History of the Jews in Maryland facts for kids

Jewish people have lived in Maryland for a very long time, since the 1600s! As of 2018, about 201,600 Jewish people called Maryland home. That's almost 4% of everyone living in the state. Most Jewish communities in Maryland are found in Montgomery County and around the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Where Jewish Communities Live

Many Jewish people in Maryland live in the Baltimore metropolitan area. Places like Pikesville and northwest Baltimore have large Jewish communities. In 2010, about 100,000 Jewish people lived in Baltimore and Baltimore County.

The suburbs of Washington, D.C., in Maryland also have many Jewish residents. These areas include Montgomery County and Prince George's County. As of 2017, about 116,700 Jewish people lived there. Most of them live in lower Montgomery County.

The Rockville and Potomac areas are central to Montgomery County's Jewish population. You can also find large communities in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, and the Kemp Mill neighborhood of Silver Spring. Smaller Jewish communities exist in places like Gaithersburg, Germantown, White Oak, Olney, and Takoma Park.

Other towns in Maryland with smaller but important Jewish populations include Columbia, Frederick, Annapolis, Cumberland, and Easton.

A Look Back: History of Jewish People in Maryland

Early Settlers

For the first 150 years after Maryland was founded in 1634, not many Jewish people settled there. This was because the Province of Maryland didn't have big cities. Its economy mainly focused on growing tobacco.

The first known Jewish person to live in Maryland was Jacob Lumbrozo. He settled in the Province of Maryland in 1656.

Changing Laws

For a long time, Jewish people in Maryland were not allowed to hold public office. This meant they couldn't be elected officials or work in government jobs. Maryland was one of the last states to have such laws. These laws showed prejudice against Jewish people.

However, things changed on January 5, 1826. The Maryland General Assembly passed a law called the Jew Bill. This new law removed the old rule, finally allowing Jewish people to hold public office in Maryland.

New Arrivals

Between the 1830s and the 1870s, about 10,000 Jewish people from Germany and Central Europe came to Maryland. Later, in the 1850s, Jewish people from Eastern Europe began to arrive. A much larger wave of Eastern European Jewish immigrants came between the 1880s and the 1920s.

By 1899, about 35,000 Jewish people lived in Maryland.

Important Leaders

In 1904, Isidor Rayner was elected as the first Jewish US Senator from Maryland. He was also one of the very first Jewish US Senators in American history.

Later, in 1969, Marvin Mandel became the first Jewish Governor of Maryland. These leaders showed how Jewish people became an important part of Maryland's government and society.