A History of Zanesville’s Jewish Community

Zanesville, one of Ohio’s oldest cities, was home to a Jewish community whose origins trace back to the mid-19th century. For more than 150 years, Jewish life was a visible and enduring part of the city’s religious and commercial fabric. The closure of Beth Abraham Synagogue in 2017 marked the end of organized Jewish life in Muskingum County, concluding a long and multifaceted chapter in Ohio Jewish history.

Early Jewish Settlement
Zanesville’s First Jewish Institutions
The Era of Immigration
The Renewal of Keneseth Israel as Findley Avenue Temple
Jewish Life in Zanesville During World War I and the Roaring Twenties
Developments During the 1930s and World War II
Into the 21st century

Early Jewish Settlement

Jews likely arrived in Zanesville in the late 1830s or early 1840s as part of a broader wave of Jewish immigration from German-speaking regions of Europe to the United States. A report in The Occident in 1856 noted that the city had become home to “many Jews,” though a few years earlier, it had mentioned only a small Jewish presence with growth potential. This optimism reflected Zanesville’s rapid development, including the arrival of rail connections to the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad in 1852.

Local historian Thomas W. Lewis (1851–1936) recorded that the city’s first known Jewish resident may have been a clothing merchant, Oppenheimer, likely Leopold Oppenheimer, who emigrated from Hemsbach, Germany, with his wife, Babette. The couple lived in Zanesville by 1852, when they celebrated the birth of a son, Heinrich. While Leopold and Babette eventually returned to Germany—an unusual decision among Jewish immigrants of that period—other Oppenheimer family members remained in Ohio, and several family burials are found in the Jewish section of Oakwood Cemetery in Fremont.

Another early settler was Caroline Rosenberg, who arrived in 1849 at the age of sixteen. She later married David Goodman, an immigrant from Baden, Germany. The couple raised six children while operating a clothing store on Market Street. Some of their descendants still lived in Zanesville as of 2020.

Zanesville’s early Jewish families were primarily engaged in clothing retail. One entrepreneur in this area was Moses Meyer, an immigrant from Alsace who arrived in Muskingum County in 1856 after initially residing in New Orleans. He nearly died in a steamboat accident before making his way to Zanesville, where he began as a clerk and later opened his store, eventually named the Temple of Fashion and Bazaar. Meyer married twice, first to Rebecca Beatty, the daughter of a Baptist minister, and later to Caroline Miller. He had seven children from these marriages, including Edward Meyer, who became a well-known attorney and financier.

Interfaith families were not uncommon in Zanesville during this era. A letter published in The Israelite in 1873 described a bris (ritual circumcision) for four children, three of whom had Christian mothers. The event was celebrated as a communal milestone, and the rabbi emphasized the families’ commitment to raising the children within the Jewish faith.

One of the most prominent early families was the Dryfus family. Eva and Wolf Dryfus, originally from Alsace, arrived in Zanesville in 1854 after a brief time in Cincinnati. Wolf operated the Great Western Clothing House on Main Street and later went into business with his son Leopold under the name W. Dryfus and Son. Wolf was a local Odd Fellows Lodge charter member and helped organize both Zanesville’s first Jewish congregation and a local chapter of B’nai B’rith. The family business declared bankruptcy in 1895, and many members relocated afterward.

Another larger family was that of Moses and Doretta Shonfeld, immigrants from northwestern Germany. The couple reportedly had sixteen children, all living at the time of Moses’ death in 1879. Several of their descendants remained in Zanesville and nearby Cambridge before spreading out to Muncie, Indiana, Mansfield, Ohio, and Pittsburgh. Rudolph Shonfeld, one of their sons, operated Shonfield’s clothing store on Main Street until 1903. His daughter Hannah married Abram Starr, a prominent businessman in Muskingum County.

Zanesville’s First Jewish Institutions

By the end of the Civil War, Zanesville’s Jewish population had grown significantly. Newer residents included Marx Cohen, Michael Steinfeld, and Herman Weber, all business owners.

High Holiday services began to be organized in private homes as the community grew. The first public mention of a congregation appeared in The Israelite and Deborah on October 13, 1867, in a letter from Zanesville’s “Embryo Hebrew Congregation.” The letter described the emotional impact of a visit from Rev. Isaac Shoenbrun during the High Holidays, capturing the spiritual isolation of Jews in emerging Midwestern communities.

Formal organization followed on September 20, 1868, when sixteen Jewish men gathered at Nevitt’s Hall to establish Congregation K’neseth Israel. Their founding agreement included an initiation fee of $3 and annual dues of $6, with a commitment to hold Sabbath services at least once a month. Officers were elected one week later, including Wolf Dryfus as president, Michael Steinfeld as vice president, and Marx Cohen as treasurer.

The congregation secured rented space in the Alter’s Building at Second and Main Streets. On February 7, 1869, Rudolph Shoenfeld donated a Torah scroll, and shortly thereafter, Rev. B. Tauber was hired as the first rabbi at a salary of $600 per year. The congregation was incorporated in August 1869, and a Ladies’ Benevolent Society was also formed, organizing charitable efforts, including a donation to victims of the 1873 yellow fever epidemic in Shreveport, Louisiana.

K’neseth Israel maintained ties with other Ohio congregations. In 1870, the Columbus-based Bene Israel congregation loaned Zanesville a Torah, and three decades later, Zanesville lent a Torah to the newly founded Tifereth Israel in Columbus.

Despite the Jewish community’s initial growth, early rabbinic leadership proved unstable. Rev. Tauber left Zanesville within a year, and his successor, Rev. M. Greenblatt, departed shortly after. In 1871, a failure to agree on rabbinic qualifications within the local Jewish community led to insufficient fundraising to hire a new minister. In a letter to The Israelite, congregational secretary Ben Dryfus expressed frustration over the impasse and hoped for a “brighter future.”

That same year, the community purchased land for a dedicated Jewish cemetery—still in use today and known as Beth Abraham Cemetery or the United Jewish Cemetery. By 1872, tensions within the congregation had eased, and Rev. Wolf Landau was appointed rabbi. Under his leadership, K’neseth Israel joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873. The congregation was represented at national gatherings, including a Reform committee meeting in Cincinnati, attended by member Henry Baer.

However, stability remained elusive. Landau resigned within a year, and between 1873 and 1881, the congregation was served by four rabbis: Marx Moses, Alexander Roszafy, A.R. Levy, and Ferdend Lowenberg. Tenures were often brief. In 1874, Roszafy caused a scandal by allegedly fleeing Zanesville with unpaid debts, prompting a public notice from congregational secretary Michael Steinfeld in The Israelite. During rabbinic vacancies, lay leaders conducted services.

In contrast, Jewish fraternal and charitable organizations in Zanesville flourished. A local B’nai B’rith chapter, Gihon Lodge, was founded in 1873 by eleven men, including members of the Dryfus, Baer, and Horkheimer families. The lodge provided financial aid to members’ families when needed and maintained an endowment fund for other emergencies. Marcus Weinberg, the first recorded shochet (kosher butcher) in Zanesville, was also listed as a charter member.

Another fraternal group, the Ancient Order of Kesher Shel Barsel (KSB), established its King Solomon Lodge in Zanesville in 1874. Members included J. Ettinger, A. Cohn, and M.S. Witkosky. The lodge remained active until at least 1900 and later merged into B’nai B’rith after KSB’s national dissolution in 1903. KSB’s legacy included support for the Montefiore Home for the Aged in Cleveland.

Other Jewish-affiliated groups also emerged, including a short-lived chapter of the Sons of Benjamin and a Jewish section of the local Knights of Pythias known as the King David Lodge, active into the 1920s. Members included Mark Berman and Abraham Goldstein.

Women also played a vital role in Zanesville’s Jewish community through the Ladies’ Benevolent Society, which expanded its efforts in the 1880s. The group launched a religious school, formed a synagogue choir, and supported the integration of new Jewish immigrants—many of whom arrived from Eastern Europe. These later immigrants would eventually become the backbone of Jewish life in Zanesville well into the 20th century.

The Era of Immigration

Following 1870, Zanesville’s Jewish population expanded significantly, fueled by immigration from Austria-Hungary and the Russian Empire. These new arrivals differed from earlier German Jews in their religious practices and cultural backgrounds. While Zanesville’s original synagogue, K’neseth Israel, followed Reform traditions, many Eastern European Jews adhered to Orthodox customs and sought their institutions.

In 1874, Hungarian Jews in Zanesville established the Hungarian Benevolent Association, which began holding separate services. Members also hired Rabbi D. Feierlicht as the community’s spiritual leader. Feierlicht oversaw a religious school that held classes in rented space at the Alter’s Building. He served until 1877 and was succeeded by Rabbi Marcus Numark, who remained until around 1882. Non-Jews occasionally referred to the group as the “Hebrew Church.” By 1880, Zanesville’s Jewish population numbered around 100, with about half affiliated with the Orthodox congregation.

Among the larger immigrant families were the Freilich brothers—Maier, Samuel, Sigmund, and Solomon—who arrived from Hungary in the 1870s. Sigmund and Solomon founded The People’s Clothing Company, which supplied goods to area peddlers and became one of Zanesville’s most successful Jewish businesses. Other entrepreneurs included Victor Goldberger, who ran the “New York Cheap Store,” and Solomon and Yetta Lind, whose children remained active in local business and civic life. Their daughter Fannie’s 1895 wedding to Henry Milder was one of the largest Jewish celebrations in Zanesville’s history up until that time.

Not all newer Jewish residents were immigrants. Abram “Abe” Starr, a Portsmouth, Ohio native, moved to Zanesville in 1870 and founded A.E. Starr Company, a major clothing retailer in the region. Starr’s children—Harry, Jeanette, Raye, and Moses—did not remain in Zanesville. Jeanette went on to marry Louis Untermeyer, a noted poet and anthologist. After Abram died in 1917, the management of his company passed to Morris Hirsch and Mannie Levi.

The 1880s brought further population growth and the arrival of new Jewish families, such as the Blumenthals, Loebs, Bottigheimers, Rothams, and Kohns. In 1881, a third congregation, Rodef Sholom, was formed, joining K’neseth Israel and the Hungarian Benevolent Association. Rodef Sholom, under Rabbi Nathan Ganger, initially met near Main and Seventh Streets and counted 35 members. While Ganger led until 1888, internal disputes occasionally arose, including a documented conflict between him and Rabbi Heiman of the Hungarian congregation. The press even reported on episodes of congregational tension and neighborhood rivalries, especially on Elm Street.

By the mid-1880s, there was increasing pressure to unify the fragmented Jewish community. Keneseth Israel had ceased regular services by 1890 but continued to operate a Sunday School. Meanwhile, inter-congregational cooperation grew through social initiatives such as the Hebrew Youth’s Society, a Jewish baseball team, and women’s groups like the Hebrew Sisters of Peace. In 1886, the Hungarian Benevolent Association renamed itself the Hebrew Benevolent Society, reflecting its broader membership. That year, efforts began to fundraise for a dedicated synagogue building, although financial constraints delayed construction for nearly a decade.

While some families found success, poverty was widespread. Many newer immigrants worked as peddlers, living on Tarrier Street, where horse racing was a local pastime. Financial instability was common; in one case, a peddler named Moses Klafter attempted to flee to Europe to avoid debts owed to supplier Solomon Freilich. In another, the B’nai B’rith Gihon Lodge petitioned the Cleveland Jewish Orphan Asylum to accept four local children due to family hardship. Still, the request was denied because the children were not technically orphans.

Despite these hardships, many families laid foundations for future generations. For example, Israel and Rose Klafter, Hungarian immigrants, lived in Zanesville from 1885 to 1905 before relocating to Cleveland. Their daughter Anna married Charles Metzenbaum, and their grandson, Howard Metzenbaum, served as U.S. Senator for Ohio from 1976 to 1995. In recognition of his family roots, Metzenbaum launched his first Senate campaign in Zanesville in 1970.

In 1889, local Jews petitioned the public school board for religious holiday accommodations—Zanesville’s first recorded instance of organized Jewish advocacy. Though unsuccessful, the effort reflected a growing communal identity. That same year, Zanesville hosted the B’nai B’rith District Grand Lodge, drawing delegates from across the country and signaling the city’s prominence in American Jewish life.

By 1892, the Hebrew Benevolent Society had formally reorganized as Beth Abraham Congregation, located at 12 South Seventh Street. Herman Weber served as its first president, and services were held on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.

In 1896, Beth Abraham merged with Rodef Sholom and constructed Zanesville’s first purpose-built synagogue on North Sixth Street. Rabbi Max Algase, a native of Palestine and formerly of Rochester, New York, became its spiritual leader. The first known wedding held at the new synagogue occurred in 1897 between Sarah Lena Deutsch and Samuel Klein. Another major wedding followed the next year, uniting Mayer (Mike) Mirvis, a Lithuanian-born shoemaker, and Sarah Lind, daughter of clothing merchant Samuel Lind. Mike Mirvis operated a Main Street store for over fifty years, becoming a pillar of the city’s Jewish commercial life.

The Renewal of Keneseth Israel as Findley Avenue Temple

In the early 20th century, Jewish life in Zanesville entered a renewal period. A local chapter of the Jewish Chautauqua Society—a national organization dedicated to Jewish education—was founded in 1900, signaling new energy within the city’s Reform Jewish community. By 1901, Keneseth Israel had resumed religious services after a period of dormancy. These were held twice monthly on Sundays and led in an alternating schedule by two visiting rabbis, David Klein of Columbus and Harry Levi of Wheeling.

High Holiday services were held at the First Congregational Church in the early 1900s. By 1909, Keneseth Israel had secured its first full-time rabbi in years: Louis Schreiber, who had relocated from Savannah, Georgia. The congregation, though small—only 19 official members out of an estimated 250 Jews in Zanesville—launched an ambitious fundraising campaign to build a new synagogue. Under the leadership of Abram Starr, Julius and Moses Frank, Mannie Levi, and Morris Resler, the group raised $15,000 (nearly $400,000 in 2020) to construct the city’s first stone synagogue.

Despite its modest membership, Keneseth Israel drew upon prominent community figures. Abram Starr, a successful clothing merchant, and Mannie Levi, his cousin and business partner at A.E. Starr Company, were well established. Julius and Moses Frank, sons of German immigrants Lewis (Lippman) and Fredrika Frank, were owners of L. Frank & Sons, a fertilizer company. Julius was deeply involved in civic life, serving as president of Bethesda Hospital, trustee of Union National Bank, and member of numerous fraternal organizations. He taught Sunday school at Keneseth Israel and was a B’nai B’rith trustee. His 1912 funeral drew thousands.

Morris Resler, who immigrated from Austria in the 1880s and worked as a clothing manufacturer, is less known. He was elected congregational president in 1919. His wife Mae was a New York native, and their household included extended family.

The synagogue construction was overseen by a building committee that included Adolph Loeb, Dolores Weinberg, Janetta Weber, Moses Frank, and Mannie Levi. Loeb, a real estate and insurance broker, chaired the committee. On March 24, 1911, the new synagogue on Findley Avenue was formally dedicated, becoming popularly known as Findley Avenue Temple. Rabbi Joseph Kornfield of Columbus delivered the cornerstone address and was hired as the congregation’s first rabbi in the new building. The synagogue seated 200 people and included classrooms and meeting spaces. Notably, the first High Holiday services drew nearly 200 attendees, including many non-Jews, reflecting strong interfaith support.

Women played a significant role in the synagogue’s success. Committee members Dolores Weinberg and Janetta Weber led the building project and community outreach. Dolores, a Cincinnati native, was married to Solomon Weinberg, proprietor of the Fashion Store on Main Street and a relative of Abram Starr. Janetta was married to Ben Weber, son of Herman and Rebecca Weber, who arrived in Zanesville from Cleveland in 1866. The Weber family founded Weber Home Store, a longtime downtown business that eventually moved into the four-story Werner Building. Ben and Janetta later relocated to Los Angeles; Ben was tragically killed in a robbery in 1935.

The women of Keneseth Israel also sustained the synagogue’s Sunday school and became vital responders during the 1913 Muskingum River flood, one of the worst natural disasters in Ohio history. When floodwaters engulfed nearly 40% of Zanesville and displaced over 8,000 residents, Keneseth Israel opened its doors as a shelter. Congregation women prepared three meals daily for 250–300 flood victims. Their efforts were recognized in a commemorative volume sponsored by Abram Starr, who narrowly survived the flood. Starr also commissioned bronze medals to honor citizens with extraordinary bravery during the crisis.

Jewish Life in Zanesville During World War I and the Roaring Twenties

By the early 20th century, Zanesville’s Jewish community had become a well-integrated part of the city’s cultural and civic life. In 1907, The local Times Recorder newspaper reflected on the observance of Yom Kippur, writing:

“Zanesville is proud of the standing attained in this city by these representatives of the Hebrew race… Their worth is fully recognized. Zanesville is the better for their presence and activity.”

When the United States entered World War I in 1917, local Jews contributed both abroad and at home. At least thirteen servicemen were members of Beth Abraham. These individuals were: Abraham Blickstein, Nathan Freilich, Sumner Frank, Abraham Goodman, Isadore Gottdiener, Max Heiler, Abraham Minster, Lewis Plane, Morris Pollock, Louis Schenfeld, Max Seidenfeld, Henry Ziegfeld, and Morris Zwelling. Jacob Art served in Italy, and Jacob Krohngold, formerly a Sunday school teacher at Findley Avenue Temple, served as a military chaplain. Lester Cohn died of pneumonia during training in Camp Sherman. Another member of the Zanesville Jewish community, Irene Jacobs, the niece of Morris and Mae Resler, entertained troops in the Overseas Theater after studying drama in New York.

At home, the Jewish Women’s Benevolent and Aid Society—based at Findley Avenue Temple—played a leading role in Red Cross efforts. Leaders included Rose Brilliant, Mae Resler, Dolly Weinberg, and Rebecca Weinberg. Beulah Levi volunteered over 2,400 hours and served on the local food conservation committee. Other civic efforts included participation in the American Jewish Relief Committee, which was primarily focused on aid to Poland.

Between 1900 and 1918, several new families joined Zanesville’s Jewish community. Among the most prominent were the Zwellings, who immigrated from Iași, Romania, in 1903. David and Yetta Zwelling arrived with eight children: Ben, Fannie, Harry, Jack, Max, Morris, Rhea, and Samuel. Ben became a cobbler and clothing cleaner; Harry founded a men’s clothing shop that remained open for 45 years. Samuel opened a shoe factory and later a clothing store. Morris ran Ideal Cleaners and was Beth Abraham’s president in the 1940s. Their descendants remained active in Jewish life for decades.

Other new families included Abe and Rose Art, Blanche and Isadore Furst, and Adolph and Mollie Goldenberg. The Arts owned a jewelry store before relocating to Canton. The Fursts operated a grocery until the 1940s. Born in Palestine, Adolph Goldenberg lost his first business in the 1913 flood but later co-founded the American Light Company with Samuel Goldstein. Though Adolph later moved to Columbus, the Goldsteins remained in Zanesville and were active in the local B’nai B’rith and the United Jewish Appeal for decades.

During the 1920s, both Zanesville’s Jewish congregations maintained vibrant sisterhoods—the Findley Avenue Temple Sisterhood, which had 29 members in 1923, and the Beth Abraham Sisterhood. The Beth Abraham Sisterhood was led by Mollie Weber, and its members hosted card parties, dinners, and other fundraisers. These efforts supported various charitable causes, including relief for war orphans. B’nai B’rith also marked its 50th anniversary in Zanesville with a large banquet at the Masonic Temple, and its annual picnic at Smith’s Grove regularly drew over 400 people.

Rabbi Harris Rosenberg served Beth Abraham during the 1910s and 1920s. His son, William Rosenberg—who wrote under the name William Manners—later published a memoir titled Father and the Angels (1947), recalling life in Zanesville’s Jewish community. Rabbi Rosenberg, a widower from England, arrived in Zanesville with his second wife, Bertha, and their children Abraham, David, and William. His older children from a previous marriage—Max, Samuel, and Sophia—were brought to the U.S. by their grandmother.

In 1924, Beth Abraham dedicated a new brick synagogue at 148 North Seventh Street, replacing its original wooden building. Built for $40,000 (over $600,000 in 2020), it could seat 400 and included community spaces. Louis Weber, son of founding president Herman Weber, chaired the building committee and served as synagogue president for 25 years. Fundraising and committee work also involved Samuel Lind, Mollie Weber, Henry Goodman, and Harry Zwelling. Rabbi Jacob Tarshish of Columbus spoke at the dedication, and Mollie Weber lit the ner tamid (eternal light).

After Rabbi Rosenberg died in 1927, Rabbi Saul Bless, a native of Poland who was ordained in Germany, assumed leadership. He remained until he died in 1937. Rabbi Bless and his wife Henrietta had five children. During his tenure, Beth Abraham launched several new initiatives: forming a Boy Scout troop, organizing a drama club, and hosting regular youth activities. The Scout troop met weekly in the synagogue’s basement, initially led by Ralph Weber and Joseph Brilliant.

Throughout the 1920s, Zanesville’s Jews contributed across professional fields. Sol Berman served on City Council; Samuel Burnser owned a pet shop; Gus Greenbaum worked at the Zanesville Publishing Company; and long-established firms like Starr Company and Weber’s thrived. In 1922, William Freilich became the city’s first Jewish municipal judge. Jewish philanthropy flourished: Beulah and Mannie Levi supported the Helen Purcell Home, and Rose Blickstein and Mollie Weber raised funds for Bethesda Hospital.

Developments During the 1930s and World War II

The Great Depression, beginning in 1929, brought economic hardship to Zanesville, yet the city’s Jewish community remained culturally active and civically engaged. In 1930, a group of primarily Jewish women founded the Atheneum Circle, which organized educational lectures, art exhibitions, and social programs for over four decades. Founding members included Laura Brilliant, a respected piano teacher; Rose Brilliant, a businesswoman and vice president of Findley Avenue Temple; Lillian Grossman, Flora Loeb, Mollie Regen, and Sandra Zwelling. Topics at early meetings ranged from Italian art to American literature and film.

In 1938, B’nai B’rith established a Judaic library and adopted policies to assist Jewish travelers in the area. This followed earlier precedents: in 1916, the organization paid burial expenses for a largely unknown Jewish traveler, Adolph Ginsberg, who died nearby in Newark. In 1909, another Jewish man was buried in Zanesville. Four years later, local B’nai B’rith members helped identify him as Rubin Vishinsky after his widow recognized a photograph published in Jewish newspapers nationwide.

B’nai B’rith also continued hosting its annual picnic, often held at Smith’s Grove or Rehl Farm along Route 40. The event attracted Jewish families from nearby cities, including Columbus, Lancaster, and Coshocton. Jews also remained active in civic life: Louis Regen became president of the local Kiwanis Club in 1932, and the Beth Abraham Junior Auxiliary organized youth dances and charitable initiatives.

The 1930s also brought leadership transitions. On October 10, 1933, Louis Weber, longtime president of Beth Abraham, passed away. His funeral, described as one of the largest in Zanesville’s history, was honored with a citywide business closure. Louis had served the congregation since 1908, following in the footsteps of his father, Herman Weber, Beth Abraham’s founding president. His son, Ralph Weber, inherited the Weber Company and continued his father’s tradition of civic leadership through his involvement with Jewish and secular charities.

The Depression era also saw the arrival of new Jewish families. Joseph and Sadie Bernstein, Benjamin and Rebecca Cohen, and Albert and Hilda Gelfand relocated to Zanesville during this period, contributing to its commercial life. Jack Cohen, son of Benjamin and Rebecca, founded Cohen Jewelers in 1951 and later opened Conrad’s College Gifts at Ohio State University. Another son, Bernard Cohen, became a dentist in Cleveland.

World War II brought renewed mobilization. Jewish service members from Zanesville included Jacob Daener, Jerome Goodman, Arthur Joseph, Charles Katz, Herbert Lind, Marvin Magaziner, Jerome Milder, Joseph Mirvis, Robert Schusterman, and Herbert Zwelling. They served across branches and theaters, from the European front to the Pacific. Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Lind was buried at Arlington National Cemetery after he died in 1951. On the home front, Nate Milder coordinated hospital entertainment through WHIZ radio, while B’nai B’rith Women’s Auxiliary members volunteered with the Red Cross and sold war bonds. Interfaith efforts also continued: in 1944, Beth Abraham hosted World Day of Prayer events under the theme “Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens.”

The war also marked the beginning of a new chapter: the arrival of Jewish refugees escaping Nazism. The Tinianow family was among the first to reach Zanesville in the 1940s. In 1942, Rabbi Henry Okolica, a Kristallnacht survivor, arrived from New York with his wife Lisbeth and served at Beth Abraham until 1946. Postwar years brought more refugees: in 1954, Gerda and Simon Friedeman arrived from Wisconsin; Simon, a former Gestapo prisoner, became Beth Abraham’s rabbi. In 1955, Dr. Ludwig Michaelis, a German Jewish physician who had found sanctuary in China, relocated from McConnelsville, Ohio, to Zanesville. In 1965, Rabbi Mendel Lewkowitz and his wife Hanna—also Shanghai refugees—settled in Zanesville. Lewkowitz, formerly a cantor and rabbi in Bytom, Germany, brought musical and spiritual leadership to Beth Abraham, enriching the community with his background in composition and chazzanut.

Into the 21st century

Zanesville’s Jewish population likely peaked around 1950, numbering approximately 300 individuals. In the postwar years, new families—including the Ballas, Calig, Freede, and Glazer households—joined the community, helping to grow its size. By the late 1950s, Jewish youth formed new social and religious institutions. In 1958, thirteen teenagers established the Yigdal chapter of the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), named after the Jewish hymn expressing Maimonides’ thirteen principles of faith. Ruth Friedeman, daughter of Rabbi Simon and Gerda Friedeman, served as its first president, with Carole Rogovin as vice president.

That same year, on June 29, 1958, the city’s two congregations—Findley Avenue Temple (Reform) and Beth Abraham (Conservative)—merged, uniting around 200 individuals. The newly formed congregation retained Beth Abraham and followed Conservative Jewish customs. These included a kosher kitchen, prohibition of smoking on Shabbat, and the requirement of head coverings during services. The only formal concession to Reform members was including Findley Avenue’s organ, which was relocated and occasionally used under rabbinic guidance.

The cornerstone of the new synagogue, located at 1740 Blue Avenue, was laid on August 10, 1958. Speakers included Beth Abraham, President Elmer Swack, Mayor Maurice Vensil, State Senator Tom Moorehead, and Leo Yassenoff of Columbus. Ministers from the Market Street Baptist Church and a local Methodist Church offered benedictions. The synagogue was completed and dedicated in 1959.

By 1964, the new Beth Abraham counted 90 member families and a Sisterhood with 50 members. However, by the early 1980s, membership had declined to just 50 families, mirroring a broader demographic shift. Between 1960 and 1980, Zanesville lost over 10,000 residents due to industrial decline. By 1997, an estimated 40 Jewish families remained in the city. As Zanesville’s population continued to age and shrink, so did its Jewish presence.

In 2017, Beth Abraham held its final service, and the synagogue was deconsecrated. The following year, Zanesville City Schools purchased the building to house its Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program. The closure marked the end of over 150 years of organized Jewish life in Muskingum County.

Zanesville’s experience reflected a wider regional pattern. In recent years, other small-town Jewish communities in Ohio and neighboring states have similarly shuttered synagogues: Newark’s Ohev Israel merged with Columbus’s Beth Tikvah in 2012; Temple Beth Israel in Steubenville and B’nai Israel in Parkersburg closed in 2013. These closures illustrate the challenges facing post-industrial towns across the Midwest, where once-thriving Jewish communities gradually diminished due to economic shifts and demographic change.

Yet even as Zanesville’s organized Jewish life came to a close, the legacy of its community endured. The Ballas family, for instance, helped attract major employers such as Economy Linen and Worthington Foods (now part of Kellogg’s) to the city. Max Ballas opened the Ballas Egg Products Corporation in 1961, and his son Leonard Ballas leveraged this workforce presence to attract new business. From 2005 to 2012, Howard Zwelling, a descendant of one of Zanesville’s oldest Jewish families, served as the mayor of Zanesville.

Grounded in generations of Jewish community-building, these civic and economic contributions offer a lasting testament to the enduring legacy of Jewish life in Zanesville—carried forward in memory, institutions, and civic culture.

Sources:

Newspapers Utilized

Cambridge Daily Jeffersonian (Cambridge, OH)

Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, OH)

Daily Ohio State Journal (Columbus, OH)

Daily Times Recorder (Zanesville, OH)

Jewish Independent (Cleveland, OH)

Jewish Review and Observer (Cleveland, OH)

Ohio Jewish Chronicle (Columbus, OH)

The American Israelite (Cincinnati, OH)

The Israelite (Cincinnati, OH)

The Occident (Philadelphia, PA)

The Zanesville Times Recorder (Zanesville, OH)

Weekly Signal (Zanesville, OH)

Zanesville Daily Courier (Zanesville, OH)

Zanesville Signal (Zanesville, OH)