Synagogues
Currently, there are no active synagogues in Licking County. A Jewish presence, however, has existed in the county for over 120 years and from 1950 to 2012 a synagogue called Ohev Israel was located in Newark at the corner of Woods Avenue and Selby Street. Ohev Israel can be translated as love of Israel, and at its largest size during the 1960s and 1970s, the congregation numbered around 35 to 40 families.[1] This is equal to approximately 100 individual members. [2] While there is evidence that Jewish religious services were organized in Licking County during the 1890s, Ohev Israel traced its roots to October 1907. [3] During this month, a group of local Jews met in a rented room at the YMCA to organize as a religious association.[4] Michael Schonberg, a Newark businessman, served as the first president of Ohev Israel. Over the next forty years, the congregation utilized other rented spaces, primarily along South Park Place and North Park Place.
Ohev Israel: A Synagogue for the Community
In 1950, Newark’s Jewish community was sufficiently organized to begin building what would become Newark’s sole synagogue at 320 Woods Avenue. The groundbreaking ceremony for the synagogue took place on April 3, 1950. A highlight of the service was an address delivered by Rabbi Jerome Folkman of Temple Israel in Columbus.[5] At the time, Herman Art was president of the congregation, and 23 to 25 families were members. [6] Non-Jews also contributed to the congregation’s building fund. [7] On September 4, 1950, Labor Day, the new synagogue was dedicated. Rabbi Samuel Rubenstein of Agudas Achim in Columbus officiated at the dedication service. [8] A key supporter of the synagogue’s construction was Leo Yassenoff of Columbus, a noted leader in the Central Ohio Jewish community. After the construction of the synagogue, the members of Ohev Israel elected to affiliate themselves with the Conservative movement of Judaism. This movement is often described as a middle ground between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. It should be noted, however, that Ohev Israel, which was never large enough to secure the services of a full-time rabbi, brought visiting student rabbis from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati to minister at the congregation. Hebrew Union College is the leading Reform theological school. Stanley Chyet was the first student rabbi to officiate at the new synagogue.
Community Service and Outreach
During its 105 years of existence, Ohev Israel supported several auxiliary organizations, including a B’nai B’rith chapter, Jewish Ladies’ Auxiliary, which was renamed the Ohev Israel Sisterhood in the early 1950s, and a Junior Congregation during the 1940s. A religious school was also active at the congregation that enrolled around 35 students at its largest size during the late 1970s and early 1980s.[9] The members of Ohev Israel were involved in many aspects of the Licking County community, including most notably Hospice of Licking County, which was founded by a synagogue member Selma Markowitz, the Licking County Mental Health Association, and the Licking County Crisis Center, which was created by Stanley Deutsch and Martin Schuster.[10] Members also established the Ohev Israel Community Service Fund to aid in charitable projects across Licking County. In 2012 Ohev Israel, which was down to 17 or 18 families, merged with Beth Tikvah in Worthington, Ohio. The congregation’s two Torah scrolls found new homes after the merger. One went to Beth Tikvah and the other went to Denison University in Granville, where it is used by the campus Hillel. [11]
For more information see also:
The Columbus Jewish Historical Society website https://columbusjewishhistory.org/
Reid, Austin. "A History of Newark Ohio's Jewish Community," The Columbus Jewish Historical Society columbusjewishhistory.org https://columbusjewishhistory.org/histories/history-newark-ohios-jewish-community/
A.D.R
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References
- ↑ “Ohev Israel Temple Installs its First Woman President," Ohio Jewish Chronicle (Columbus), Aug. 01, 1985
- ↑ “Building Undergoes Renovation,” Newark Advocate, Jun. 01, 1984
- ↑ “Building Undergoes Renovation,” Newark Advocate, Jun. 01, 1984
- ↑ “Dedicated to God Ohev Israel Temple,” Newark Advocate, Nov. 07, 1953
- ↑ “To Break Ground for Newark Synagogue,” Ohio Jewish Chronicle, Apr. 4, 1950
- ↑ “Will Break Ground for New Temple,” Newark Advocate, Apr. 14, 1950
- ↑ “Dedicated to God Ohev Israel Temple,” Newark Advocate, Nov. 07, 1953
- ↑ “Ohev Israel Cong.,” Ohio Jewish Chronicle, Aug. 18, 1950
- ↑ “JNF Provides Identification,” Ohio Jewish Chronicle, Feb. 05, 1981
- ↑ "Schuster Awarded," Ohio Jewish Chronicle, Aug. 30, 1979
- ↑ Viviano, J., “Fading Newark Synagogue Merges with Beth Tikvah,” Columbus Dispatch, Jun. 22, 2012
