The Jewish Hospital
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
Organized in 1865, it was the first hospital in Pa. funded and established by Jewish people to treat members of their religion, although it was open to all. By the mid-1800s, Philadelphia's Jewish population rose sharply, primarily because of Jews fleeing Germany. The Jewish Hospital provided kosher food and observed Jewish religious practices unavailable at other hospitals. It was renamed Albert Einstein Medical Center in 1952.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Organized in 1865, the Jewish Hospital was the first in Pennsylvania founded and funded by Jewish Philadelphians to care for their own community — though its doors were open to all. It rose as the city's Jewish population swelled with families fleeing upheaval in the German states, offering kosher food and religious observance that other hospitals could not. In 1952 it was renamed the Albert Einstein Medical Center, a name it carries into the present.
Why it matters
It shows how immigrant communities built enduring institutions to preserve their faith and dignity while contributing to the broader civic life of American cities.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- National Constitution Center5.8 mi away · 525 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- African American Museum in Philadelphia5.8 mi away · 701 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Betsy Ross House5.9 mi away · 239 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Illadelph Glass Gallery5.9 mi away · 68 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Independence Visitor Center5.9 mi away · 599 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Muse Gallery5.9 mi away · 52 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA
Attractions
- Harbison's Dairy Milk Bottle3.9 mi away
- Discovery Center at East Park Reservoir4.5 mi away
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge5.0 mi away
- Philly Gun Range5.2 mi away · North Percy Street
- Philadelphia Zoo5.2 mi away
- Rocky Steps5.3 mi away
Food & drink
- Independence Mall Cafe5.9 mi away · 50 North Independence Mall East, Philadelphia
- Dunkin'6.0 mi away · 634 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- La Colombe Coffee Roasters6.0 mi away
- Bubble Tea Room6.0 mi away · 319 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- 3J's Cafe6.0 mi away · 317 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Burger King6.0 mi away
Places to stay
- Days Inn Philadelphia Convention Center - Philadelphia5.6 mi away · 1227 Race Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia City Center5.6 mi away · 1201 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Clarion Suites Philadelphia5.7 mi away · 1010 Race Street, Philadelphia
- Sleep Inn Center City5.7 mi away · 1020 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Home2 Suites by Hilton Philadelphia - Convention Center, PA5.8 mi away · 1200 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
- Hilton Garden Inn Philadelphia Center City5.8 mi away · 1100 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA
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Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Christopher Saur (1693-1758)
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2009
Christopher Saur was a pioneering printer in colonial Pennsylvania who in 1743 produced the first Bible printed in a European language in America — a German edition for the region's growing immigrant community. From his press came the most widely read German-language newspaper of the day, and he used it to champion German causes and aid fellow newcomers with his money and influence. His shop was a cornerstone of German-American life in the colonies.
Germantown Meetinghouse
Philadelphia, PA · est. 2008
Built in 1770, this was the first meetinghouse in the nation for the Church of the Brethren, a German pietist denomination born in 1708. Facing harsh religious persecution at home, virtually the entire church pulled up roots and resettled in America by 1750, seeking the freedom of worship that Pennsylvania promised. Many of the movement's earliest American leaders rest in the cemetery here.
Wall House (The Ivy)
Cheltenham Township, PA · est. 1982
In the first years of William Penn's colony, a settler named Richard Wall raised a stone house on land granted directly by the founder, and in 1683 it became one of the earliest gathering places for the Society of Friends in the region. Quakers met here for prayer and business through 1702, and successive additions in the 1720s and early 1800s grew the dwelling as one family's descendants held it for a century and a half. Cheltenham Township acquired the venerable house in 1932, preserving a rare tangible link to Pennsylvania's founding generation.
First Brethren Baptism in America, 1723
Philadelphia, PA
On Christmas Day 1723, a small band of German immigrants gathered at the water's edge in Germantown and performed the first American baptisms of the Church of the Brethren, a pietist movement born in Schwarzenau, Germany, in 1708. Fleeing religious persecution in the Old World, these settlers had found in Pennsylvania the freedom to practice their faith — including their signature rite of full-immersion adult baptism. That winter service planted one of the earliest peace-church congregations in the American colonies.