CHURCHES: The Jewish Religion in Blair County, PA Material in this file was transcribed from Chapter IX, "The Churches of Blair County," pp. 201-203, of the book, Blair County's First Hundred Years, 1846- 1946. Altoona, PA: Blair County Historical Society, The Mirror Press, 1945. Courtesy of the Blair County Historical Society, 3419 Oak Lane, P.O. Box 1083, Altoona, PA 16603. http://www.blaircohistoricalsociety.homestead.com/home.html Contributed by Judy Banja jbanja@msn.com USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. ___________________________________________________________ THE JEWISH RELIGION IN BLAIR COUNTY L. R. Samuel No definite records are available that will reveal the names of the first settlers of Jewish faith who located in Blair County, but many traditions of the early Jewish settlers of Blair County prevail. It is reputed that Colonel Conrad Weiser, the first white man to visit this region, was a Jew. Certainly, Stephen Franks, who came about 1754, was Jewish, as were his partners, Gratz and Simon, who laid out the Frankstown Road to Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania Railroad followed this route on to Gratz, near Louisville, Kentucky. General Roberdeau, who was a Jew, at his own expense opened the lead mines in Sinking Valley to supply the Continental Army with bullets during the Revolutionary War. In a volume recently published entitled "Familiar Letters of John Adams and His Wife, Abigail Adams, during the Revolution," are found six letters written by John Adams to his wife from York, Pennsylvania. Under date of September 30, 1777, when the Continental Congress, fearing capture by Howe's army, left Philadelphia and held sessions in York, he writes: "I am comfortably situated here at the house of General Roberdeau, whose hospitality has taken in Mr. Samuel Adams and Mr. Gerry." Under the date of October 7, 1777, Mr. Adams writes to his wife: "I am lodged in the house of General Roberdeau, an Israelite, indeed, I believe, who with his sisters and children and servants does everything to make us happy. We are highly favored. No other delegates are so well off." Many of the traders with the Indians who ranged over this section in Colonial times were Jews. The Jewish contribution to Blair County history was immense, as the first impetus to trade was inaugurated by Jewish traders like Franks, Cohen, Levy, Abrahams, and many others, who were everywhere, dealing fairly with the Indians, who loved them as brothers, while the Jews regarded the Red Men as the Lost Ten Tribes of Israel. Many of the plain people in Morrisons Cove were Jews at one time, says Dr. Julius F. Sachse in his great work on Pennsylvania Sectarians; hence, the David's stars still used over the church doors in Morrisons Cove and adjacent valleys. There are three Jewish congregations in Altoona. Africa's "Huntingdon and Blair Counties" published in 1883 relates that the Hebrew congregation Ahavath Achim was organized in May, 1873. Joseph Berkowitz was the first President, Alexander Scheeline, Treasurer and Simon Neuwahl, Secretary. The first rabbi was Rev. B. Goldman. The congregation was formed by twenty-three men of the Jewish faith. Among these were Julius Blumenthal, Simon Neuwahl and Alexander Scheeline, whose descendents still reside in Altoona and take an active part in communal and commercial affairs. Worship was originally held in the homes of various members of the congregation. Later rented public halls in various sections of the city were utilized as places of worship. On January 17, 1877, it was decided to change the services of the congregation from Conservative Orthodoxy to Reform. In 1896 ground was purchased at the corner of Thirteenth Avenue and Fifteenth Street, and a temple erected thereon. In the meantime the name of the congregation was changed to Congregation Beth Israel and was known as the Hebrew Reformed Congregation. This temple was used as a house of worship until 1924, when ground was acquired in the Columbia park section of Altoona and a modern house of worship was erected there, being completed in 1926. In the interim between the disposition of the temple at Thirteenth Avenue and Fifteenth Street and the completion of the present temple, the congregation worshipped in the First Baptist Church at Twelfth Avenue and Seventeenth Street, the Baptist congregation having graciously extended the use of its facilities to the Beth Israel Congregation. The officers of the Beth Israel Congregation at the time of dedication of the present temple in 1926 were: Malcolm H. Neuwahl, President; William Weil, Vice-President; J. B. G. Bechhoefer, Secretary; Jacob Sitnek, Treasurer; Harry Slutzker, Isaiah Scheeline, Harry Adler, Benjamin Cohn, Martin March, Bert Leopold and Louis Bergman, Trustees. The present membership consists of more than one hundred twenty families. About 1870 land for use as a burial ground for the Jewish people of this community was acquired on the Dry Gap Road. The organization which developed this project was incorporated into the Hebrew Reformed Congregation, which continues to own and maintain this cemetery. In the year 1889 the ladies of the Hebrew Reformed Congregation organized the Ladies' Temple Society, an auxiliary organization to the congregation. This organization is now known as the Beth Israel Sisterhood. Charter was first granted to the Congregation of Agudath Achim on March 17, 1885, by the then president, Judge Dean. The names inscribed on the charter were: Philip Myerson, M. Codison, A. Kambler, A. Covner and Heiman Covner. In the early days services were held in the various homes, with Rev. Lipschitz and Rev. Sholom Horowitz officiating as cantor and Shochet. In the year 1893 a wooden structure was erected, where the present building stands, under the sponsorship of a committee consisting of Benjamin Cohn; Harry Slutzker, President; Harry Baron, Vice-President; and A. H. Levine, Secretary. Mr. Abraham Klevan and Mr. Joseph Levenson assisted. In 1895 a city Talmud Torah was organized under the leadership of Rev. Saul Rabinowitz and Rabbi Simon Glazer. In 1920 the Talmud Torah was united with the Synagogue. In the summer of 1925 the present Synagogue at 1306 Seventeenth Street, Altoona, was dedicated. The new Synagogue was made possible largely by the effort of the late Mr. Jacob Berman and his co-workers, David Snitzer, Sol Brett, Morris Lenson, Samuel Beerman, Joseph Levenson, Louis Lang, Jacob Silverman, Abe Parish and Morris Henderson. Mr. Morris Henderson was President and Rabbi Chaim Rosen was spiritual leader. The present officers are Joe F. Cohen, President; M. M. Devorris, Chairman of the Board. Rabbi Charles J. Shoulson is now serving as spiritual leader. The present enrollment consists of two hundred and fifty individual and family memberships. In 1934 the ladies of the congregation formed Agudath Achim Sisterhood, which is an auxiliary organization to the congregation. The Ohavei Yosher Synagogue, located at 1800 Thirteenth Avenue, was founded and built in 1925. The founders and organizers were Meyer Jacob Levine, Israel Evin, Harry Sealfon and Jacob Meyer Halpern, all of whom are deceased. Rabbi Samuel Straus was the first spiritual leader. The charter membership consisted of seventy-five persons. The present officers are: Hyman Stoop, President; Jacob Lurie, Vice-President; Israel Kaufman, Secretary-Treasurer; and spiritual leader Rabbi Simon R. Goldberg. _____ Leon R. Samuel - Birthplace: Reading Pennsylvania. Graduate of Reading High School, class of 1908. Sales manager for the Independent Oil Company, Inc., of Pennsylvania (Socony-Vacuum Oil Company affiliate) with offices in Altoona. (Author's note: historical data for this article was supplied by Col. Henry W. Shoemaker.) ~~~*~~~