Jewish Congregation Celebrates Hundrdth Anniversay

The one hundredth anniversary of the Bene Israel Congregation, the oldest Jewish Congregation west of the Atlantic seaboard, will be celebrated on January 18th and 19th.

The history of the congregation dates practically from the first coming of Jews to the territory west of the Alleghenies. The first Jewish settler was Joseph Jonas a native of Plymouth, England, who arrived in Cincinnati in March, 1817/ The town at that time at that time had about six thousand inhabitants. Within the next two years several other Englishmen of the Jewish faith joined him and in the Fall of 1819 the first Jewish worship in this western territory was held on the High Holy days. Such services were held annually until the year 1824 when there were enough Jews in the town to organize a congregation. In memoir written in 1842 Joseph Jonas the pioneer stated that it was his constant prayer from the day of his arrival “that he might be a nucleus about which the first congregation might be formed to worship God in this great western territory”. This prayer was fulfilled when on January 18,1824, ten men organized the Bene Israel Congregation. These pioneers and founders were Joseph Jonas, David Israel Johnson, Morris Moses, Jonas Levy, Solomon Moses, Simeon Moses, Phineas Moses, Samuel Jonas, Solomon Buckingham and Morris Symonds. Joseph Jonas was elected Parnass and Phineas Moses and Jonas Levy Gabbaim.

The congregation numbered many distinguished men in its membership. Two presidents of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, namely Julius Freiberg and J. Walter Freiberg were members of the Congregation. The President of the Board of Governors of the Hebrew Union College Alfred M. Cohen and the President of the National Sisterhoods, Mrs. J. Walter Freiberg, are members.