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History of the Jews in Milwaukee

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Due to its religious tolerance, industry and German roots, Milwaukee was considered a good place for Jews. By the early 20th century, many of the community's early Jewish founders had assimilated into the city's educated German elite. In 1912, the last German-language temple in Milwaukee voted to
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in Wisconsin, was founded as Congregation Imanu-Al in Milwaukee in 1850. Two other congregations, Ahavath Emunah (1854) and Anshe Emeth (1855) would later merge into it. During the 1860s, the majority of services were conducted in German with a few rare ones held in English. Plenty of the Jewish
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Jews dominated the city's clothing and footwear manufacturing. Of the fourteen merchant tailors and clothiers in Milwaukee in 1862, five were Jewish-owned and operated. By 1895, nearly all of Milwaukee's clothing factories were Jewish-owned. Many charitable and fraternal organizations were also
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estimated that there were approximately 25,800 Jewish people living in the Greater Milwaukee area in 2011, which is 1.8% of the general population. 24% of respondents never attended synagogue, 49% attended a few times a year and 8% attended about once a month.
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By 1925, the Jewish population in Milwaukee had grown to 22,000, which was eleventh largest concentration of Jews in the United States at the time. Secondary waves of Jewish immigrants came to the city in the hundreds after the rise of the
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established during the 1800s, such as the B'nai B'rith fraternal organization, the Milwaukee Jewish Mission and the Jewish Alliance School. Multiple relief organizations were created to aid destitute veterans and their families after the
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By 1951, although Jews made up only 3% of Milwaukee's population, 20% of the doctors and 17% of the attorneys in the city were Jewish. The Jewish population was estimated at 23,000 in 1968.
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were all founded in Milwaukee during this time. The Jewish Vocational Service, the first rehabilitation agency in the United States to help veterans retrain and find jobs, opened in 1938.
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in the late 1970s into the 1990s. These Eastern European immigrants settled on the West Side of Milwaukee in the Haymarket, Sherman Park, Upper East Side and Shorewood neighborhoods.
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Jews in Milwaukee became heavily involved in entrepreneurship in various industries, such as grocery stores, clothes-making, recycling, meatpacking and manufacturing.
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opened to the public. It grew out of the Milwaukee Jewish Archives and features oral histories, films, and artifacts related to the Jewish community in Milwaukee.
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were an estimated 39% of the city's Jewish population. Most German-speaking Jews settled in the downtown and East Side regions of Milwaukee.
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was founded as a newspaper that was published weekly and continues into the present day to be published online.
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switch to English as a reflection of the community's adoption of English as the majority language.
91: 246: 241: 182: 32: 438: 674:"The cultural impact of "Americanization" on Milwaukee's original Jewish immigrant population" 340:, (né Jerome Silberman), beloved comedy actor, writer, and director during late 20th century 173:, held annually in October to showcase local and international Jewish films, began in 1997. 355: 350: 196: 646: 443:
American Jewish Year Book 2017: The Annual Record of the North American Jewish Communities
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Due to an influx of immigrants from Central Europe fleeing discrimination, poverty and
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Milwaukee serves the community's young adult and student population. There is also a
450: 234: 95: 68: 574: 288: 227: 28: 454: 312: 204: 64: 1268: 509: 156: 148: 78:, the Jewish community increased from 70 families in 1850 to 2,074 in 1875. 750: 322: 267: 116: 79: 699: 337: 306: 297: 152: 731:. Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center. 29 August 2022 517: 493: 413:"What Happened To Wisconsin's Once-Thriving Smaller Jewish Communities?" 829: 279: 112: 332: 273: 188:
A 2015 study by the Center for Urban Initiatives and Research at the
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began in the early 1840s with the arrival of Jewish immigrants from
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Milwaukee was home to multiple Jewish newspapers, including two
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was compiled by Lizzie Kander in 1891 to raise funds for the
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Miller, Ron; Kotler-Berkowitz, Laurence; Percy, Stephen.
620:(2nd ed.). Macmillan Reference USA. pp. 261–263 494:"The Jewish Community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1860-1870" 801: 498:
Publications of the American Jewish Historical Society
777:"Revised community study finds fewer Milwaukee Jews" 885:The Sam and Helen Stahl Center for Jewish Studies 1280:Historic Jewish communities in the United States 1266: 436: 276:, former Wisconsin senator and founder of Kohl's 254:Rabbi Ronald and Judy Shapiro Museum of Judaica 579:. Madison: Wisconsin Historical Society Press. 67:, while the Jews from Eastern Europe practiced 261: 98:, a community center for children and adults. 943: 725:"25th Annual Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival" 437:Sheskin, Ira M.; Dashefsky, Arnold (2018). 115:in Germany in the 1930s and the end of the 950: 936: 487: 485: 483: 481: 411:Cohen, Sheila Terman (25 September 2019). 270:, comedian and co-founder of ComedySportz 966:History of the Jews in the United States 568: 566: 564: 491: 331:, comedy filmmaking trio best known for 325:, lawyer and co-founder of ManpowerGroup 223:: Conservative synagogue founded in 1884 609: 607: 605: 603: 538: 536: 534: 478: 439:"United States Jewish Population, 2017" 406: 404: 402: 400: 1267: 614:Zaret, Melvin S. (2007). "Milwaukee". 430: 931: 774: 671: 641: 639: 637: 635: 613: 572: 561: 542: 410: 373: 371: 214: 600: 531: 397: 309:, founder of the Master Lock company 887:. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 291:, attorney and former Chair of the 257:Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study 48:Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun 13: 700:"About Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle" 632: 368: 221:Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid 14: 1301: 377: 293:Federal Communications Commission 209:University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 190:University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1249: 1248: 971: 958: 907:"Jewish American Heritage Month" 783:. The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle 1290:Jewish-American history by city 899: 873: 847: 822: 795: 768: 751:"About Jewish Museum Milwaukee" 743: 717: 692: 672:Byers, Steve (9 October 2019). 240:Harry & Rose Samson Family 176: 101: 42: 665: 171:Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival 1: 1275:Jews and Judaism in Wisconsin 859:Chabad-Lubavitch of Wisconsin 775:Cohen, Leon (29 April 2015). 573:Cohen, Sheila Terman (2016). 445:. American Jewish Year Book. 361: 651:Wisconsin Historical Society 7: 547:. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. 492:Swichkow, Louis J. (1957). 455:10.1007/978-3-319-70663-4_5 344: 329:Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker 282:, fourth prime minister of 262:Notable Jews from Milwaukee 251:Milwaukee Jewish Federation 233:Congregation Beth Jehudah: 161:MGIC Investment Corporation 10: 1306: 137:Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle 134:(1930-1931). In 1921, the 1246: 981: 755:jewishmuseummilwaukee.org 678:The Milwaukee Independent 384:Encyclopedia of Milwaukee 31:-speaking states and the 855:"Chabad at UW-Milwaukee" 810:. Berman Jewish Databank 92:The Settlement Cook Book 781:www.jewishchronicle.org 704:www.jewishchronicle.org 680:. Milwaukee Independent 247:Jewish Museum Milwaukee 242:Jewish Community Center 183:Jewish Museum Milwaukee 33:Austro-Hungarian empire 1191:Southern United States 808:www.jewishdatabank.org 543:Hintz, Martin (2005). 617:Encyclopaedia Judaica 226:Lake Park Synagogue: 1285:History of Milwaukee 356:Germans in Milwaukee 351:History of Milwaukee 130:(1914-1932) and the 647:"Jews in Wisconsin" 181:In April 2008, the 215:Relevant buildings 207:department at the 88:American Civil War 1262: 1261: 576:Jews in Wisconsin 464:978-3-319-70662-7 302:Milwaukee Brewers 1297: 1252: 1251: 1228:Washington, D.C. 976: 975: 974: 967: 962: 952: 945: 938: 929: 928: 922: 921: 919: 917: 903: 897: 896: 894: 892: 877: 871: 870: 868: 866: 851: 845: 844: 842: 840: 834:HILLEL MILWAUKEE 826: 820: 819: 817: 815: 799: 793: 792: 790: 788: 772: 766: 765: 763: 761: 747: 741: 740: 738: 736: 721: 715: 714: 712: 710: 696: 690: 689: 687: 685: 669: 663: 662: 660: 658: 643: 630: 629: 627: 625: 611: 598: 597: 595: 593: 570: 559: 558: 545:Jewish Milwaukee 540: 529: 528: 526: 524: 489: 476: 475: 473: 471: 434: 428: 427: 425: 423: 408: 395: 394: 392: 390: 375: 126:newspapers: the 96:Settlement House 69:Orthodox Judaism 55:immigrants were 1305: 1304: 1300: 1299: 1298: 1296: 1295: 1294: 1265: 1264: 1263: 1258: 1242: 1180:South Carolina 977: 972: 970: 965: 956: 926: 925: 915: 913: 911:VISIT Milwaukee 905: 904: 900: 890: 888: 879: 878: 874: 864: 862: 853: 852: 848: 838: 836: 828: 827: 823: 813: 811: 800: 796: 786: 784: 773: 769: 759: 757: 749: 748: 744: 734: 732: 723: 722: 718: 708: 706: 698: 697: 693: 683: 681: 670: 666: 656: 654: 653:. 3 August 2012 645: 644: 633: 623: 621: 612: 601: 591: 589: 587: 571: 562: 555: 541: 532: 522: 520: 490: 479: 469: 467: 465: 435: 431: 421: 419: 409: 398: 388: 386: 376: 369: 364: 347: 289:Newton N. 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Index

Jews
Milwaukee
German
Austro-Hungarian empire
Wisconsin
Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun
synagogue
atheists
secular
Reform Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
pogroms
Russian Jews
American Civil War
The Settlement Cook Book
Settlement House
Nazi party
Soviet Union
Yiddish
Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle
Kohl's
ManpowerGroup
Master Lock
Sigma-Aldrich
MGIC Investment Corporation
Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival
Jewish Museum Milwaukee
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Hillel
Chabad

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