Kesher Israel Congregation began in 1910 in Georgetown. They moved to 2801 N St. NW in 1915, to a small rowhouse. In 1931, they constructed the current building on the site, a three-story brick building with stone trim and milky-glass windows made of post-industrial waste.
The congregation is modern Orthodox, and has attracted many prominent Washingtonians, including Joseph Lieberman and Herman Wouk . Rabbi Freundel was the rabbi from 1989 to 2014, when he was arrested for voyeurism at the National Capital Mikvah, and later pled guilty.