<Youngstown, iron and steel producing center in N.E.
Ohio; general population 170,000 (1970), Jewish population
estimated 6,500.
[[Immigration waves in
19th and 20th century]]
An early historical account indicates that some Jews
settled in Youngstown in 1826, but the first name of a
Jewish settler on record is that of Jacob Spiegel in 1837.
The first Jewish immigrants came from Alsace, Bavaria, and
central Germany;
a second wave was from Hungary and Rumania [[Romania]];
while early in the 20th century there was yet another
heavy influx from Poland and Russia.
After World War II several hundred refugee families from
Europe were absorbed by the local Jewish community.
[[Professions]]
The earliest Jewish settlers in Youngstown were mostly
merchants, though some were also involved in the founding
of local steel industry. In the course of the 20th
century, however, Jews tended to move upward from small
retail businesses whereas there were once over 100 Jewish
grocers in Youngstown, in 1970 there were only a few -
into the professions and such fields as steel, aluminium,
and plastics fabricating plants, wholesale
distributorships, and insurance agencies.
In 1970 most heads of families were owners of, or
employees in, business and industry. In recent decades the
percentage of Jewish professionals declined slightly, as
young people graduating college tended to settle
elsewhere, in larger urban areas.
[[Congregations]]
The oldest existing congregation in Youngstown in 1970 was
Rodef Sholom (Reform), founded in 1867. Four other
congregations existed as well: Children of Israel
(traditional Orthodox), founded in 1892; Temple Emanu-El
(modern Orthodox), founded by Russian and Polish
immigrants in 1906; Temple Anshe Emeth (Conservative),
founded in 1924.
Several congregations organized early in the 20th century
disappeared when their congregants moved from the
neighborhoods in which they were established.
[[Situation in 1970]]
Most of the Jewish population of Youngstown in 1970
resided in the northern and southern suburbs of the city.
The community was organized around the Jewish Federation,
created in 1935, and the Jewish Community Center, built in
1953. Federation agencies included the Jewish Community
Center, a Family and Children's Service, a Community
Relations Council, and Heritage Manor, a home for the
aged. The 1960s witnessed growing coordination between the
congregations and the Jewish Community Center in cultural
and youth activities. The community was served by a local
paper, The Youngstown
Jewish Times.
Jews held a wide variety of cultural, civic, and
philanthropic positions in Youngstown life, yet for the
most part they continued to be excluded from active
participation in the local "power structure". No Jews held
(1970) executive posts with any of the big national steel
companies operating in Youngstown, few ran for public
office, and fewer still were elected.
Bibliography
-- Youngstown Jewish Times (1935- )
-- Jewish Federation of Youngstown, Ohio: Annual Report
(1937 )
-- J.G. Butler: History of Youngstown and the Mahoning
Valley, Ohio (1921), passim.
[HA.AL.]> (col. 861)
