John Steransky 
Nov. 15, 1992 
John Steransky, 69, Of Chapman Street, Inkerman Section Of Jenkins Township, 
Died Sunday In The Emergency Room Of Wilkes-barre General Hospital, 
Wilkes-barre.

Trout Stocking Continues In Area Lakes 
While Many Sportsmen Are Now Concerned With The Hunting Seasons, There Is 
Still Some Fine Fishing Available In The Keystone State.

By CHARLES H. BOGINO; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Monday, November 16, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: OHAV ZEDEK 





WILKES-BARRE -- Sidney Kirshner's grandfather was much like the other men
of the congregation Ohav Zedek. He was an immigrant. He was a merchant. And he
was a devout Jew. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But Kirshner's grandfather, Abraham, also was a spiritual leader in the
Orthodox Jewish community. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; On Sunday night, nearly 350 people gathered at the Ramada Inn to reminisce
and to celebrate the Ohav Zedek synagogue's centennial. On Wednesday, it will
have been 100 years since the Orthodox congregation received its charter. At
the Sunday fete, the founders' descendants dined on chicken and flounder,
prayed and remembered people like Kirshner. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Everyone was rather quiet around him," Kirshner said of his grandfather.
"He was a rather imposing figure." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At his home in Plains, Abraham Kirshner kept two scrolls of scriptural
writing, called the Torah, and about 25 people would meet at his home on the
Sabbath for services. Because observant Orthodox Jews aren't allowed to drive
on the Sabbath or on holy days, the three-mile walk to the synagogue in
downtown Wilkes-Barre usually was reserved for the most important holidays. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For Sandy Himmelstein, who grew up in Glen Lyon, the trips to Ohav Zedek,
which means Lover of Righteousness in Hebrew, entailed traveling before
sundown the day before to her grandparents' home several blocks away from the
synagogue. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Usually, the Glen Lyon Jews would gather for services at the firehouse, men
worshipping on the spot where the pool table had been standing only moments
before and the women worshipping separately in the firehouse lounge. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But it was their tenacity in their faith that helped the congregation grow
over the years, some of the members said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The original members mostly came from the region in Europe around what is
now Hungary. Many of the Jewish families settled in the Wyoming Valley after
they came here to stay with some of the families from the core group. They
helped one another, as they helped the congregation, its members said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "As a matter of fact, the present synagogue (on South Franklin Street) was
built during the height of the Depression," Kirshner said. "We had members who
were always digging into their pocket to help." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That generosity extended further during those years, Kirshner said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 People who came to his father's grocery in Plains were given credit during
those years, and many of the tabs simply were overlooked. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "During the Depression, people paid what they could," he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ohav Zedek's observance of its 100th year, which began in September on Rosh
Hashanah -- the Jewish new year -- will continue with events scheduled through
next fall.

Congregation Celebrates Ohav Zedek Centennial Wilkes-barre's Orthodox Jews Gather To Rejoice And To Remember