Jewish Community In Omaha
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The history of the
Jews Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, goes back to the mid-1850s. The
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
community in
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, has made significant cultural, economic and social contributions to the city."A Street of Dreams,"
Nebraska Public Media. Air Date, 08/01/1994. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
The first Jewish settlers came to the city shortly after it was founded in 1856. The most numerous Jewish immigrants were from eastern Europe and the Russian Empire. They arrived in four waves of immigration to the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Immigrants were active in working class and socialist politics, especially during the 1920s and 1930s. Others established themselves as merchants and businessmen in the city. The Jewish community supported philanthropy and created important cultural and charitable institutions. Born to socialist parents in Omaha, renowned Jewish feminist author
Tillie Olsen Tillie Lerner Olsen (January 14, 1912 – January 1, 2007) was an American writer who was associated with the political turmoil of the 1930s and the first generation of American feminism, feminists. Biography Olsen was born to Russian Jewi ...
worked when she was young in the meatpacking plants and helped organize unions. The Jewish youth organization
Aleph Zadik Aleph The Grand Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA or ) is an international youth-led fraternal organization for Jewish teenagers. It was founded in 1924 as the male wing of BBYO Inc., an independent non-profit organization. It is for teens starting i ...
was established by immigrants in Omaha."History and Development of Aleph Zadik Aleph"
B'nai B'rith Youth Organization. Retrieved 9/15/07.
Today there are many Jewish families who have lived in Omaha for four generations. These families have followed the expansion of the city to the west, with the center of their residential areas and synagogues having moved from
Downtown Omaha Downtown Omaha is the central business, government and social core of the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area, U.S. state of Nebraska. The boundaries are Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha's 20th Street on the west to the Missouri River on the east ...
and the Near North Side to the
West Omaha West Omaha is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska, that comprises all points within the Omaha metropolitan area Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern Un ...
suburbs. New Jewish immigrants have come to the city from Russia and
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since the 1980s. Historically Omaha served as a point of migration for Jewish Americans who moved on to other cities. Today people from across the country can trace Omaha in their family histories.


History


Pre-1900

In 1856, the first Jewish settlers, mostly merchants and businessmen, arrived in Omaha. From the beginning, leaders of
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and
Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...
worked to create strong congregations.Larson and Cottrell. (1997) ''The Gate City: A history of Omaha''. University of Nebraska Press. p 115. In January 1871, Temple Israel was founded as the first Jewish congregation in Nebraska. Immediately afterwards, the congregation formed a burial society and established the Pleasant Hill Cemetery in order to provide ritual services to the city's Jewish community. The first
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service was held in 1872, and the congregation was incorporated with the city of Omaha in 1873. In 1884 the congregation dedicated the first synagogue in Omaha at 23rd and Harney Streets. Later in the century Eastern European Jews immigrated to the city.Schreiber, M. (2003) ''The Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia.'' Schreiber Publishing. p 192. In 1886, an
Edict of Expulsion The Edict of Expulsion was a royal decree expelling all Jews from the Kingdom of England that was issued by Edward I of England, Edward I on 18 July 1290; it was the first time a European state is known to have permanently banned their prese ...
was enforced against the Jews of Kiev, which led many to migrate from Ukraine to the United States. Omaha became home to hundreds, as they settled in the older neighborhoods of the city. By 1890 the federal census recorded 1,035 Jews in Omaha. In 1892, Temple Israel invited the newly ordained Rabbi Leo M. Franklin, a recent graduate of
Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language until ...
, to become their rabbi. Franklin immediately set about spurring changes aimed at strengthening Reform Judaism in the congregation, such as the adoption of the ''
Union Prayer Book The ''Union Prayer Book'' was a Siddur published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis to serve the needs of the Reform Judaism movement in the United States. History An original version of the prayer book was published in 1892, based on ...
'' and the ritual recently endorsed by the
Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. ...
. Franklin also pushed to increase the Building Fund, slated for the construction of a new and larger Temple for the Congregation. As time passed, Franklin gained a reputation as an eloquent and idealistic preacher. He won prominent admirers among Omaha's Christian community as well, such as
William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator, and politician. He was a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running three times as the party' ...
. Franklin was active in work outside the Omaha congregation. He established a Reform congregation, B'nai Yeshurun, in
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; helped found the first normal school in Nebraska for the training of religious teachers; served as the editor of the Omaha Humane Society's publication, and lectured in other cities (most notably
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).Edgar (1976) p. 14. In 1896, the congregation elected Franklin to another five-year term as rabbi. Franklin's prominence led to an invitation to speak in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
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, in 1898. He was immediately offered the rabbinate at that city's Temple Beth El. Franklin accepted Beth El's offer, leaving Omaha in January, 1899. After his departure, Franklin remained in contact with his former Omaha congregation, and participated closely with planning and building of Temple Israel's new Temple, completed in 1908.


1900-2000

In the early 20th century, Anshe Sholom was a Hungarian congregation located in the Near North Side neighborhood, along with B'nai Jacob, a Conservative congregation. As generations of congregants passed on or moved out of the neighborhood, both congregations closed. Their cemeteries are next to that of Temple Israel on Pleasant Hill."Nebraska - The Jewish Community"
, International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies - Cemetery Project. Retrieved 9/6/07.
In 1911 a conversion held in Omaha provoked controversy in the Jewish world. Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Grodzenski, Omaha's Orthodox rabbi, published in the HaMassaf magazine that one butcher who lived in his city converted a girl for marriage to a Jewish guy, assuring her that after the conversion she would not have to keep any commandments at all. Rabbi Grodzensky ruled that the conversion was null and void. Rabbi Yechezkel Benat agreed that such conversions should not be made in the first place, but stated that the conversion is valid in any situation. The J. L. Brandeis and Sons Store Building was opened by Brandeis, a notable member of Omaha's Jewish community, in 1906. Wise Memorial Hospital, named in honor of Rabbi Joseph M. Wise, was located at 406 South 24th Street on a lot donated by Brandeis's wife. Built in 1912 for $125,000, between 1912 and 1917 the hospital treated more than 1,000 patients. In 1930 the institution closed. The Louis Epstein family opened the first motion picture house between Chicago and Denver in 1911. The Jewish Press began publication in 1920; it is still being published, and Omaha has the distinction of being the smallest community in the United States that is able to produce a weekly Jewish publication. In 1924 Omaha's Jewish community celebrated opening its own exclusive
country club A country club is a privately-owned Club (organization), club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Ty ...
, Highland Country Club, in response to policies at established country clubs which excluded Jews. While social practices changed in the city among both Christian and Jewish Americans,
Warren Buffett Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American investor and philanthropist who currently serves as the chairman and CEO of the conglomerate holding company Berkshire Hathaway. As a result of his investment success, Buffett is ...
was one of the few non-Jewish members at Highland. He joined the club in 1968 to promote anti-discrimination. The Highland Country Club at Pacific and 132nd Streets was renamed Iron Wood in 2000. It no longer specifies Jewish-only membership, just as most other country clubs no longer exclude Jewish Americans or other minorities. The
Omaha Jewish Community Center The Jewish Community Center in Omaha, Nebraska was established in 1926, and moved to its present location at 333 South 132nd Street in 1973. The original JCC was the site of important labor organizing in the city, and has continued to serve as an i ...
was founded two years after the country club, in 1926. The JCC moved to its present location at 333 South 132nd Street in 1973. The original JCC was the site of important labor organizing in the city, and has continued to serve as an important center for financial support in Omaha's Jewish community throughout its history. The 1930 U.S. census showed 2,084 Jewish
Russians in Omaha Russians ( ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian, the most spoken Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Orthodox Christianity, ever since the Middle Ages. By total numbers ...
, many of whom were first-generation immigrants who had fled religious persecution in the Russian Empire (including Ukraine). In 1929 a Conservative congregation began holding services at the Jewish Community Center on 20th and Dodge Streets. Beth El bought land for its cemetery in 1927. In 1935 the group named itself the Beth El Congregation. During Hanukkah in 1941, they dedicated a new synagogue facing 49th Avenue at Farnam Street. After fifty years of almost continuous growth, Beth El dedicated a new synagogue in 1991 at 14506 California Street in
West Omaha West Omaha is a geographic area of Omaha, Nebraska, that comprises all points within the Omaha metropolitan area Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern Un ...
, a more suburban location, where most of their congregants had migrated over the years to get newer housing. Beth Hamedrosh Hagadol Cemetery is in
Sarpy County Sarpy County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2020 census, the population was 190,604, making it the third-most populous county in Nebraska. Its county seat is Papillion. Sarpy County is part of the Omaha-Council B ...
, next to Hrabik Cemetery and the Bnai Abraham Cemetery. Today all three are referred to as the
Fisher Farm Cemetery Fisher Farm Cemetery, including the B'nai Abraham Cemetery, the Hrabik Cemetery, the Beth Hamedrosh Hagadol Cemetery (also called Mt. Sinai Cemetery), and Bnai Abraham Cemetery, is located at 8600 South 42 Street in Bellevue, Nebraska. History ...
. They were originally established in 1883 by a now-defunct congregation called Bennea Israel. Jewish businessmen created much of the commercial development in the Near North Side, especially the important North 24th Street corridor. After helping establish the prominence of the area before World War I, many Jewish merchants maintained their businesses even after the neighborhood was redlined in the 1920s. Housing discrimination forced African-American residents to stay in the community, but especially after World War II, many descendants of other ethnicities moved from the area to the western suburbs of Omaha to live in newer housing. Such suburban development was typical around growing cities in the postwar years. Jewish businesses left North Omaha only in the late 1960s after their businesses were targeted and destroyed in urban riots. Most Jewish residents had already gradually moved to West Omaha and other neighborhoods. In 1968, there were 7,000 Jews living in Omaha. By the second decade of the 21st century the Jewish population was approximately 6,000.


Notable Jewish Omahans

Aaron Cahn was a prominent Jewish member in the Omaha community who served in the first
Nebraska State Legislature The Nebraska Legislature (also called the Unicameral) is the legislature of the U.S. state of Nebraska. The Legislature meets at the Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln. With 49 members, known as "senators", the Nebraska Legislature is the sma ...
. His family were among the first Jewish settlers in Omaha. In the early 1900s,
Edward Rosewater Edward Rosewater, born Edward Rosenwasser, (January 21, 1841 – August 30, 1906) was a Republican Party politician and newspaper editor in Omaha, Nebraska. Rosewater had a reputation for being "aggressive and controversial", and was influentia ...
, a Bohemian Jew from Hungary, founded the ''
Omaha Bee The ''Omaha Daily Bee'', in Nebraska, United States, was a leading Republican newspaper that was active in the late 19th and early 20th century. The paper's editorial slant frequently pitted it against the ''Omaha Herald'', the '' Omaha Republ ...
'' and served as its editor. His strong stands sometimes stirred controversy. Notable Rabbi Leo M. Franklin served Temple Israel from 1892 to 1898. Arthur J. Lelyveld, leader of the Hillel organization and president of the
Zionist Organization of America The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA; ) is an American nonprofit pro-Israel organization. Founded in 1897, as the Federation of American Zionists, it was the first official Zionist organization in the United States. Early in the 20th century ...
, was a rabbi in Omaha for several years. Born in North Omaha,
Tillie Olsen Tillie Lerner Olsen (January 14, 1912 – January 1, 2007) was an American writer who was associated with the political turmoil of the 1930s and the first generation of American feminism, feminists. Biography Olsen was born to Russian Jewi ...
was a worker and labor organizer in the 1930s in the meatpacking industry, helping organize the
United Packinghouse Workers of America The United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA), later the ''United Packinghouse, Food and Allied Workers'', was a labor union that represented workers in the meatpacking industry. Origin as the PWOC Background Between the mid-1800s and mid-1 ...
in the
South Omaha South Omaha is a former city and current district of Omaha, Nebraska, United States. During its initial development phase, the town's nickname was "The Magic City" because of the seemingly overnight growth due to the rapid development of the Unio ...
stockyards and packinghouses. She was much influenced by her parents' Jewish socialist community in North Omaha, and was an activist all her life. Later Olsen began to publish her writings (after her move to California). She became an influential feminist author and served as writer-in-residence at several universities.ABC-Clio Information Services. (1983) ''The Jewish Experience in America.'' p 201. By the mid-20th century, Jewish people achieved formal elective office in Omaha. Edward Zorinsky was elected mayor of Omaha and served from 1973 to 1976. After that he was elected
United States Senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...
from 1976 to 1987.
Henry Monsky Henry Monsky (February 4, 1890 – May 2, 1947) was a Jewish-American lawyer and communal leader from Omaha, Nebraska. Life Monsky was born on February 4, 1890, in Omaha, Nebraska, the son of fish dealer Abraham Monsky and Betsy Perisnev Greenbl ...
was a B'nai B'rith leader from Omaha.
Aleph Zadik Aleph The Grand Order of the Aleph Zadik Aleph (AZA or ) is an international youth-led fraternal organization for Jewish teenagers. It was founded in 1924 as the male wing of BBYO Inc., an independent non-profit organization. It is for teens starting i ...
, the men's Order of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, began in Omaha in 1923 as a
college fraternity A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western concep ...
. Additional notable Jewish Americans from Omaha: * Dinah Abrahamson (1954–2013) - author/politician * Max Baer (1909–1959) - world boxing champion *
Rose Blumkin Rose Blumkin (''née'' Gorelick; December 3, 1893 – August 9, 1998) was an American businesswoman who founded the Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1937. Businessman Warren Buffett said of her, "One question I always ask myself in appraising a busine ...
(1893–1998) - founder of the
Nebraska Furniture Mart NFM (Nebraska Furniture Mart until 2019) is a home furnishing store in North America that sells furniture, flooring, appliances, and electronics. It is the largest of its kind in North America. NFM was founded in 1937 by Belarus-born Rose Blumk ...
* Julius Cherniss - great-grandfather of
Harold F. Cherniss Harold Fredrik Cherniss (11 March 1904 – 18 June 1987) was an American classicist and historian of ancient philosophy. While at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, he was said to be "the country's foremost exper ...
(1904–1987), Plato scholar at Princeton * Marti Epstein (1959) - musician/composer *
Bryan Greenberg Bryan Greenberg (born May 24, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for his starring role as Ben Epstein in the HBO original series '' How to Make It in America'' as well as a recurring role in ''The Mindy Project''. He also had a recurring rol ...
(1978) - actor *
Bennett Greenspan Bennett C. Greenspan (born 1952) is an American businessman. His business ventures have covered industries from real estate to the .com boom. Though he has mainly worked in the fields of photography and genetic testing, he is best known for his ...
(1952) - co-founder of
Family TreeDNA FamilyTreeDNA is a division of Gene by Gene, a commercial genetic testing company based in Houston, Texas. FamilyTreeDNA offers analysis of autosomal DNA, Y-DNA, and mitochondrial DNA to individuals for genealogical purpose. With a database o ...
*
Zvi Hirsch Grodzinsky Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Grodzinsky (1857? in Minsk, Belarus – 1947 in Omaha, Nebraska, United States) was an American Orthodox rabbi and author. His English name was Henry. Biography Zvi Hirsch studied under his famous second cousin Rabbi Hayyim ...
(1857–1947) - rabbi *
Michael Ivins Michael Lee Ivins (born March 17, 1963) is the former bassist, keyboardist, backing vocalist and founding member of The Flaming Lips. Along with Mark Coyne and Wayne Coyne, he formed The Flaming Lips in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Accordi ...
(1963) - bassist *
Arlene Klasky Arlene Phyllis Klasky (born May 26, 1949) is an American animator, graphic designer, Film producer, producer and co-founder of Klasky Csupo with Gábor Csupó. In 1999, she was named one of the "Top 25 Women in Animation" by ''Animation Magazine' ...
(1949) - animator, co-founder of
Klasky Csupo Klasky-Csupo, Inc. ( ) is an American animation studio located in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1982 by producer Arlene Klasky and her then-husband, Hungarian animator Gábor Csupó (hence the company's name) in a spare room of th ...
*
Lawrence Klein Lawrence Robert Klein (September 14, 1920 – October 20, 2013) was an American economist. For his work in creating computer models to forecast economic trends in the field of econometrics in the Department of Economics at the University of Penn ...
(1920) - economist * Dorothy K. Kripke (1912–2000) - author * Myer S. Kripke (1914–2014) - rabbi *
Saul Kripke Saul Aaron Kripke (; November 13, 1940 – September 15, 2022) was an American analytic philosophy, analytic philosopher and logician. He was Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and emer ...
(1940-2022) - philosopher and logician * Hannah Logasa (1879–1967) - librarian and author *
Clara Ruth Mozzor Clara Ruth Mozzor (1892 – died after 1937) was an American lawyer. She became Assistant Attorney General of Colorado in 1917, the first woman to serve in that role in any American state. Early life Mozzor was born to Russian Jewish immigran ...
(1892 – after 1937) - lawyer, clubwoman * Jule M. Newman (1893–1991) - founder of Hinky Dinky grocery chain * John R. Rosenblatt (1907–1979) - Omaha mayor (1954–1961) *
Brian Teacher Brian David Teacher (born December 23, 1954) is an American former professional tennis player. He reached career-high rankings of world No. 7 in singles and world No. 5 in doubles, both in 1981. Teacher is best remembered for being a major sing ...
(1954) - tennis player *
Louis Wirth Louis Wirth (August 28, 1897 – May 3, 1952) was an American sociologist and member of the Chicago school of sociology. His interests included city life, minority group behavior, and mass media, and he is recognised as one of the leading urban ...
(1897–1952) - sociologist * Edward Zorinsky (1928-1987) - U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Mayor of Omaha


Synagogues


Cemeteries


See also

* List of churches in Omaha *
List of cemeteries in Omaha The following is a list of cemeteries in Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska in the United States. The earliest cemetery in Omaha is the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery, established in 1846 for residents of Culter's Park. Cemeteries See also * Histo ...


References


External links


Friedel Jewish Academy

Jewish Federation of Omaha

The Jewish Community of Omaha
The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

"A History of the Jewish Community in North Omaha"
by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com
"A History of Antisemitism in Omaha"
by Adam Fletcher Sasse for NorthOmahaHistory.com


Bibliography

* Pollak, O.B. (2001) ''Jewish Life in Omaha and Lincoln: A Photographic History.'' Arcadia Publishing. * Fletcher Sasse, Adam (2021)
A History of Antisemitism in Omaha
, NorthOmahaHistory.com. {{Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...