Samson Weiss

WEISS

Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name derives from a physical characteristic.

Weiss means "white" in German. As a family name derived from a personal nickname it referred to persons with white hair, beard or skin.

The name is also a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the name-bearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or family-relatives. As a family name, it could also have associations with towns and cities in central and east European countries, among them Weissenburg in Bavaria, Germany, Weissenburg/Wissembourg in Alsace, France; Weisweil in Baden, Germany; Stuhlweissenburg/Szekesfehervar in west central Hungary; and Weissenburg/Alba Iulia in Transylvania, Romania. Some variants, like Weissbecker, literally "white baker" in German, have links with certain trades and occupations. In English speaking countries the surname of Weiss was sometimes Anglicized as Wise, giving it a second meaning. Weiss is recorded as a Jewish family name in 1197 in Wuerzburg, Germany, with Samuel Weiss, also known as Albus, the Latin for the "white one". Weisswasser is documented in 1678; Weissweiler in 1687; Weisskopf in 1690; Weisweiler in 1700; Weisel and Weiselitz in 1711; Weissweiller in 1743; Weissburg in the 18th century; Weis and Weissenburger in 1808; Weiskopf in 1891; and Waiskof in 1954. Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Weiss include the Moravian-born Hebrew poet, scholar and writer on the history of oral law Isaac Hirsch Weiss (1815-1905); the 20th century Polish-born American congressman and judge Arthur Samuel Weiss; the 20th century Czech-born American Talmud scholar and educator David Weiss, also known as Ha-Livni, "the white", in Hebrew; the Hungarian-born American magician Erich Weiss best known as Harry Houdini (1847-1926), and Israeli politician, Limor Livnat, which means "white" in Hebrew, whose original surname was Weiss; while Wise was the family name of the Hungarian-born American rabbi and public figure Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949). In the 20th century Weiss is recorded as a Jewish family name with the Weiss family, who lived in the town of Zhadova (Jadova) near Chernowitz, Bukovina (now in Ukraine), prior to World War II when the entire Jewish community of Zhadova was deported to the death camps in July 1941.

Emden

A city in Lower Saxony, Germany. 

Emden is a seaport, and located on the Ems River.

HISTORY

Legend has it that Jews arrived in Emden during antiquity, both as exiles after the destruction of the First Temple, and as slaves accompanying the Roman legions after the destruction of the Second Temple. The first historical reference to Jews in Emden dates from the second half of the 16th century; David b. Shlomoh Gans mentions the Jews of Emden in his book Tzemach David.

In 1590 the non-Jewish citizens of Emden complained to the emperor’s local representative that the Jews were permitted to follow their religious precepts openly and were exempt from wearing the Jewish badge.

Marranos from Portugal passed through Emden on their way to Amsterdam; a few settled in Emden and returned to practicing Judaism. Moses Uri HaLevy (1594-1620), a rabbi in Emden, ultimately left to settle in Amsterdam along with the Spanish-Portuguese Marranos, where he served as the first chakham of the Portuguese community. Emden’s city council distinguished between the local Jews and the Portuguese, encouraging the latter to settle in the city, while attempting to expel the former. Their attempts, however, were unsuccessful, after the intervention of the duke in their favor. The judicial rights of the Portuguese Jews were defined in a grant of privilege issued by the city council in 1649,
and renewed in 1703.

In 1744, when Emden was annexed to Prussia, the Jews came under Prussian law. After this point, the Jews of Emden would go through cycles of gaining and losing rights. In 1762 anti-Jewish riots broke out in Emden. Then, in 1808, during the rule of Louis Bonaparte, the Jews in Emden were granted equal civil rights. However, these rights were abolished under Hanoverian rule in 1815, and the Jews of Emden were not emancipated until 1842.

A new synagogue was built in 1836; it was later expanded in 1910 to include a mikvah (ritual bath) and additional seating. A Jewish school was established in 1845, and a Talmud Torah was founded in 1896.

Noted rabbis of Emden included Jacob Emden (1728-1733), and Samson Raphael Hirsch (1841-1847).

In 1808 there were 500 Jews living in Emden. The community numbered 900 in 1905, and 1,000 in 1930.

 

THE HOLOCAUST

Many of Emden’s Jews left after the Nazi rise to power. In 1933 the community numbered 581, which decreased to 298 in 1939.

The synagogue was burned down during the Kristallnacht pogrom (November 9-10. 1938).

During World War II (1939-1945) most of the Jews remaining in Emden were deported. 110 Jews were deported from Emden to Lodz.

 

POSTWAR

There were six Jews living in Emden in 1967.

Würzburg 

A city in Bavaria, Germany.

21^ST CENTURY

Community institutinos in Wuerburg include a synagogue, which is located to Shalom Europa, a cultural and community center.

Brass cobblestones can be found throughout Wuerzburg in front of the former homes and workplaces of Jewish victims of the Nazi’s. These stones, part of the Stolpersteine project, has the name of the victim, their date of birth, and the circumstances of their death.

In 2005 Wuerzburg’s Jewish population was 1,045.

 

HISTORY

The Jewish community of Wuerzburg was founded around 1100. The Jews were not confined to a specific area, and tended to live in the center of the city.

During the Second Crusade (1147-1149) Wuerzburg’s Jewish community suffered from violence. The community was attacked in 1147, resulting in the murder of three rabbis, a sofer (scribe), as well as three other community members. The city’s bishop ordered the bodies of those killed to be buried in his garden; he later sold the site to the community, which converted it into a cemetery.

In spite of the violence and persecutions, Wuerzburg’s Jewish population grew. A school was established in 1170, and a synagogue was built in 1238. The community grew and developed particularly during the 13^th century, aided by the increasing amount of Jewish immigrants from places such as Augsburg, Mainz, Nuremberg, and Rothenburg. Indeed, during the 12^th and 13^th century Wuerzburg became an influential and important center of Jewish learning. Scholars included Joel HaLevi (the son-in-law of Eliezer b. Nathan of Mainz), his son Eliezer, Isaac b. Moshe (known as the Or Zarua) who taught in the yeshiva, and his students Meir b. Baruch and Mordechai b. Hillel. Eliezer b. Moshe HaDarshan, Shmuel b. Menachem, and Yonatan b. Yitzchak.

This large and important community was destroyed during the Rindfleisch massacres of 1298. About 900 Jews living in the city lost their lives, including 100 who had fled from the surrounding area to seek refuge in Wuerzburg. Among those who were killed were Mordechai b. Hillel and his family.

The community was eventually renewed, this time mainly by Jews who arrived from Cologne, Strasbourg, Bingen, Ulm, Franconia, Thuringia, and Swabia. The Jews were under the protection of the bishop who governed them through a series of regulations that he was empowered to issue, though they paid taxes to both the bishop and the king. Though many of the Christian residents of Wuerzburg objected to the bishop’s protection of the Jews, they became more sympathetic after the Jews helped pay for the town’s fortifications.

Nonetheless, during the riots and anti-Jewish violence that broke out in Wuerzburg, and throughout Europe, in the wake of the Black Death epidemic (1348-1349), Wuerzburg’s Jews were accused of poisoning the city’s wells. In desperation, the Jews of Wuerzburg set fire to their own houses on April 21, 1349, and many of them were killed, including Moshe HaDarshan, the head of Wuerzburg’s yeshiva. The survivors fled, some to Erfurt, Frankfort, and Mainz, and the city’s bishop took possession of their property.

By 1377 Jews had begun to resettle in Wuerzburg, though the community was not reestablished until the beginning of the 15^th century. The Jewish cemetery was returned to the new community, and a new synagogue was built in 1446. However, the Jews were expelled from the town in 1567; the cemetery was taken by Bishop Julius in 1576, who built a hospital on the site, and most of the Jews settled in nearby Heidingsfeld. While a few Jews lived in Wuerzburg during the following centuries, it was not until the 19^th century that the Jewish community was renewed.

In 1813 there were 14 Jewish families living in Wuerzburg Rabbi Avraham Bing, the rabbi of the Bavarian state, transferred his rabbinate to Wuerzburg from Heidingsfeld, and established a yeshiva in the city. A synagogue was inaugurated in 1841; a smaller synagogue would be established later, in 1924. Among those who served as the community’s rabbi was Isaac Dov (Seligman Baer) Bamberger, who officiated from 1839 to 1878. He founded a successful teachers’ seminary in 1864, which trained educators who went on to teach in Jewish schools throughout Germany.

Wuerzburg became a spiritual center for numerous village communities within Franconia. These small communities would pray according to the customs of Wuerzburg, and addressed their questions regarding Jewish law to the rabbis there.

A number of organizations were established in Wuerzburg during the 19^th and 20^th centuries in order to help those in need. In 1884 a Jewish hospital was founded in the city. A daycare for poor Jewish children opened in 1908. As a result of World War I (1914-1918) a foundation for disabled Jewish war veterans was established in 1917, along with a foundation that collected funds for the poor and provided nursing care.

In spite of rising antisemitism during the interwar period, the Jews of Wuerzburg were politically active, and economically successful. A number of Jews were elected to the city council. Most worked in commerce, or in the free professions. Jewish students came to Wuerzburg from all over Germany in order to attend university, increasing the city’s Jewish population and Jewish civic engagement.

In 1921 Rabbi Dr. Sigmund (Shimon) Hanover, the newly-elected district rabbi for Wuerzburg, established an association to encourage an interest in agriculture among the Jews of Bavaria. A number of other social, cultural, and political organizations also became popular during this time. Ohavei Emet and Etz Chaim promoted Hebrew language-learning. Branches of the CV (Centralverein, Central Union of German Citizens of Jewish Belief), the Histadrut labor federation, the Reichsbund Juedischer Frontsoldaten, and various Zionist organizations were founded in the city during the 1920s and ‘30s. Wuerzburg also acted as the Bavarian headquarters of the Union of Ultraorthodox Communities and the Association for the Observance of the Sabbath. Approximately 100 Jewish butchers gathered in 1929 and 1932; in 1929 this gathering protested the Bavarian ban on kosher slaughter.

The Jewish population numbered 2,600 (2.84% of the total population) in 1925, and 2,145 (2.12%) in 1933.

Notable figures from Wuerzburg’s Jewish community include the Hebrew poet Yehuda Amichai, who was born in Wuerzburg in 1924 and lived there until he and his family immigrated to Mandate Palestine in 1935.

 

THE HOLOCAUST

With the rise of the Nazis to power (1933) many Jews left Germany; Wuerzburg’s Jewish population also declined during this period. Those who remained in Wuerzburg were subject to the anti-Jewish discriminatory laws and practices that were enacted throughout Germany, including economic boycotts and social restrictions.

During the Kristallnacht pogrom (November 9-10, 1938) the synagogue was destroyed. Jewish-owned shops were looted, the teacher’s seminary was damaged, and hundreds of men were imprisoned and tortured.

Between 1941 to 1945 the remaining 1,500 Jews of Wuerzburg were deported to concentration camps.

 

POSTWAR

52 Jews arrived in Wuerzburg after the war, 24 of whom were members of the original Jewish community, and reestablished Wuerzburg’s Jewish community.  

In 1970 a new synagogue was inaugurated. Other community institutions included a community center, and an old age home.  

In 1967 there were 150 Jews living in Wuerzburg. In 1989 the Jewish population was 179.

 

Baltimore

Largest city in the state of Maryland, USA, founded in 1729

Early 21st Century

In 2010, according to a study sponsored by the Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, the city’s Jewish population was numbered at 93,400 people. By 2013, Baltimore and the surrounding metropolitan area boasted a community of nearly 100,000 Jews, approximately four percent of the city’s total population. Almost half of the Jews living in Baltimore were born in other locations in the United States.

Following the Islamic revolution in 1979, many Jews from Iran began to settle in Baltimore. In 1981, ten immigrants from Iran established the Ohr HaMizrach Congregation and Sephardic Center. By 2010, it served an estimated one hundred fifty Persian-Jewish families. During the late 1980s and 1990s, a large number of Jewish families from the former Soviet Union immigrated to the United States. By 2012, they comprised nearly four percent of Baltimore’s Jewish population.

In the Greater Baltimore area are a number of non-profit, community-based organizations which serve more than 43,000 Jewish households. These organizations work to promote Jewish values and to strengthen the Jewish community. They sponsor a variety of programs for children, families and adults. They also provide a wide range of services including healthcare, food, housing, education and financial support. Such organizations include the Hebrew Free Loan Association, Jewish Community Services, the Counseling, Helpline & Aid Network for Abused Women, the Pearlstone Center and the Comprehensive Housing & Assistance Inc. Educational programs and support can be found at the Louise D. and Morton J. Macks Center for Jewish Education, the Baltimore Hebrew Institute, and Shemesh. Many of these organizations are directly sponsored by or are in partnership with The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore. The Jewish Volunteer Connection (JVC) for example is one such program. Similar programs are organized by the Jewish Community Center and the Baltimore Jewish Council.

Providing medical care to thousands throughout Greater Baltimore is two of the city’s most prominent medical centers, the Sinai Hospital and the Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center & Hospital. Additional healthcare facilities include the Jewish Caring Network, the Hachnosas Orchim Program and Bikur Cholim.

By 1999, there were more than sixty synagogues, representing every branch of Judaism, from Orthodox to Reconstructionist. There are thirty-two Orthodox congregations, eight Conservative, four Reform, two Reconstructionist, and possibly sixteen or more who identify as independent. The results of the 2010 Baltimore Jewish Community Study revealed that seventy-four percent of Jewish Baltimore felt that being Jewish was important to them. According to the same study, forty-six percent of Jewish households reported to be members of a congregation, while seventy-six percent reported to attend services weekly and on High Holidays.

Since the end of the 20th century, Baltimore has seen a rise in the number of Jewish schools. The Baltimore Jewish community includes a wide range of Jewish educational programs and institutions. As of 2009, there were more than twenty preschools or daycares and over a dozen day schools for children from the elementary school to high school level. These schools are affiliated with the many branches of Judaism, particularly the Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative movements. As are the city’s fourteen Jewish children’s camps. Baltimore is also home to institutions of higher learning, such as the Ner Israel Rabbinical College and Hebrew University, which was founded by Israel Efros in 1919. The Baltimore Hebrew University was active until 2009 when it merged with Towson University, becoming the Baltimore Hebrew Institute. It offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in Judaic studies.

As a way to promote Jewish life and values, the Jewish community of Greater Baltimore established various cultural centers for children, families and individuals. One in particular is the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore. A constituent agency of The Associated (The Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore), the JCC offers a variety of cultural and social activities and programs including family events, a fitness center and a center for performing arts.

Located in downtown Baltimore is the Jewish Museum of Maryland. Founded in 1960 to restore the Lloyd Street Synagogue, the museum commemorates the history, culture and experience of the Jewish community of Baltimore. It is the largest regional Jewish museum in the United States. Another prominent cultural site is the city’s Holocaust memorial –the Holocaust Memorial Park. The center plaza was designed to resemble the two triangles which form the symbol of the Star-of-David.

Additional Jewish landmarks can be found throughout the city. Reisterstown road is home to the Jewish shopping district, a thriving area full of Judaic gift shops, book stores and several kosher restaurants.

The historic Park Circle district is a frequent attraction for walking tours as it had been the home to an early community of Jews from Eastern Europe. From the early 20th century to the 1960s, Park Circle had been a predominantly Jewish neighborhood.

An important icon of Baltimore’s Jewish history is the site of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum. Built in 1875, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

Included on the campus of the Jewish Museum of Maryland is the Lloyd Street Synagogue. Founded in 1845, it is America’s third-oldest surviving synagogue.

At the turn of the 20th century, nearly ninety-two thousand Jews lived in Greater Baltimore. Approximately six percent of all households were Jewish. At the time, one quarter of the Jewish population lived within the city limits while seventy percent resided in suburban areas. Many Jewish households lived in predominantly Jewish areas. Major Jewish enclaves were established in Northwest Baltimore neighborhoods like Upper Park Heights, Mount Washington and Pikesville, which is home to one of the largest Jewish communities in all of Maryland.

The Jewish community of Baltimore has a long history of philanthropy and community aid. According to the 2010 Baltimore Jewish Community Study, nearly eighty-seven percent of Jewish households donate to a charity. Sixty-three percent donate to Jewish organizations, programs or causes. In the late 19th century, several charities were established by the German-Jewish community. Many of these charities developed to support the incoming waves of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, many of whom were very poor. As Eastern European Jews established themselves in Baltimore, they began to develop their own charities and communal programs. By the 20th century, two philanthropic networks existed. German Jews created the Federated Jewish Charities and Eastern European Jews established the United Hebrew Charities. In 1921, the two merged, forming the Associated Jewish Charities.

The Sinai Hospital and the Levindale Hebrew Geriatric Center were created by the United Benevolent Society which was founded in 1834. One of the largest and most successful philanthropic organizations in Baltimore is The Associated. Also known as the Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, they fund a variety of programs which benefit the Jewish community including financial and social services, healthcare, education, recreation and cultural activities.

Providing Baltimore’s Jewish community with news and entertainment is the Baltimore Jewish Times, a subscription-based weekly publication founded in 1919 by David Alter. It is the largest and oldest Jewish publication in Maryland and one of the premiere independent Jewish newspapers in the United States. The Baltimore Jewish Times is also the publisher of the Washington Jewish Week and Jewishtimes.com. Another source of Jewish news is the Baltimore Jewish Life, a website developed by professionals in the Orthodox Jewish community of Baltimore. Like the Baltimore Jewish Times, Baltimore Jewish Life publishes articles and content of local and international interest. Both function as educational tools and work to promote Jewish values in the Baltimore community.

History

The first Jews in the city at the start of the 19th century were from Germany and Holland and by 1860 the Jewish population numbered more than 8,000, with both Orthodox and radical Reform. With the arrival of Jews from Eastern Europe many landsmannschaft synagogues were opened.

The first Jewish school was opened in 1842, and ten years later a society was formed to provide education for poor and orphaned children. At the start of the 20th century the running of the schools passed to the community, but by the 1950s it had returned to synagogal auspices. Samson Benderly was among those who worked to further Jewish education in Baltimore, and at the start of the 20th century Louis l. Kaplan served as Director of the Board of Jewish education. Several Jewish newspapers appeared in the city in English, German, and Yiddish; a monthly - "Sinai" - edited by David Einhorn, a Reform radical (1856); and the first American Hebrew weekly “Ha-Pisgah” (1891-1893).

Famous rabbis include David Einhorn, Abraham Rice, Benjamin Szold, Bernard Illowy and Jacob Agus. Outstanding in Baltimore's cultural life were the sculptor Ephraim Kaiser, the painters Saul Bernstein and Louis Rosenthal, the writer Gertrude Stein, and the poet Karl Shapiro.

There were two wealthy families, the Ettings and the Cohens, among the early settlers who came from Bavaria. These settlers were mainly peddlers and small traders until they rose to become traders in the garment industry. The German Jews did all they could to stop the influx of east European Jews to their city and employed them in harsh conditions which led to the formation of the needle trade unions after strikes and lockouts had occurred. The Sonneborn firm, one of the largest men's clothing factories in the USA, was forced into collective bargaining in 1914. The immigrants lived in overcrowded poor conditions, but they organized a rich social and cultural life - also involving the Zionists, the Bundists and Anarchists, Orthodox and Maskilim. A night school was started in 1889 by Henrietta Szold and became the prototype of night schools in the country. Many Jews opened their own enterprises and achieved wealth, including Jacob Epstein, who built a successful mail order business.
Jews have served at all levels of city, state and federal government; Etting and Cohen were members of the city council in 1826, Isidor Rayner served as a member of the US Senate 1904-1912, Philip Perlman was solicitor-general, the first Jew to hold this post, and after him Simon Sobeloff. Marvin Mandel was Governor of the State of Maryland.

Baltimore was an important Zionist center. In the 1880s one of the first Hibbat Zion groups arose in the city. The only American delegate to the first Zionist congress in Basel was R. Shepzel Schaffer from Baltimore and the ophthalmologist Harry Friederwald was the second president of the American Zionist Federation. Henrietta Szold, a native of Baltimore, began the Zionist work there, and in 1905 the founding convention of Poalei Zion in the United States took place. The local Hadassah organization had no less than 6,300 members.

In 1970 there were in Baltimore 92,000 Jews with 50 synagogues and a community center, among the largest in America. More than 90% of Jewish children went to Jewish schools. In addition to part-time schools, Baltimore had three Jewish day schools with 1,500 students - 15% of all local Jewish students, a higher percentage than the national average of 10%. Two institutions of higher learning are Hebrew college, founded by Israel Eros with 800 students, and a rabbinical college "Ner Israel" founded in 1933 by Rabbi Jacob I. Ruderman, with about 500 students. Thousands of adults attended various courses run by the Hebrew college and by large synagogues and in 1960 the Jewish Historical Society of Maryland was organized. From 1919 the weekly "Jewish Times" appeared. A central philanthropic organization was set up, also operating in educational fields. Of all the patients treated at the organization's Sinai hospital, 70% are non- Jews.

In 1997 there were 100,000 Jews in Baltimore.

Detroit

Largest city in the state of Michigan, USA.

The first Jews arrived in Detroit with the British conquest of 1760; they were peddlers who became successful traders. With the wave of Jewish emigration in the 1840s, German Jews began to arrive in Detroit. One of them was Edward Kanter who became the first Jewish banker and the first Michigan Jew to serve in the state legislature. The German Jews established the Orthodox congregation in the city, which in 1861 became Reform, resulting in the withdrawal of 17 members who formed the Orthodox Shaarey Zedek congregation, later an important Conservative congregation. Kaufman Kohler was among the famous reform rabbis. By 1880 there were approximately 1,000 Jews in Detroit, more than half of them from Eastern Europe, who maintained charity societies and a flourishing social club. With the massive influx of immigrants in the 1890s and later, the gulf widened between the old established community and the mass of Yiddish-speaking refugees. However, the German community overcame its feelings of antipathy and organized charity societies to help assimilation. In 1899 Rabbi Leo Franklin founded an organization uniting all these associations (United Jewish Charities), and in 1911 Beth-El, the oldest and most important Reform congregation in the city, joined the Kehilla organized by the Orthodox community.

Jews concentrated in the clothing trade, mainly as proprietors of their own businesses, insurance agents, salesmen, and office workers. They developed and controlled the scrap metal and waste material business and this domination continued after WW 2. The older settlement became accepted in the political and economic areas of city life, whereas the immigrant Jews were subject to attacks and harassment from anti-Semitic gangs. This situation became so serious that in 1900 a Jewish peddlers’ protective union was organized. By 1915 the Jewish population numbered about 35,000 with one Reform and 19 Orthodox communities. In 1940 there were about 85,000 Jews and 48 communities. In the intermediate years of the war the Jews strengthened their communal organizations and the council organized in 1937 consisted of no less than 340 organizations. Jewish education in the city began to increase after World War 1 and by 1940 there were ten Jewish educational institutions. In 1925 the Beth-El congregation opened a college of Jewish studies, and in 1940 an institute on Judaism for Christian clergymen.
Sunday schools and day schools were established in Hebrew and Yiddish and groups were founded to further culture and nationalism. Since 1900 three Jewish newspapers have appeared in Detroit, the "Jewish American" (1900-1911), "Detroit Jewish Chronicle" (1916), and the "Jewish News" (founded in 1942).

With the rise of European anti-Semitism, the anti-Jewish movement in Detroit also grew, influenced by German institutions. In the 1920s the automobile industrialist Henry Ford launched an anti-Semitic campaign in the newspaper the Dearborn Independent, and in the 1930s Father Charles E. Coughlin broadcasted anti-Semitic radio programs. However, despite attempts to stir up the people, very few acts of violence were perpetrated against the Jews of Detroit.
In 1976 the population was 4,138,800 - of whom 80,000 were Jews. In the metropolitan area there were 23 Orthodox congregations, 6 Conservative, 4 Reform, and one Humanistic. Jews are notable in the economic life of Detroit, but only a few are involved in the automobile industry which is so prominent in the city. Almost half the Jews are in the managerial or proprietor class. A quarter of them are in the liberal professions, 73% in "white collar" jobs, and less than 10% are "blue collar" workers. The social discrimination and the "gentlemen's agreements" in housing, which were common in the 1940s, have become minimal. Some industries were notorious for not hiring Jews.

Jews were prominent in the political and public life in Detroit, and in its judicial system and cultural life. Noted Jewish community leaders include Max M. Fisher, long associated with the "United Jewish Appeal", "United Israel Appeal", and the "American Jewish committee", and Rabbi Morris Adler, who was shot in the pulpit of the Shaarey Zedek synagogue in 1966. The "Louis and Esther Lamed Fund" and the "Fred M. Butzel Fund" foster the development of Jewish culture through new projects, grants, and scholarships.

In the first decade of the 21st century, according to the population study by the "Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit" found that between 2005 and 2010, the number of Jewish residents in Detroit decreased by 7%, from 72,000 to 67,000 –nearly 2% of the total population. However, Detroit is still home to the 23rd largest Jewish community in the United States. The vast majority of the Jewish community (72%) is concentrated in southeastern Oakland County.

During the 1980s, a number of Jews arrived in Detroit from the former Soviet Union. Many in the Detroit Jewish community assisted in their immigration. The majority of Soviet Jewry settled in the northern suburb of Oak Park. Close to 58% of Detroit's Jews were born locally. About 88% have lived in Metro Detroit for at least twenty years.

Serving the Jewish community of Metro Detroit are more than 60 institutions and agencies. Many of the nation's most prominent Jewish organizations like "Hadassah" and the "National Council of Jewish Women", have local branches in Detroit. Detroit's Jewish community is largely supported by the local federation. The "Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit" raises and allocates funds for as many as 19 Jewish agencies and schools, including the "Alliance for Jewish Education", the central agency for planning, advocacy, and Jewish educational services. About 55% of Jewish households donate to the Jewish Federation. Other notable organizations include "ORT America", "Jewish War Veterans", "Jewish Community Archives", the "Jewish Community Relations Council", and such philanthropic groups as the "Jewish Fund", the "Skillman Foundation", the "Edward and Judith Narens Endowment for Children with Special Needs", and the "Women's Philanthropy Leader Development".

A major hub for Jewish life in Detroit is the "JCC". The "Jewish Community Center of Metro Detroit" offers a variety of services and programs for arts, education, sports and health. The JCC is host to the "JCC Library", the "Henry & Delia Meyers Library and Media Center", The "Beverly Prentis Wagner Teen Center", and the Maccabi Games. The center also houses the "Sarah & Pitt Child Development Center" and several day camps.

Offering a dynamic Jewish community through social events and programming are two of Detroit's most active organizations for young adults, "NEXTGEN" and the "Moishe House".

There are about 48 active Jewish congregations in Greater Detroit. Several streams of Judaism are represented including Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, and Humanistic. The city's first congregation, Beth El, was founded in 1850. The Humanistic Jewish movement was first established in Detroit in 1963 by Rabbi Sherwin Wine. Congregation Keter Torah serves the Sephardic community of Detroit and is the only Sephardic congregation in the state of Michigan.

Detroit is home to a variety of Jewish day schools and educational institutions, many of which are supported by the federation. Detroit's most prominent Jewish schools include "Akiva Hebrew Day School", "Hillel Day School of Metropolitan Detroit" in Farmington Hills, and the yeshivas "Beth Yehuda", "Yeshiva Gedolah", and "Darchei Torah".

Beginning in the mid-19th century was a northwest exodus from the city to the suburbs. From 1840-1940, Jewish families migrated from lower to upper Hastings and to the areas of 12th Street and Dexter-Linwood. Jewish migration continued well into the 1960s and dramatically increased during the 1970s.

Following the riots of 1967, Detroit began to fall apart and the city's Jewish neighborhoods became vacant lots. By the 1980s, the Metro Jewish community was living in several municipalities including Bloomfield Hills, Farmington Hills, Oak Park, Royal Oak, Southfield and West Bloomfield. The Detroit suburb of Oak Park is home to a sizeable community of Orthodox Jews. As of 2013, the Jewish community continues to move further into the suburbs. The highest concentration of Jews is in West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills and Oak Park.

The city of Detroit has its share of Jewish landmarks. Among the most significant is the Holocaust Memorial Center. The Center is located at the Zekelman Family Campus and is home to a multi-lingual library archive and research center. The Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue is an important part of historic Jewish Detroit. The synagogue was first established in 1921 by the Isaac Agree Memorial Society and by 2014, it was the only congregationally-owned building still in use as a synagogue in all of Detroit. Detroit boasts a number of kosher restaurants, butcher shops, bakeries, supermarkets and catering companies. Other Jewish attractions include the Jewish Ensemble Theater as well as the city's Jewish bookstores and Judaica shops.

In northwest Detroit is one of the top health care providers in the state, one with historic ties to the Jewish community. The Sinai-Grace Hospital is the largest of eight hospitals at the Detroit Medical Center. It was established in 1999 when the former Grace and Sinai hospitals merged. It is a full-service facility that specializes in more than forty heath care services. Sinai Hospital originally opened in 1953 and was a major institution for Detroit's Jewish community. Its roots go back even further to a clinic established in 1922 by Dr. Harry Saltzstein.

New York City

The largest urban Jewish community in history; metropolitan area population 11,448,480 (1970), metropolitan area Jewish population 2,381,000 (1968), of which 1,836,000 live in the city itself.

The New York Jewish settlement began in 1654 with the arrival of 23 Sephardi and Ashkenazi Jews from Recife, Brazil (a Dutch possession) who were defending the city from Portuguese attack. The director general of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, did not welcome the Jews. They protested to their coreligionists in the Dutch West India company and privileges were granted them. However, they were not allowed to build a synagogue.

The surrender of New Amsterdam to the British in 1664 brought a number of changes to the Jewish settlement.

Generally, civil and religious rights were widened, Jews were permitted to hold and be elected to public office, and restrictions on the building of a synagogue were lifted.

"Shearit Israel", the first congregation in New York, was probably organized in 1706. Between 1729 and 1730, the congregation erected the first synagogue. During this period, the Jewish merchant took a major interest in the business of overseas trade. Jews were the first to introduce cocoa and chocolate to England and were heavily engaged in the coral, textile, and slave trades, and at times had virtual monopolies in the ginger trade.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Jews represented between 1% and 2% of the total New York City population and in 1701, it is estimated that Jews comprised 12% of all businessmen who engaged in foreign trade.

The advent of the American revolution found the Jewish community divided. Some were supporters of the American cause, while others supported the British. The end of the revolution brought many distinct changes. Civil liberties, which were often a matter of governmental whim under the English, became part of the New York State constitution. Opportunities were expanded and new fields opened. One of the distinctive changes in post-war New York was Jewish involvement in the political life of the community, perhaps best seen in the career of Mordecai Manuel Noah, who was High Sheriff of New York in 1821.

The period after the revolutionary war also saw the proliferation of congregational organizations and divisions within the Jewish community as well as mutual aid societies and Landsmannshaften. There were also numerous fraternal orders founded, the most important being the independent order B'nai B'rith, founded in 1843. In 1852, "Jews' hospital" was founded, which later became known as Mount Sinai.

Beginning in the 1870's and continuing for half a century, great migration from Eastern Europe radically altered the demography, social structure, cultural life, and communal order of New York Jewry. During this period, more than 1,000,000 Jews settled in the city. They were overwhelmingly Yiddish speaking and impoverished. On their arrival, East European Jews found a Jewish settlement dominated by a group strikingly different in its cultural background, social standing, and communal outlook. By the 1870's, this older settlement had become middle class in outlook, mercantile in its economic base, and reform in group identity. In 1870, the less affluent and those whose occupations required it lived in the Southern Ward of the Lower East Side, while the German Jews moved half way up the East Side of Manhattan. The relocation of synagogues and the establishment of other Jewish institutions underscored this process of removal and social differentiation, thus dividing the Jewish populace into "uptown" and "downtown" Jews.

In the decade after the civil war, fathers and sons entered the dry-goods business and transformed their establishments Bloomingdale's, Altman's, Macy's, Stern's, Gimbel's, and Abraham and Strauss. A significant number of German Jews entered the field of investment banking. They also played a central role as entrepreneurs in the city's growing ready-made clothing industry. In 1888, of 241 such clothing manufacturers, 234 were Jewish. The immigrant Jews entered the apparel trade in great numbers because it was close at hand, required little training, and allowed the congeniality of working with one's own kind.

During the 1901-1909 period, the groundwork was laid for the emergence of an aggressive, responsible, and progressive Jewish labor movement. The socialist newspaper, "Forward", was developing into the most widely read Yiddish daily and became a major educational medium for the Jewish working class. The "uprising of the 20,000" - a strike of the waistmakers, mostly young women - in the fall of 1909, was followed by the "great revolt" of the cloakmakers a half year later. These strikes increased the numbers and stability of the international ladies garment workers' union (I.L.G.W.U.).

During the last third of the 19th century, the established community built - in addition to imposing temples - a number of large and progressive philanthropic institutions.

Two developments of major significance for the future course of orthodoxy in New York took place between 1910 and movement and in the year 1915 Yeshivat Etz Chaim and the Rabbi Elchanan theological seminary united.

The sharp rise in immigration after 1903 underscored the need for more rational use of the resources and communal wealth which the community possessed. Some downtown leaders recognized the ineffectualness of their own institutions.

In both sectors of the community, the alienation of the younger generation from Judaism and Jewish life was viewed with alarm. These concerns led to the development of the short-lived New York Kehillah, an attempt to create a united community structure. The immediate catalyst was the accusation of the New York police commissioner in 1908 that 50% of the criminals in the city were Jews. Led by Judah Magnus, a coalition of representative leaders established the Kehillah as a federation of Jewish organizations in 1909. Magnus served as chairman until its demise in 1922. The establishment in 1917 of the federation for the support of Jewish philanthropies proved more lasting than the Kehillah.

The Yiddish speaking masses who settled in New York created a rich and varied cultural life. Between 1872 and 1917, 150 journals in Yiddish appeared. The Yiddish theater reinforced the press.

During the 1920's, the New York Jewish unions entered areas of activity never previously known to U.S. trade unions. They conducted large scale adult education, health clinics, a bank, summer resorts, built modern urban housing, and generously subsidized struggling trade unions.

Jews constituted 51% of enrollment in the city's academic high schools in 1931, and 49.6% of the city's college and university students in 1935. Also by the 1930's, over half the city's doctors, lawyers, dentists, and public school teachers were Jews.

As the largest single ethnic group, Jews were a highly important factor in the political life of the city. In no other city could Jews as a group weigh so heavily in politics or were real or alleged Jewish political interest reckoned with so carefully.

In 1967, there were 539 orthodox, 184 conservative, 93 reform, and five unclassified synagogues known in Greater New York; all but 163 of the total were within the city's boundaries. Actual synagogue affiliation tended to be low, however. The city's conservative congregations leaned close to orthodoxy in which most of their members and leaders, at least before 1950, had been raised. The Jewish Theological Seminary is the focal institution of the conservatives and exercised broad spiritual influence in the Jewish and general community. Jewish education in New York followed nationwide trends in the slow disappearance of the Cheder, the rise and decline of the communal Talmud Torahs, and Yiddish schools in the period from 1915 to 1950.

The city of New York is home to the largest Jewish population in the entire United States. Behind the central districts of Israel, New York City has the highest number of Jews in any metropolitan area in the world. By 2013 there was approximately 1.5 – 1.7 million Jews living throughout New York City, accounting for nearly 18% of the city’s total population (8.3 million).

Serving the Jewish people of New York City are several organizations. Many of these focus on Jewish religious practice, healthcare, education and family services. Throughout the city’s five boroughs are many foundations which support local communities and advocate for Jewish and Israeli causes. Some of the major organizations include UJA Federation of New York, The Jewish Communal Fund, The World Jewish Congress, The American Jewish Congress, AJC (Global Jewish Advocacy), The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and COJECO, the Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations. There are additionally many local organizations that specialize in the needs of their respective communities, such as the Bensonhurst Council of Jewish Organizations, which is the oldest in New York City, the Bronx Jewish Community Council, the Crown Heights Community Council, the Council of Jewish Organizations of Flatbush, and the Boro Park Community council.

Found across New York City are hundreds of synagogues, representing nearly every movement within Judaism. While the majority of these are in permanent buildings, some are held in temporary places. Many of these are not found in directories. There is an estimated 50 Orthodox synagogues, 8 Conservative, 17 Reform, 2 Reconstructionist and 5-7 which are unaffiliated with any particular movement. Among the wide range of Jewish educational services, are more than 350 private Jewish day schools which serve over 140,000 students. These include 191 high schools, 247 elementary schools and 159 preschools. Outside of school are many programs for Jewish youth, such as the Bnei Akiva Religious Zionist Youth Movement, Friends of Israel Scouts (Tzofim) and Young Judea.

New York City is well known for its numerous cultural institutions and museums. Many are internationally known and visited by thousands every year. Among those of which are culturally focused, are several Jewish museums and Holocaust memorials, such as the Anne Frank Center (USA), Bernard Museum of Judaica, and The Center for Jewish History. Other museums include the Derfner Judaica Museum, Museum of Jewish Heritage, Jewish Museum (New York), Living Torah Museum, Yeshiva University Museum and the Jewish Children’s Museum. New York City also has many Jewish cultural centers including the JCC Manhattan, YIVO (Institute for Jewish Research), the Leo Baeck Institute, the American Jewish Historical Society and the American Sephardi Federation.

Significant Jewish immigration began in the late 1800s with major waves taking place between 1881 and 1945. Additional waves of Jewish immigration began following the establishment of the State of Israel. During the 1950s and 1960s as many as 300,000 Israelis immigrated to the United States. Israeli Immigration continued throughout the 1970s and has ever since. By 2000, approximately 30,000 Israeli Jews were living in New York City. The Israeli community is well known for its entrepreneurship, having opened many startups and branches of existing Israeli businesses. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, new waves of Jewish immigrants began arriving to New York City. In the 1980s and 1990s, the city’s Jewish population was greatly augmented by the Jews of Eastern and Central Europe and the Caucasus region. These included the Georgian and Bukharian communities as well as Ashkenazi Jews from the Baltic Republics, Moldova and the Ukraine. In 2012, the more than 350,000 immigrants from the former Soviet Union in New York City were Jewish.

Over generations, Jews have developed various communities throughout New York City creating several Jewish enclaves. Boro Park in Brooklyn for example is home to the largest Orthodox community in the world. Other notable Jewish neighborhoods include Crown Heights, Flatbush, Williamsburg and Midwood Brooklyn, Forest Hills and Fresh Meadows Queens, the Upper East and Upper West Side as well as Lower East Side in Manhattan, and the predominantly Hasidic neighborhoods of Willowbrook, New Springville, Eltingville and New Brighton.

Serving these neighborhoods as well as the rest of New York are several hospitals and health care facilities which were established by the Jewish community. In addition to Mount Sinai, one of New York’s oldest and largest hospitals, are several medical centers including Kingsbrook Jewish Medical Center, the Montefiore Medical Center, Beth Israel Medical Center, Maimonides Medical Center, the Sephardic Bikur Holim, Yeshiva University’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Jewish Home Life Care, and the Hebrew Home for the aged. Found throughout these Jewish neighborhoods are many historic landmarks. In some cases, the neighborhoods themselves are the landmarks. The Lower East Side is a perfect example. Others include historic synagogues such as the Kehila Kedosha Janina, the only Romaniote (Greek) synagogue in the entire western hemisphere, or the Eldridge Street Synagogue, the first Eastern European Orthodox synagogue. Another group of landmarks include famous restaurants like Katz’s Delicatessen and Streit’s Matzo Company.

Since early Jewish immigration, New York City’s Jewish leaders developed foundations to keep medical centers like communal organizations alive. A number of Jewish Federations are overseen by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee. Other funding and support come from organizations like the Steinhardt Foundation for Jewish Life, the Jewish Communal Fund, Hadassah, Yeshiva University and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Being a community that numbers nearly 2 million, the Jews of New York City enjoy several Jewish media outlets, including radio and print news. Notable periodicals include the Jewish Week and the Jewish Post of New York. Others include the Manhattan Jewish Sentinel, the Long Island Jewish World and Five Towns Jewish Times. There is even a Yiddish language newspaper known as The Jewish Daily Forward.