Jews of Cincinnati

Jews of Cincinnati
Author: John S. Fine
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Total Pages: 134
Release: 2007
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780738551067

Cincinnati, also known as the Queen City of the West, was first settled in 1788. The first permanent Jewish residents arrived sometime around the year 1817, when Joseph Jonas established himself in business as a watchmaker and silversmith. The first congregation, K. K. Bene Israel, was formally organized and incorporated in 1824 and is now the oldest synagogue west of the Alleghenies. The Jewish community occupies an important place in the history of Cincinnati, where Jewish businessmen were among the most important leaders in establishing the city as a major manufacturing center of ready-made clothing and as the hub of an extensive trading network throughout the western and southern United States and adjacent territories in the period leading up to the Civil War. Cincinnati Jewry also played an important role in the development of American Reform Judaism.

Illuminating the Path to Vibrant American Jewish Communities

Illuminating the Path to Vibrant American Jewish Communities
Author: Jacob B. Ukeles
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2022-08-17
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3031076427

This book argues that the way to ensure that American Jewish life flourishes is to create vibrant local communities and that the ability to thrive will be won or lost in the trenches of each locality. For every generalization about the Jews of America, one can say, “maybe, but it depends where.” In the United States, Jewish life is up close and personal where local variations on national themes make a huge difference. The author presents case studies using in-depth analysis of data from nine Jewish community studies to illuminate eleven critical American Jewish policy issues. The analysis is used to formulate a range of policy options for different types of communities. This book is for anyone who cares about the future of American Jewry. It should be of particular interest to the lay leaders and professionals who play a role in Jewish nonprofits. It is also of great interest to researchers and students of Jewish studies and Jewish communal service.

Cohens on the Move

Cohens on the Move
Author: Carmi J. Neiger
Publisher:
Total Pages: 175
Release: 2018
Genre: Geographic information systems
ISBN: 9780438855175

In the 1960s and 1970s, as many large US cities experienced rapid racial and ethnic demographic shifts, the intra-urban residential settlement and migration patterns of American Jews came to the attention of sociologists and urbanists. Although the interest in this population has waned in favor of more recent immigrant groups, patterns of Jewish residential dynamics continue to evolve, reflecting changes over time in both Jewish religious and ethnic identity and assimilation into mainstream American society. The lack of Census data identifying households by religious affiliation requires an alternative approach to the study of this group. In the first section of this study, The Use of Distinctive Jewish Names in Locating Jews as an Urban Sub-Population in Cincinnati, Ohio, distinctive ethnic surnames were used to locate Jewish households. An empirically based and statistically supported list of Jewish names was developed for use in spatial and demographic analyses of the Jewish community of Cincinnati, Ohio, during the period between 1940 and 2000. This list of Cincinnati distinctive Jewish names (CDJNs) was used to geocode addresses from decadal phone directories. The resulting residential patterns of the CDJN Jews were nonrandom and remained distinct from other ethnic groups throughout the study period. The significantly higher degree of clustering that characterized the CDJN households is consistent with historical Jewish urban settlement patterns and supports the use of the CDJN list as a research tool. With minor modifications, the methodology used to develop the list can be used to provide reliable distinctive Jewish name lists for use elsewhere. The second section, Spatial Analysis of Jewish Residential Patterns in Cincinnati, Ohio, 1940-2000, investigates the residential dynamics of the geocoded CDJN households identified in the first section. Spatial distributions of CDJN addresses from 1940 to 2000 were compared with distributions of households associated with distinctive ethnic Irish and German names in Hamilton County, Ohio. All name groups were subjected to a series of spatial statistical tests, including global and local autocorrelation, which provided a set of measurements used to describe the residential patterns quantitatively. Areas of emerging, stable, and declining CDJN concentration were identified. The relationship between intra-county CDJN migration and key transportation arteries was assessed. Additionally, a subset of inter-decadal CDJN household moves were mapped. The discussion assessing the results of the tests and measurements paints a detailed picture of the evolving patterns of Jewish residential settlement and migration in the greater Cincinnati area during the study period.