History of the Jews in Ohio facts for kids

The history of Jews in Ohio began in 1817. That's when Joseph Jonas, a pioneer from England, settled in Cincinnati. He was the first Jewish person to make a home there.

Soon, other English Jews joined him. They held the first Jewish religious services in Ohio in 1819. As more people arrived, they formed Ohio's first Jewish group, called B'ne Israel, in 1824. This group followed traditional Jewish practices.

Later, many German immigrants came to Ohio. Most of them followed a different Jewish practice called Reform Judaism. In 1837, a man named Simson Thorman from Bavaria settled in Cleveland. He was the first Jewish person there. More Germans followed him, and they started the Israelitish Society in 1839. This was Cleveland's first Jewish group.

In Cincinnati, German Jews also started a new group, Bene Yeshurun, in 1841. For the first half of the 1800s, these two cities were the main centers for Jewish life in Ohio. By 1850, Ohio had six Jewish congregations: four in Cincinnati and two in Cleveland.

As of 2012, about 148,680 Jewish people live in Ohio. This is about 1.3% of the state's total population.

Growth of Jewish Communities in Ohio

After the mid-1800s, more Jewish groups started all over Ohio. In 1880, records showed about 6,581 Jewish people in the state. This number was likely too low.

By 1904, it was thought that around 50,000 Jewish people lived in Ohio. This made Ohio's Jewish community one of the largest in the United States. Only New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Massachusetts had more Jewish residents. At that time, Jewish people made up a little over 1% of Ohio's total population.

Important Jewish People in 19th Century Ohio

Jewish people in Ohio played a big part in the state's public life.

Jewish Soldiers in the Civil War

During the American Civil War, 1,004 Jewish soldiers from Ohio joined the army. Only New York sent more Jewish soldiers. This shows how large the Jewish community was in Ohio back then.

One of these soldiers, Marcus M. Spiegel, started as a regular soldier. He rose through the ranks to become a colonel. He was recommended to become a general, but he died before that could happen. Two other Jewish soldiers, David Orbansky and Abraham Greenawalt, received the Medal of Honor. This is the highest military award for bravery in battle.

Jewish Leaders in Ohio Politics

Jewish people were also active in politics. Many served in the state legislature, which makes laws for Ohio. Some of these leaders included Joseph Jonas, Jacob Wolf, William Bloch, Daniel Wolf, Caspar Lowenstein, Harry M. Hoffheimer, Fred A. Johnson, Frederick S. Spiegel, Charles Fleischmann, Henry Mack, Alfred M. Cohen, and Max Silverberg. Julius Freiburg was part of a group that worked to change the state's constitution.

Jewish people also held many local jobs, both elected and appointed. These jobs included judges and administrators. At the national level, Nathaniel Newburgh was appointed by President Cleveland to be an appraiser of goods. Bernhard Bettman was appointed by President McKinley to collect taxes.

Jewish Communities in Ohio Around 1900

By 1902, most important towns in Ohio had some kind of Jewish organization. The two biggest communities were Cincinnati, with 12 congregations, and Cleveland, with 14. In 1901, 18 cities and towns had Jewish groups. Sixteen of these had 50 organized congregations.

Many other cities also had Jewish organizations around 1902:

• Akron had the Akron Hebrew Congregation, started in 1865. It also had a charity group and an Orthodox congregation.
• Bellaire had three congregations: Agudath Achim, Moses Montefiore, and Sons of Israel.
• Canton had a congregation and a Ladies' Aid Society.
• Chillicothe had a Jewish Relief Society.
• Columbus, the state capital, had a Reform congregation, Temple Israel. It also had two Orthodox congregations, Agudas Achim and Beth Jacob.
• Dayton had a large Jewish community with three congregations, including Bnai Yeshurun.
• Hamilton's Congregation B'nai Israel was founded in 1866.
• Lima has had an active Jewish population for over 150 years. Its current congregation, Temple Beth Israel-Shaare Zedek, formed in 1961 when two groups merged.
• Piqua's congregation, Anshe Emeth, was founded in 1858.
• Portsmouth's Congregation Bench Abraham was organized around the same time.
• Sandusky has one congregation, Temple Oheb Shalom.
• Springfield had two congregations: Chesed Shel Emeth and Ohev Zedakah.
• Steubenville had two congregations that merged in 1902 to form B'nai Israel.
• Toledo had one of Ohio's largest Jewish communities. Its oldest group, Beni Israel, started in 1867. It had three congregations.
• Youngstown had two congregations, Children of Israel and Rodef Sholem. It also had charity groups.
• Zanesville had two congregations, Beth Abraham and K'neseth Israel.

Jewish Centers: Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus

Today, most Jewish people in Ohio live in the big cities of Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Cleveland had about 80,000 Jewish residents in 1996. Cincinnati had about 27,000 in 2008, and Columbus had about 25,500 in 2013.

These three cities are important not just for their large numbers of Jewish residents. They are also home to major Jewish schools, charities, and newspapers. Cleveland is home to the first Telshe Yeshiva in the United States. This school moved there from Lithuania in 1941.

In Cincinnati, Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise was very active. He helped start the Hebrew Union College there. Other important groups for Reform Judaism, like the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, also began in Cincinnati. This made Ohio a key place for Jewish affairs in the late 1800s.

By the early 1900s, Cleveland became the most important center for Jewish activities in Ohio. This was because its population grew a lot with new immigrants from Eastern Europe. Many Jewish politicians from Ohio, like U.S. Senator Howard Metzenbaum, came from the Cleveland area.

By the end of the 1900s, Columbus also became a more important center for Jewish life. Its population grew, and it has important educational and cultural groups like Ohio State University's Melton Center and the Wexner Foundation.

For more details, you can look at:

• Jewish history in Cincinnati
• Jews and Judaism in Cleveland
• History of the Jews in Greater Columbus