Dutch restaurants. Visitors interested in learning more about Pennsylvania Dutch Country can do so through a multimedia attraction at the Amish Experience Theater, located at Plain & Fancy Farm on Route 340. The production combines special effects with the traditional story of the Amish people and their centuries-old culture. The theater presents an original and critically acclaimed screenplay called "Jacob's Choice," which chronicles the saga of an Amish family from its flight from religious persecution in sixteenth century Europe to modern-day Lancaster County.

For those looking to explore nearby communities, a number of attractions in and near Hershey are worth a visit. Hersheypark offers amusement rides, shopping, food, and other forms of family fun. Hershey's Chocolate World serves as Hershey Food Corporation's official visitors center, and offers chocolate-making tours. For nature enthusiasts, Indian Echo Caverns gives guided tours of underground caves. And in nearby Kennett Square, Longwood Gardens allows visitors to tour one of America's most famous horticultural showplaces.

Arts and Culture

Lancaster Symphony Orchestra makes its home at the beautifully restored 1852 Fulton Opera House, a national historic landmark. There the orchestra performs 20 yearly subscription concerts in addition to a special New Year's Eve celebration and an outdoor patriotic concert at Long's Park. Also performing at the Fulton is Opera Lancaster, one of just a few non-profit, all-volunteer opera companies in the U.S. They boast an active performing membership of more than 100. The Fulton is a focal point for theatrical productions of all kinds, presented by groups sponsored by high schools and colleges as well as by touring professionals and community-based enterprises. These groups include the Actors Company at the Fulton, Youtheatre, and the Theatre for Young Audiences.

Outdoor concerts at Long's Park Amphitheater and other locales are presented during the summer months by Lancaster Symphony Orchestra and other groups under the auspices of the Long's Park Free Summer Entertainment Series. Both women and men participate in local barbershop choruses that perform from time to time throughout the area, as does Wheatland Chorale, a group of 36 singers specializing in close ensemble a capella singing.

Co-Motion, Hole-In-The-Wall Puppet Theatre, and First Stage Theatre provide family entertainment. Lancaster's Theater of the Seventh Sister has been in operation for more than 15 years, and offers a range of performances from new dramatic works, to plays of the old masters, to live musical performances. Dutch Apple Dinner Theater presents professional musicals and comedies accompanied by a large buffet dinner; Broadway comedies and hearty dinners are the bill of fare at Rainbow Dinner Theatre. Sight & Sound Theatres, one of the largest theatres in the U.S., has been offering musicals with a religious theme for more than 25 years. Philadelphia, with its rich array of cultural offerings, is 65 miles from Lancaster.

Landis Valley Museum is considered one of the most important living history museum complexes in the country. The complex's numerous exhibit areas, interpreting Pennsylvania rural life, include original structures such as the 1800s Landis Farmstead and the 1856 Landis Valley House Hotel, and other historically significant structures that were either moved to the site or are period reconstructions. The North Museum of Natural History and Science, on the campus of Franklin and Marshall College, is filled with hands-on displays and one of the largest planetariums in the state.

The Heritage Center Museums of Lancaster County are located in two historic buildings on Penn Square: the Lancaster Quilt and Textile Museum exhibits folk and decorative arts and crafts; the Lancaster Cultural History Museum collects items important to the area's history. Folk art and crafts are also on display at the Kauffman Museum of Pennsylvania Folk Arts and Crafts, located on the grounds of Rock Ford Plantation. Sheldon's Gallery in nearby Ephrata features original paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures, while Garthoeffner Gallery specializes in painted furniture, folk art, and vintage toys. A number of art galleries in downtown Lancaster present permanent and changing exhibits; offered are works of local craftspeople, including Amish quilts, as well as national and international art.

Festivals and Holidays

Throughout the year, the Downtown Investment District coordinates many downtown Lancaster events, including Art in the Park, a Puerto Rican Festival, LancasterFest, a Classic Car and Auto Show, a Jazz and Blues Festival, and New Year's Eve's Count Down Lancaster. Winter visitors to the Lancaster area enjoy maple sugaring beginning in February. The Quilters' Heritage Celebration, held in early spring, is one of the largest quilting conventions in the world; the event showcases hundreds of quilts entered in a juried and judged contest. A Rhubarb Festival is held in Intercourse in mid-May, paying homage to a crop that grows abundantly in Pennsylvania Dutch country. Early June brings the Lancaster Spring Show of Arts and Crafts, displaying the works of artisans from around the country in a juried exhibition. The Kutztown Pennsylvania German Festival, held in Kutztown in late June and early July, celebrates the Pennsylvania Dutch way of life; arts, crafts, and quilts are displayed and sold, and regional and ethnic food is available in abundance.

The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire, held at Mount Hope Estate and Winery 15 miles north of Lancaster, is a re-creation of a sixteenth-century English country fair. Costumed entertainers, jousting, Shakespearean presentations, crafts, and more appear each weekend from early July through mid-October. In late July and early August, Franklin and Marshall College hosts the Pennsylvania State Craft Show and Sale. Arts and crafts are also the focus of Long's Park Art & Craft Festival held in Lancaster on Labor Day Weekend. The Christmas season is celebrated in downtown Lancaster during Downtown Holiday Weekends, featuring food, tree lightings, music, gingerbread displays, and carriage rides. The season is celebrated throughout the region with special holiday tours at Rock Ford Plantation, Hans Herr House, and the Ephrata Cloister in Ephrata; Victorian Christmas Week at Wheatland; and Christmas at Landis Valley.

Sports for the Spectator

One of two spring highlights in downtown Lancaster is the Wachovia Cycling Series, which brings more than 200 of the world's top professional cyclists through the town's downtown on their way to Philadelphia. It is billed as the longest running and richest single-day cycling race in the U.S. The springtime five-mile Red Rose Run also draws hundreds of spectators, and has been an area event for more than 25 years. Lancastrians are also avid supporters of Philadelphia and Baltimore professional teams.

Sports for the Participant

Lancaster maintains nearly 300 acres of land in the form of community parks. The Lancaster Recreation Commission operates an active year-round schedule of adult and child-oriented sports and recreation programs. Park and recreation facilities include athletic fields, a street hockey rink, tennis courts, basketball courts, children's play equipment, and picnic areas. Dozens of state ski areas are accessible from Lancaster.

Shopping and Dining

Downtown Lancaster is a thriving and architecturally interesting district supporting hundreds of businesses that offer distinctive jewelry, home decorations, apparel, books, antiques, music, crafts, and gifts. A favorite among tourists and locals is Central Market, where baked goods, crafts, flowers, fresh produce, and Pennsylvania Dutch food and other ethnic delicacies are abundant. Park City Center, located in the city, is one of the largest malls in the state with 1.4 million square feet of space and about 170 stores. The northern end of the county is known for its weekend flea markets and antiques mall. With almost 1,000 Amish "micro enterprises" in existence, it's possible to locate everything from traditional handcrafted quilts to rolltop desks and Adirondack chairs—all within a few miles of each other in the surrounding countryside. Some shops are in family homes; other businesses have showrooms filled with beautiful handcrafts.

With the dozens of restaurants located in Lancaster's downtown area, diners can choose from a casual pub experience to elegant dining, as well as enjoy Thai, Chinese, Jamaican, Italian, and other ethnic cuisines. Pennsylvania Dutch specialties such as chicken pot pie, schnitz and knepp (dried apples with ham and dumplings), apple butter, and shoofly pie (actually a molasses sponge cake baked in a crust) are served in restaurants located throughout the nearby countryside; some of these restaurants are housed in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century inns that lined the country's first paved road.

Visitor Information: Pennsylvania Dutch Convention and Visitors Bureau, 501 Greenfield Rd., Lancaster, PA 17601; telephone (800)PADUTCH; email [email protected].

Lancaster: Economy

Major Industries and Commercial Activity

Lancaster County has a widely diversified economy; industries range from manufacturing to agriculture, tourism to health care, and retail trade to wholesale distribution. Many firms in the county have existed there for at least 50 and some for more than 100 years, including the oldest tobacco store in the country.

Lancaster County is known for the incredible diversity of its agriculture. The county's 4,500 farms make it one of the top farming counties in the United States. Together, these farms raise 45 million broiler chickens, 10 million laying hens, 95,000 dairy cows, 250,000 beef cattle, and 335,000 hogs annually. The county also leads all Pennsylvania counties in the value of its livestock, dairy products, wheat, corn, hay, tobacco, eggs, and milk, earning $725 million a year in agricultural revenue. Farmland preservation is a top priority for Lancaster County planners, who are struggling to preserve farmland even as the population grows and development continues. In 1999, Lancaster County had more than 30,000 acres of preserved farmland and 375 preserved farms, more preserved farms than any other county in the nation. The state of Pennsylvania has allocated millions of dollars to the farm preservation effort, which offers farmers economic incentives when they sign over development rights to the state so that the farmland can never be sold for development.

Lancaster County's industrial base is supported by hundreds of manufacturers and distributors. Service industries account for millions of dollars in revenue. More than 11,000 businesses employ more than 250,000 local residents.

Millions of tourists visit Lancaster County every year to tour its historical communities, view its rich architectural heritage, and witness life in its picturesque and culturally distinct farming communities. This influx of visitors provides jobs and income for thousands of local workers and businesses.

Items and goods produced: television tubes and electronic equipment, textiles, watches, farm machinery, building materials, linoleum, steel containers, ball bearings, locks, aluminum products, pharmaceuticals, toys, furniture, candy and food products

Incentive Programs—New and Existing Companies

Through economic development organizations like the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County and other community organizations, a wide array of public financing programs are available to local businesses. Resources include funding for start-up and business development projects, technical assistance, business counseling and training, and access to local, state, and federal funding programs.

Local programs

Lancaster's Economic Company Finance Corporations administers a number of funding programs for area businesses. The Pennsylvania Small Business First Fund provides low-interest financing to manufacturing and industrial businesses with less than 100 employees; companies can borrow up to $200,000 for land acquisition, construction, machinery, and working capital. The Community First Fund offers fixed-rate loans up to $50,000 and business counseling to small businesses, nonprofit organizations, and housing development agencies for use in real estate, machinery and equipment, and leasehold improvements. The Penn Southeast Mezzanine Fund is for firms with high growth and earnings potential; it extends loans of up to $750,000 for acquisitions, equipment purchase, working capital, and real estate.

State programs

Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development is the main source of funding and other economic growth programs for state businesses. Funding programs offered by the state include bond financing, grants, loans and loan guarantees, tax credits and abatements, and technical assistance. The state's tools include the Job Creation Tax Credit Program, which provides a $1,000-per-job tax credit for businesses that create new jobs; 25 percent of the tax credits allocated each year must go to businesses with less than 100 employees. The Opportunity Grant Program provides funds needed to create or preserve Pennsylvania jobs to businesses involved in manufacturing, exporting, agriculture, and research and development. The First Industries Fund is a grant and loan program aimed at strengthening Pennsylvania's agriculture and tourism industries. Loans up to $200,000 can be used for land acquisition and construction, machinery purchase, and working capital. The state also runs a number of technology investment programs, which are designed to help create and bolster new and existing technology companies within the state. Program areas include funding, assistance programs, industry initiatives, and research and development.

Job training programs

The Lancaster County Career and Technology Center offers a wide range of trade and skill-development opportunities to students in Lancaster County. The center has been renovated and its facilities offer modern, state-of-the-art laboratories and training programs geared to today's labor market needs. The Career and Technology Center's Work Keys program helps employers with job applicant selection and provides businesses with assessment services to determine where additional training would help increase employee performance.

Development Projects

The city of Lancaster has been involved in numerous development projects. Many of them include renovations and additions to Lancaster's cultural and recreational venues, including the city's multi-purpose baseball stadium, the Academy of Music, the Quilt Museum, and the Franklin and Marshall Life Sciences Building. Transportation improvements include work on the Red Rose Transit Center, the Amtrak Station, and the Fruitville Pike Bridge. Recent expansion and renovation also took place at the Lancaster General Hospital and the premises of the Susquehanna Association for the Blind.

Economic Development Information: Economic Development Company of Lancaster County, Southern Market Center, 100 S. Queen St., PO Box 1558, Lancaster, PA 17608; telephone (717)397-4046. City of Lancaster Economic Development Department; telephone (717)291-4760

Commercial Shipping

Air transportation facilities are provided by Lancaster Airport; air cargo lines include American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United, Airborne Express, FedEx, and UPS. Norfolk Southern Rail serves as the area's primary freight railroad; daily service is available. Small freight and air cargo service is also available. The Philadelphia Regional Port Authority, 68 miles east of Lancaster County, handles more than 5 million tons of cargo each year.

Labor Force and Employment Outlook

Lancaster's widely diversified economy is expected to continue to stand the city in good stead. The city lays claim to a skilled labor force with a Pennsylvania Dutch work ethic. More than 11,000 companies employ a workforce of more than 250,000 people, in sectors including manufacturing, services, retail, tourism, and agriculture. Lancaster's non-agricultural labor force has diminished over the last decade, while jobs in the construction and tourism industries have increased significantly.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Lancaster metropolitan area labor force, 2004 annual averages.

Size of nonagricultural labor force: 232,100

Number of workers employed in . . .

construction and mining: 16,400

manufacturing: 45,700

trade, transportation and utilities: 50,800

information: 4,000

financial activities: 10,100

professional and business services: 21,400

educational and health services: 32,400

leisure and hospitality: 20,200

other services: 10,400

government: 20,800

Average hourly earnings of production workers employed in manufacturing: $15.35

Unemployment rate: 3.5% (May 2005)

Cost of Living

According to the Economic Development Company of Lancaster County, the median rent within the county was $572 in 2000. The 2000 median housing value for the county was $119,300. Pennsylvania also has the lowest maximum income tax rate, 3.07%, of any state that imposes a personal income tax.

The following is a summary of data regarding several key cost of living factors for the Lancaster area.

2004 ACCRA Average House Price: Not reported

2004 ACCRA Cost of Living Index: Not reported

State income tax rate: 3.07% includes earned income plus interest

State sales tax rate: 6.0%

Local income tax rate: Lancaster County assesses an earned income and an occupational assessment tax that vary from municipality to municipality. It is based on one's occupation (therefore, an accountant would pay a different tax from a farmer, for example)

Local sales tax rate: None

Property tax rate: 2.96 mills based on 100% of fair market value (2005)

Economic Information: Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Southern Market Center, 100 S. Queen St., PO Box 1558, Lancaster, PA 17608; telephone (717)397-3531; fax (717)293-3159

Lancaster: History

Rich Farm Land Attracts Religious Refugees

The Susquehanna, Shawnee, and Iroquois tribes inhabited the area around Lancaster when William Penn and his Quaker followers took up residence in nearby Philadelphia in 1682. The second influx of immigrants to Philadelphia was comprised of Germans, some of them Mennonites (German-speaking religious refugees). Around 1710, a number of these Germans moved beyond Philadelphia to take advantage of the rich farm land stretching along the Susquehanna River to the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The Germans were followed by a group of Amish (orthodox Anabaptists) from Switzerland and Bohemian Moravians (Protestants) from Czechoslovakia. The descendants of the Germans, known as the Pennsylvania Dutch (a corruption of Deutsch, meaning German) and the Amish are still there, many living on the farms which have made the area one of the top five agricultural counties in the country in terms of value per acre.

The first European settler of record in Lancaster was George Gibson, who in 1721 opened a tavern in the area of town now known as Penn Square. In his honor the town was called Gibson's Pasture until 1741, when it was renamed Lancaster after a town in England. Frontiersmen bought farm tools and the famous Kentucky rifle, actually a Lancaster product, as they passed through the city on their way west. The city became known as "the arsenal of the colonies" during the American Revolution of the 1770s for the guns it produced. Lancaster was the capital of the American colonies for one day in 1777, when the Continental Congress interrupted its flight from the British out of Philadelphia on its way to (New) York. From 1799 to 1812, Lancaster was the capital of Pennsylvania.

Economy Thrives, Diversifies

In addition to farming, other ventures carried out in Lancaster city and county were iron mining and furnace operations as well as quarrying. By 1789 Lancaster supported saddlers, shoemakers, furriers, forges, rolling mills, slitting mills, sawmills, brass foundries, rope makers, brush makers, silversmiths, steelwrights, printers, and other artisans and manufacturers, laying the foundation for the diverse economy for which the city is still known. By 1840, the population was 8,417; by 1860, that figure had more than doubled.

Traffic between Lancaster and Philadelphia became so heavy that a road was built between the two cities, using a technique of crushed stone paving developed by James McAdam (hence the word macadam). The turnpike, the first major paved road in the country, opened in 1794, having taken four years and $450,000 to complete.

Today, Lancaster County is famous for the high quality of the agricultural products supplied by the many family farms located throughout the county and for the diversity and quality of its manufactured goods. As the hub of the county the city is a center of government, arts and culture, education, professional and financial services, business, manufacturing, and health services. Combining sophistication with a reverence for its historic past, Lancaster is considered one of the Northeast's best cities for growing a business. In addition, Lancaster continues to be one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, bringing in thousands of visitors each year to experience the county's cultural uniqueness; as a result, tourism continues to be a major economic factor to the financial success of Lancaster.

Famous Lancastrians include F. W. Woolworth, who opened his first store in Lancaster around 1879, pricing every item at five cents; Robert Fulton, co-inventor of the steamboat; Pennsylvania's only president of the United States, James Buchanan; and Susanna Wright, raiser of silkworms and maker of the first pair of silk stockings in Pennsylvania.

Historical Information: Lancaster County Historical Society, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, PA 17603; telephone (717)392-4633. Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, 2215 Millstream Rd., Lancaster, PA 17602; telephone (717)393-9745. Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, 123 N. Prince St., Lancaster, PA 17603; (717)291-5861

Lancaster: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

The School District of Lancaster, established in 1836, is the second oldest school district in the state, and enrolls approximately 1,400 staff members. The district services a diverse student population which is approximately 50 percent Hispanic, 23 percent African American, and 22 percent Caucasian. Thirteen percent of the district's students are enrolled in its English as a second language program. The average school district attendance rate in 2003 was 92 percent, and high school students had a graduation rate of 71.1 percent in 2003. Over 67 percent of high school graduates intended to go on for post-secondary education.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Lancaster public schools as of the 2004–2005 school year.

Total enrollment: 11,300

Number of facilities elementary schools: 13

junior high/middle schools: 4

high schools: 1

other: 1 alternative school

Student/teacher ratio: 14.4:1 (2002)

Teacher salaries average: $50,599 (2001-02 statewide average)

Funding per pupil: $9,653 (2002-2003)

Lancaster offers a diverse selection of private, parochial, and specialized schools, including Dayspring Christian Academy, Lancaster Catholic High School, Lancaster Christian School, Lancaster Country Day School, Linden Hall School for Girls, Lancaster Mennonite School, Montessori Academy of Lancaster, New School of Lancaster, and Pennsylvania Academy of Music, which offers instruction in orchestral instruments, voice, and piano.

Public Schools Information: School District of Lancaster, 251 S. Prince St., 3rd Fl., Lancaster, PA 17603; telephone (717)291-6148; email [email protected]

Colleges and Universities

Franklin and Marshall College, founded in 1787, is a selective liberal arts institution that grants degrees in more than 30 disciplines. The school has a student/teacher ratio of 11 to 1, and was cited as offering one of the 100 best values in private college education in the U.S. by Kiplinger's magazine in 2004. The Pennsylvania College of Art and Design offers bachelor of fine art programs in graphic design, fine art, illustration, and photography; they also offer professional programs in digital design, mural painting, and folk art studies. Institutions with a religious focus are the Lancaster Theological Seminary and the Lancaster Bible College and Graduate School.

The Penn State Lancaster Campus, with more than 2,000 students, offers continuing education programs for adults, business, and industry. Graduate courses in education and business management are also available. Spread out amongst four campuses, Lancaster's Harrisburg Area Community College offers a number degree, certificate, and diploma programs in liberal arts and business concentrations. Among the three vocational-technical schools in the region is Thad-deus Stevens College of Technology, which offers two-year associates degrees in 17 programs. Enrollment averages 500 students per year.

Libraries and Research Centers

The Lancaster County Library, headquarters for the Library System of Lancaster County, opened in 1759. The County Library maintains 17 public libraries in the area, including the Duke Street main facility and the libraries in Leola, Mountville, and Manheim Township. Its collection numbers about 300,000 fiction and nonfiction books, more than 300 periodicals and newspapers, and hundreds of videocassettes, films, and records. Special facilities and programs at the main library include a summer reading program, a Spanish language section, the Cooperating Collections program, family activities, literacy programs, and a Library Center for Youth. Special collections include books on the preservation of historic architecture, local and regional history resources in the Gerald S. Lestz Reading Room, and a Business Information Center.

The Lancaster County Historical Society is an internationally recognized historical and genealogical research facility; its library contains more than 15,000 volumes, including maps, family files, microfilm, and CDs. The Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society also maintains a genealogical research library. Among the several libraries at Franklin and Marshall College is the Shadek-Fackenthal Library, containing 450,000 volumes and 400,000 government documents, with special emphasis on topics such as the theater, Lincoln, and Napoleon.

Public Library Information: Lancaster County Library, 125 N. Duke St., Lancaster, PA 17602; telephone (717)394-2651

LANCASTER

LANCASTER , U.S. city in S.E. Pennsylvania; general population 55,182 (2004); estimated Jewish population, 3,000 (mid-1990s). Lancaster is one of the oldest Jewish communities in the U.S. and was the main city of German settlement from colonial times ("Pennsylvania Dutch"). The first known Jew to come to Lancaster was Isaac Miranda (c. 1730). By 1735 a few Jewish traders were known to be in Lancaster, including Joseph *Simon, a trader and landholder who was known throughout Pennsylvania. Lancaster was then the gateway to the West and a place of trade with the Native Americans. A Jewish cemetery was established in 1747, making it the fourth oldest Jewish cemetery in the United States, when a plot of land was deeded to Joseph Simon and Isaac Nunes Henriques for that purpose. Many early Jewish settlers of Lancaster were buried there and the cemetery is still maintained by Congregation Shaarai Shomayim. When Lancaster ceased to be a frontier town, several Jewish families migrated to the Port City of Baltimore. Lancaster's first congregation was gathered in the home of Joseph Simon. (A portion of the ark used there is preserved at the American Jewish Historical Society.) From 1740 to the mid-19^th century the Jewish community remained small, consisting of about 10 or 15 families. New families began arriving from 1850 and Congregation Shaarai Shomayim (Reform) was founded in 1856. Its first synagogue was built in 1867 and another one in 1896. The influx of immigrants continued, and in 1895 Congregation Degel Israel (Orthodox) was chartered. By 1904 there were 50 families of German-Jewish extraction and 150 of Russian-Jewish extraction in Lancaster, the latter group having arrived after 1884. Among the Jewish organizations established in the town were the Harmonie Club (1875); Ladies Aid Society (1876); Temple Sisterhood (1894); Council of Jewish Women (1919); Organized Jewish Charities (1927); United Jewish Community Council (1928); Temple Brotherhood (1929); and Hadassah (1936). Congregation Degel Israel maintains a talmud torah and a cemetery. In more recent years, a Conservative congregation, Temple Beth-El, was established and several new organizations were established that have helped contribute to Jewish life in Lancaster. The Jewish Family Service of the Lehigh Valley was created in 1972 to help with missions such as resettlement, counseling, and emergency assistance in the wider Lancaster County. Franklin and Marshal College, with a student body of 1,850 students, contains a Hillel house that provides Jewish services and life to the 220 students enrolled, and a local Jewish community center offers several classes, summer programs, and religious education to the community as well.

[Benjamin Paul (2^nd ed.)]