A History of the Portsmouth, Ohio Jewish Community

Early History of the Portsmouth Jewish Community
The Incorporation and Early Development of Beneh Abraham
Jewish Life in Portsmouth During the 1870s and 1880s
Jewish Life at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
A New Era: Jewish Life in Portsmouth During World War I and the 1920s
The Great Depression, World War II, and the Portsmouth Jewish Community
Postwar Renewal and the Move to a New Synagogue (1945–1975)
Portsmouth’s Jewish Community in the 21st Century
 

Early History of the Portsmouth Jewish Community

Portsmouth, Ohio, is home to one of the state’s oldest continuously organized Jewish congregations. Beneh Abraham, established in 1858, remains active today and holds services in the Rose L. and Augusta Jacobs Center for International Programs at Shawnee State University. The Jacobs Center, originally built as a synagogue in 1974, was later transferred to the university with the understanding that the congregation could continue to use the space.

Beneh Abraham is the third-oldest continuously organized Jewish congregation in Ohio and the oldest incorporated Jewish community outside of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Though the Jewish population in Portsmouth never exceeded 200 individuals—roughly 0.6% of the city’s population—the community has made significant contributions to the civic, cultural, and economic life of Scioto County.

As of 2025, Beneh Abraham marked 167 years of continuous organization. However, the Jewish presence in the area predates its incorporation. The 1891 obituary of Henry Seeberger identified the Elsas, Seeberger, and Seidenbach families as among the first Jewish residents of Portsmouth. Jacob Elsas, a native of Baden-Württemberg, was living in Portsmouth by 1842 and operated a clothing and tailoring business. He moved to Cincinnati in 1848 but maintained business interests in Portsmouth through 1851.

Mayer (Michael) Seeberger settled in Portsmouth in the late 1840s and worked as a clothier and grocer. His brother, Henry Seeberger, arrived in 1851 with his wife, Sarah. Henry sold eyeglasses and was later listed as an optician in the 1870 census. The Seeberger family played an active role in Portsmouth’s business community, opening a newsstand, bookshop, and clothing store on Second Street. By the 1890s, the family had moved away from Portsmouth.

Meyer, Sarah Seidenbach, and L. and Yedith Seidenbach were also early residents by the mid-1850s. L. Seidenbach worked as a clothier and died in 1862; Meyer was a jeweler. By the late 1850s, at least eleven other Jewish families had settled in Portsmouth, including the Dreyfoos, Eichelstein, Freiberg, Lehman, Levi, Richman, and Stern families.

While a 1925 article in the Portsmouth Daily Times claimed a Jewish community existed as early as 1848, the earliest contemporary reference appears in the October 1, 1855 issue of The Occident, a Jewish newspaper published in Philadelphia. The article reported that a congregation had been formed and that Emanuel Marcuson of Pittsburgh had been hired as a religious leader and shochet (kosher butcher). Marcuson, though not ordained, was a respected scholar of Jewish law. He and his wife Frances had their first child, Moses, in Portsmouth before relocating to Nashville in 1857.

In 1858, under the leadership of Raphael Lasker, the Jewish community formally incorporated as Beneh Abraham.

The Incorporation and Early Development of Beneh Abraham

On November 1, 1858, Portsmouth’s Jewish community formally incorporated as Kahlo Kodosh Bene Avehom—the Holy Congregation of the Sons of Abraham—under Ohio state law. The congregation, initially Orthodox, was established by German-speaking immigrants, including Bernard Dreyfoos, Mayer Eichelstein, Isaac Freiberg, Louis Levi, Mayer Seeberger, and Jacob and Ludwig Stern. Soon after incorporation, the congregation began adopting the principles of Reform Judaism, which emphasized ethical teachings and adapted rituals to American life.

A formal space for worship was dedicated on December 17, 1858, at the corner of Third and Washington Streets. The congregation rented two floors of a three-story building shared with Portsmouth’s Masonic Lodge. Rabbi Raphael Lasker, formerly of Milwaukee, was hired as the religious leader. Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the leading figure in American Reform Judaism, attended the dedication. Writing in The Israelite, he praised the ceremony, the participation of local Christians, and the efforts of Jewish women who helped furnish the sanctuary.

By 1858, the Jewish population of Portsmouth was estimated at 60 individuals. The community also maintained a burial ground within Greenlawn Cemetery, established earlier by the Portsmouth Hebrew Benevolent Society and transferred to Beneh Abraham in 1860. A Ladies Benevolent Society, led by Esther Stern, was also active during this time.

Several congregation founders held leadership positions or operated businesses in Portsmouth. Eichelstein was a liquor dealer and later served as the congregation’s president and religious leader until he died in 1886. Freiberg ran clothing and alcohol shops before returning to Cincinnati. Louis Levi, who was involved in the clothing trade, became the first president of Beneh Abraham and was active in local Masonic circles.

By 1861, Beneh Abraham had 27 male members, indicating a total adult population of around 50 to 60 people. Rabbi Raphael Lasker was succeeded by his brother Abraham in 1860 and later by Rabbi Judah Wechsler in 1861. Wechsler, who had previously served in Indianapolis, remained until 1864 and played a significant role in developing the congregation’s Reform character. He supported a mixed choir, preached in English and German, and expanded the congregation’s educational programs.

In 1864, Beneh Abraham renovated and expanded its worship space with support from local Masons, who had purchased the building. During renovations, services were held temporarily in the home of Ephraim Ronsheim. The expanded sanctuary held approximately 200 people and included space for a religious school, which enrolled around 24 students in 1862. The curriculum included Hebrew, English, German, and religious studies.

Support for the synagogue extended beyond Portsmouth. Jewish families in Gallipolis, Ohio, contributed to the renovation fund, and in 1864, B’nai Israel of Gallipolis was established with assistance from Rabbi Wechsler. A women’s organization formed in 1863 to support Beneh Abraham and charitable causes such as aid to widows and orphans. This group was a precursor to the Beneh Abraham Sisterhood.

Numerous Jewish families lived in Portsmouth during the 1860s. Among them were the Eisman brothers, who operated a successful clothing store until 1905; the Schloss family, whose children ran a prominent bookshop; and the Wise family, whose tailoring business, L. Wise’s Sons, operated into the 1920s. While many residents moved away in later decades, families like the Wises maintained a longstanding presence in Portsmouth Jewish life.

Jewish Life in Portsmouth During the 1870s and 1880s

The 1870s and 1880s were a period of contraction and renewal for Portsmouth’s Jewish community. Many Jewish families continued to work in retail, tailoring, and clothing manufacturing. One major setback occurred in 1879, when Lehman, Richman & Company, a clothing firm founded in 1853, relocated to Cleveland. The company had employed over 100 people in Portsmouth by 1874. Its departure prompted the relocation of several Jewish families, including Joseph and Hanna Lehman and Henry and Sarah Richman.

Despite this loss, the Richman family maintained ties to Portsmouth. In the 1930s, Henry Richman Jr. and his brother Charles made significant charitable bequests to Beneh Abraham, local hospitals, and other community organizations.

Some individuals also distanced themselves from Jewish communal life during this period, sometimes through interfaith marriage. In contrast, other individuals converted to Judaism at Beneh Abraham, including Ada Walker of West Virginia (1864) and Louisa Billstein of Kentucky (1873), reflecting early Reform Judaism’s embrace of sincere converts.

From 1879 to 1886, the congregation was led by lay leader Mayer Eichelstein, who previously served as president. He officiated weddings and maintained religious life during a time of limited resources. After he died in 1886, a man known only by his surname, Pollok, briefly led the congregation. Rabbi Abraham Schapiro, a native of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, succeeded him. Rabbi Schapiro served Beneh Abraham full-time until the early 1900s and continued part-time until he died in 1931.

By the late 1880s, the community began to grow again with the arrival of several new Jewish families. Felix Haas came to Portsmouth in 1884 and later founded the Haas Clothing Company. He served on the City Board of Elections and the Board of Education and became active in other civic areas. Max Jacobs, a Polish immigrant, operated a scrap metal business and was the grandfather of Augusta Jacobs, the namesake of the Rose L. & Augusta Jacobs Center for International Programs at Shawnee State University.

Simon Labold arrived from Covington, Kentucky, and became one of Portsmouth’s most prominent civic figures. He built a successful hide and wool business, served on the City Council (1895–97), and later became president of First National Bank. His investments supported several local businesses, and his legacy is honored today through Labold Field along the Ohio River.

Other notable Jewish residents of this period included Joseph and Pauline Kaufman, Isaac and Charles Levi, and Max and Moses Lehman. Many of these individuals contributed to Portsmouth’s civic life and operated retail businesses along Chillicothe, Gallia, and Second Streets.

The Schloss family played a key role in local publishing and bookselling. In the 1890s, family members operated multiple bookstores, including the Schloss Brothers, Brandau Bookstore, and the Corner Bookstore. Rabbi Abraham Schapiro and Samuel Schloss co-founded the first store. The Brandau Bookstore, opened by Louis Schloss and his father-in-law, a minister of the United Brethren Church, reflected the evolving religious ties within some Jewish families during this period.

While not all families from this period remained in Portsmouth by the mid-twentieth century, many left lasting contributions to its civic, commercial, and religious institutions.

Jewish Life at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

In 1900, the American Jewish Yearbook reported Beneh Abraham had 32 members and a religious school with 22 students. Despite its modest size, the Portsmouth Jewish community maintained a vibrant organizational life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In 1888, the Excelsior Club was formed by merging the Standard Club and the Montefiore Club. These earlier groups served social and philanthropic purposes, meeting in downtown spaces such as the Massie Block and the Odd Fellows Block. Club activities included concerts, lectures, and literary discussions. In 1895, the Jewish Literary Society was established, and books were contributed to the public library. Women’s organizations such as the Jewish Ladies’ Aid Society (a forerunner of the Beneh Abraham Sisterhood) and the Jewish Kaffee Klatch remained active, with the latter continuing until at least 1937.

During the 1890s and early 1900s, Beneh Abraham maintained weekly Shabbat services and holiday observances. The synagogue was renovated in 1896 and 1897, and by 1901, it had two religious school teachers. Jews from surrounding areas, including Ashland, Kentucky, and Gallipolis, traveled to Portsmouth for High Holiday services. In 1906, the congregation took complete possession of its synagogue building after the Masons relocated from the shared space at Third and Washington.

As Jewish immigration to the United States increased between 1880 and 1924, Portsmouth welcomed new families from Eastern Europe. Henry and Sallie Atlas, Alfred and Rachel Hammel, Laura and Samuel Horchow, Pauline and Simon Kotosky, and Isaac and Sarah Quasser were among these.

The Atlas family arrived in 1895. Originally from Hungary, Henry opened the Parisian Cloak Shop and later established the Atlas Company, a major local department store. His son, William Atlas, founded The Fashion in 1911. The two stores merged in 1930 to become Atlas Fashion.

The Hammels arrived in 1908. Alfred Hammel operated the New Idea Clothing Company and later worked at The Union Clothing Company before relocating to Ironton, Ohio. The Horchows came to Portsmouth in 1893; Samuel Horchow, who began as a door-to-door salesman, founded a successful furniture company and served in numerous civic roles, including president of Portsmouth’s Bureau of Community Service.

Simon Kotosky briefly operated a pawn shop before relocating to Texas in 1903. Isaac Quasser, a Russian immigrant, purchased a scrap metal business from Max Jacobs in 1910 and brought over his wife Sarah and their children Adolph and Judith. Adolph became a local physician after attending Ohio State and Harvard Medical School. He practiced medicine in Portsmouth until 1933. Judith became a teacher before marrying and relocating to Lorain, Ohio.

These new arrivals, alongside longstanding families, sustained Portsmouth’s Jewish institutions while expanding the community’s economic and cultural footprint.

A New Era: Jewish Life in Portsmouth During World War I and the 1920s

Between 1908 and 1917, at least nine new Jewish families settled in Portsmouth, including the Azarch, Bein, Gal, Goldstein, Greenberg, Kline, Levine, Mendel, and Warsaw households. These families operated various businesses, ranging from clothing and furniture to pawn shops and liquor stores.

The outbreak of World War I in 1917 saw participation from Portsmouth’s Jewish residents. At least five individuals served in the military: Herman Greenberg, Joseph Horchow, Jacob Jacobs, Aronhold Schapiro, and Maurice Schapiro. The Beneh Abraham Sisterhood contributed to the war effort by volunteering with the Red Cross.

Following the war, Jewish migration brought at least 16 new households to Portsmouth and nearby New Boston. This growth led to the short-lived formation of an Orthodox congregation, B’nai Yaakov (1917–1919), and the establishment of B’nai B’rith Lodge #840 in 1919. The Portsmouth Lodge supported local and international charitable causes and reflected the increasing institutional sophistication of the community.

In 1923, Beneh Abraham began constructing a new synagogue at the corner of Eighth and Gay Streets. It was funded by the sale of its earlier building, local fundraisers, and generous gifts, including $10,000 from the Richman family of Cleveland. A lecture by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, a leading figure in American Reform Judaism, helped raise additional funds.

The new synagogue was completed in early 1925 at approximately $75,000 (about $1.38 million in 2025). It seated 300 people and became the spiritual center of Portsmouth’s Jewish community for nearly fifty years. Catholic and Protestant clergy, including Father John McQuirk of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, participated in the dedication ceremony and praised the Jewish community’s commitment to civic and spiritual ideals.

B’nai B’rith members donated a large organ for the new sanctuary, which Dorothy Knost, a prominent local musician, played for over five decades.

New families during the 1920s included the Braffmans, Glicks, Glickmans, Gordons, Grosses, Karps, Kauffmans, Kesslers, Kuhns, Meidenbergs, Morrises, Ourys, Rosenthals, Silvers, Taussigs, and Winkels. Many of these families opened businesses across Portsmouth and New Boston. Notable enterprises included Kessler’s Army Store, Glick’s Furniture Company, Braffman’s Jewelry, and The Fair, a women’s clothing store.

The 1920s marked a high point of Jewish communal life in Portsmouth. Rosh Hashanah services in 1919 drew an estimated 150 attendees. By the time the new synagogue opened, the Jewish population had reached approximately 200 people. Beneh Abraham’s new home would serve the congregation until 1973 when the building was sold to the Evangel Temple Assembly of God, which continues to occupy the site.

The Great Depression, World War II, and the Portsmouth Jewish Community

The Great Depression and the catastrophic Ohio River flood of 1937 profoundly impacted Portsmouth. The flood displaced 35,000 residents and destroyed 60% of local homes. From 1930 to 1950, the city’s population declined by nearly 6,000, and the Jewish community experienced an even more proportional decline—from approximately 200 individuals in 1927 to 140 by 1947.

Numerous Jewish businesses closed during this period, and several families, including the Braffmans, Meidenbergs, Silvers, and Winkels, left the area. Despite these challenges, several new Jewish households arrived during the 1930s, bringing greater occupational diversity. Dr. Sol Asch, who moved to Portsmouth in 1938, became a leading physician at Mercy Hospital and was involved in public health efforts. Sam Meltzer, a radiologist, was the area’s first board-accredited specialist in his field.

Other new families included restaurateurs Charles and Florence Cohen, Marc and Hyman Canter, who opened the Kopy Kat clothing store, and Max and Charlene Cohen, who operated a bar in New Boston. Moe Fleece managed a jewelry store, and Carl Hess served as sports editor of the Portsmouth Times before joining the U.S. Army in 1941.

Despite population loss, the community celebrated a significant milestone in 1934 when Beneh Abraham paid off the mortgage on its synagogue at Eighth and Gay. Interfaith engagement also remained strong. In 1941, Beneh Abraham began an annual pulpit exchange with Bigelow United Methodist Church, which continued for at least 21 years.

In 1942, Portsmouth’s three Jewish organizations—Beneh Abraham, B’nai B’rith, and the Temple Sisterhood—joined to form the Portsmouth Jewish Welfare Association (PJWA). The group supported both local and international causes. In 1946, the PJWA and Scioto County Ministerial Association co-sponsored a talk by Holocaust survivor Sophie Spanjaard, raising $15,000 for the United Jewish Appeal to aid European refugees. The PJWA was later renamed the Portsmouth Jewish Welfare Board, continuing fundraising efforts through at least 1973.

During World War II, at least five members of the local Jewish community served in the armed forces: Morton Atlas, Gershon David, Edward Levi, Samuel Meltzer, and David Timmer. Dr. Sol Asch served in the U.S. Public Health Service. The Temple Sisterhood also contributed to the war effort by volunteering with the Red Cross. Members also supported the Mercy Hospital Guild and a Girl Scout troop at Henry Massie School.

Although the Depression and war years marked a period of contraction, Portsmouth’s Jewish community remained engaged, resilient, and connected—locally and globally.

Postwar Renewal and the Move to a New Synagogue (1945–1975)

In the years following World War II, Portsmouth’s Jewish population rebounded, reaching approximately 200 individuals by the late 1950s. In 1958, Beneh Abraham celebrated its centennial with a community banquet attended by 125 people, including many former residents. Speakers included Rabbi Louis Kuppin and Rabbi Lou Silberman, both former student rabbis who had served the congregation through Hebrew Union College’s placement program. Non-Jews, including Mayor Paul Flohr, Reverend Ernest Ford, and Father Hubert Ruebeck, also attended.

During this period, Beneh Abraham maintained a vibrant congregational life. The Temple Sisterhood had over 40 members and played a key role in synagogue operations. A religious school and youth group were also active, and B’nai B’rith remained engaged in charitable efforts.

New Jewish families continued to settle in Portsmouth during the 1940s and 1950s. Among them were Ben and Reba Albert, who operated the Ideal Furniture Store; Bernard Cohen, who opened Bernie’s Clothing Store; and Dorothy and Morris Einhorn, co-founders of B & B Loan and Jewelry. Others found work in retail, optical services, food brokerage, or with the Goodyear Atomic Corporation, including Norma and Philip Diamond, Ben Kalmon, and Morris Moses. Mike Segal operated the Segal Brokerage Company; Arthur Schwartz managed Columbia Theater; and Max Weinstein ran the Portsmouth Optical Company.

By the late 1960s, however, the local Jewish population began to decline again. In 1974, Beneh Abraham sold its building at Eighth and Gay to the Evangel Temple Assembly of God. Two years later, in April 1975, the congregation dedicated a new synagogue at Second and Union Streets. The modern hexagonal structure, designed by Benjamin Dombar of Cincinnati, seated 120 people and included classrooms and social space. Funding and oversight came from a building committee led by Paul Warsaw, and Bernard Levi served as congregational president. Brett Goldstein, a student rabbi from Hebrew Union College, officiated the dedication ceremony, with remarks by Dr. Eugene Mihaly, a former student rabbi and seminary professor.

Throughout the 1970s, Beneh Abraham continued to host weekly Shabbat services, holiday observances, and charitable initiatives such as Big Brothers Shabbat, supporting local youth services. The Temple Sisterhood, which grew to around 70 members, remained central to the synagogue’s religious school operation.

New members in the late 1960s and 1970s included Ross Cowen, Lawrence and Phyllis Fried, Philip Kovsky, Allan and Evelyn Singer. These newer families were often college-educated professionals. Dr. Lawrence Fried operated a dental practice in Portsmouth from 1968 to 1998, served on the local school board, and taught at Shawnee State University. Allan Singer worked for over three decades as a laboratory director at local hospitals, including the Southern Ohio Medical Center.

Though smaller in number, Portsmouth’s Jewish community remained active, adaptive, and committed to preserving its religious and civic presence.

Portsmouth’s Jewish Community in the 21st century

By the 1980s, small-town Jewish communities throughout the Ohio River Valley faced significant demographic decline. The Jewish congregation in nearby Ashland, Kentucky—Agudath Achim—closed around 1986. Organized Jewish life in Gallipolis and Ironton had faded decades earlier, leaving only a few Jewish residents by the end of the 20th century.

As of 2025, only three towns along the Ohio River between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati maintain organized Jewish communities: Wheeling, Huntington, and Portsmouth. A common factor among them is the presence of institutions of higher education, which continue to draw residents and provide stability. In Portsmouth, Jewish faculty, staff, and students at Shawnee State University have periodically been involved with Beneh Abraham since 2000.

As membership declined further after 1980, Beneh Abraham partnered with Shawnee State University to ensure the congregation’s continuity. In this partnership, the congregation sold its synagogue on Second Street to the university, with the understanding that it could continue using the building for religious services for fifty years. When not in use, religious articles are respectfully stored.

Interfaith collaboration continues to shape the congregation’s story. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Beneh Abraham held services at Second Presbyterian Church, whose larger sanctuary allowed for social distancing. The act echoed an earlier moment in the 1930s when Beneh Abraham opened its doors to Second Presbyterian after the church experienced a fire, highlighting a mutual legacy of interfaith support spanning nearly a century.

As of 2022, Beneh Abraham has fewer than 20 active members, some of whom travel from nearby towns such as Chillicothe. The congregation continues to be served by a visiting rabbi, Susan Stone, and maintains a regular, if modest, rhythm of Jewish life.

Though diminished in size, Beneh Abraham remains a meaningful center for southern Ohio’s Jewish community and tradition. Its long history and contributions to Portsmouth’s civic, cultural, and religious life underscore the importance of preserving this unique legacy.

Sources:

Primary Sources

Parker, Everette. “Kessler's Army Store Gone; Memory Lingers.” Portsmouth Times. January 22, 1973.

Newspaper Utilized

Daily Times (Portsmouth, OH).
Israelite (Cincinnati, OH).
Jewish Independent (Cleveland, OH).
Jewish Review and Observer (Cleveland, OH).
Occident (Philadelphia, PA).
Ohio Jewish Chronicle (Columbus, OH).
Portsmouth Daily Times (Portsmouth, OH).
Portsmouth Times (Portsmouth, OH).

Secondary Sources

Amy Hill Shevitz. Jewish Communities on the Ohio River: A History. University Press of Kentucky. 2007.
Evans, Nelson. A History of Scioto County, Ohio (Portsmouth: Nelson W. Evans. 1903).