Home

Ron Becker of the Jewish Historical Society of Central Jersey spoke about the history of the Jews of Newark at Temple Beth-El Mekor Chayim in Cranford on Dec. 10.

Becker is the Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries. Also, he is one of the founding members and a past chairman of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, a member of the Advocates for New Jersey History, New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance, Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, the Center for Jewish History, and the Society of American Archivists.

Becker said Newark used to have a thriving Jewish community.

"Of all the communities that I've studied it was the most caring philanthropic community," he said.

In 1836, Newark was the 16th largest city in the country and by 1847 there were two dozen Jewish families living there, he said.

"In 1854, Newark's first rabbi, Isaac Schwartz, was hired," Becker said. "He came to Newark by Bavaria by the way of Columbus, Ga."

A year later in 1855, the Jewish population increased, when there were approximately 200 Jewish families living Newark, he said.

"Much of the early settlers scraped together an early existence through peddling," he said.

The majority of the original Jewish settlers in Newark were Germans, he said.

"They assimilated very quickly, as most German Jews did in the 19th century," Becker said. "Jews from Poland and the region around Poland began to settle; meanwhile, the original Jewish settlers by now are very well established."

The Polish Jews primarily were Orthodox and spoke Yiddish, unlike the Germans, he said.

Abraham Newman, who was one of the founders of the first temple in Newark, B'nai Geshem, invited some of the Polish Jews to conduct services in his home, Becker said.

"They (the Polish Jews) soon established a congregation of their own and named it B'nai Abraham," he said.

Neither B'nai Geshem nor B'nai Abraham were listed as the original synagogues in Newark, he said.

Newark's third synagogue Ohev Shalom, was founded with a little bit of controversy, Becker said.

"As the membership grew at B'nai Geshem, controversy grew over religious practice," he said.

Today, all three shuls exist, but no longer in Newark.

In 1873, the fourth synagogue, Adas Israel, was founded. Its members were primarily from Russia, Poland, and Galicia, he said. It eventually merged with other smaller synagogues to form a very large shul.

"The Eastern European Jewish population erected numerous synagogues ranging widely in size and membership," he said. "Anything that anyone needed came through synagogue life in those early years."

Ultimately, the Jewish community of Newark was known for its volunteerism, community welfare, and mutual aid, he said, "especially, the women within the community that led to the enormous success of the social welfare and mutual aid societies institutions and agencies."

A group of 14 women called the Friendly Sisters dedicated their time volunteering and helping hospitals, schools, and the community, Becker said.

A group of men within the community formed an organization called the Young Men's Welfare Society that led to the creation of the Jewish Federation, he said.

"One of the earliest projects they did was to hold a mass rally, in order to inspire those Jews living in the area to join the society," Becker said. "So the eventual drawing into the war, the society would be in a position to assist the needed family left behind. By 1876, the society had several hundred members, having a major impact on the community."

In 1863, B'nai Geshem established a Jewish day school, he said. However, because of the various types of Jews in Newark, it wasn't there for too long.

"As the synagogue's numbers assimilated into the general community to gravitate towards Reform Judaism, the need for the day school diminished," he said. "And in effect by 1869, all of its pupils transferred to Newark public schools but continued their religious school in the evening."

Newark's Jewish population played a major role in its commercial, industrial, and financial growth, as well as its culture, he said.

"In 1860, Bernard Houser became Newark's first Jew elected to public office when he became commissioner of public appeals," Becker said. "In 1911, Governor Woodrow Wilson, who later became president, appointed Samuel Callous as justice of the N.J. Supreme Court."

Lewis Tryar was one of the first people to produce beer lager, and Hester Goldstein was the first Jewish woman listed in Newark that had an occupation.

Also, Yiddish theater was extremely popular in Newark, Becker said.

"From 1922 till the end of WWII, Elton's Metropolitan Theater flourished in Newark and produced numerous plays and operettas, many of which were never shown anywhere else," he said.

Newark is also quite well-known for its impact on journalism and writing because of such people as Marc Silver, a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, and the renowned author Philip Roth, both from Newark, he said.

"By 1969, the Jewish community that was once nearly 100,000 strong has [dwindled] to less than 10,000 people," he said.

"Newark provided a home and an opportunity for destitute immigrants to make something special of their lives," Becker added. "It was a unique and wonderful relationship that encouraged community involvement on a level that would be very difficult to replicate in the future."

Alan Kane of Cranford, who grew up in the Jewish Children's Home on Clinton Avenue in Newark, said it was an amazing place to live.

"We didn't know anything about the depression," Kane said. "We had our own synagogue, we got two changes of clothes, went to public school, three times a week we marched up the streets with B'nai Abraham."

Thelma Rappaport, who was born in the Clinton Hills section of Newark and now resides in Cranford, said she was very proud to have come from Newark.