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The following data was originally created by Joel Shedlofsky; it was revised and edited by Ilene Murray and Phyllis Faintich.

Select the desired decade from the entries below:

19th Century: 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890

20th Century: 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990

21st Century: 2000+

National/ International Events	St. Louis Events	Congregations & Cemetery Events	Jewish Community Events

19th Century
1800s
1789–1802	The French Revolution began in Europe, and various other European wars erupted during this time period. In 1764, the Mississippi River Valley was ceeded to Spain. During the period from 1764 to 1803, no Jews were permitted to live in Spain’s domain.
1803	In 1803, the United States of America purchased the Mississippi River Valley from Spain; this would become part of the Louisiana Purchase.
1803–1815	France was almost constantly at war with one or more European powers, including Prussia and Austria, during this time. These skirmishes collectively are called the Napoleonic Wars.
1807	The earliest evidence of a Jew settling in St. Louis is that of Joseph Philipson from Pennsylvania. He arrived in St. Louis in the early winter of 1807. On 13 December 1807, Joseph, age 34, opened his general merchandising store and permanently settled in St. Louis. Joseph was not only the first Jewish merchant, he was also the first American merchant to establish a permanent store in St. Louis. In 1808, Joseph’s brother Jacob arrived in St. Louis and established his own store. Their remaining brother Simon stayed in Philadelphia, traveling occasionally to St. Louis. Until 1816 the Philipsons were the only Jews known to live in St. Louis. Jacob died about 1858 and was buried in the City Cemetery. [1, p. 14–32]
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1810s
1812–1815	The War of 1812 produced many difficulties for trade and commerce in the Mississippi River Valley. The war ended in 1815 with the Treaty of Ghent.
1816	More Jews were moving into St. Louis as early as 1816. [3, p. 1127] There was a large Bloch/Block family from Bohemia/Austria that settled in the area. The first of them who can be documented seems to be Eleazer, who was a lawyer. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from William and Mary College in 1814 and arrived in St. Louis in 1817. [1, p. 33–38]
1817	The first steamboat, the Zebulon M. Pike, arrived in St. Louis.
1819	The Panic of 1819 was a depression that affected financial institutions for several years. The Bank of St. Louis and the Bank of Missouri went under.
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1820s
1821	Missouri officially became a state on 10 August.
1821–1871	Emigration from Germany during this time period was caused mainly by economic hardship and war. Emigrants included large numbers of people from Alsace-Lorraine, Baden, Hessen, Rheinland, and Wurttemberg.
1823	The City of St. Louis was formed and its first charter went into effect.
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1830s
1836	The first known minyan occurred in St. Louis on 12 September 1836 or the first day of Tishri, in the Jewish year 5597, on Rosh Hashanah. A room was rented over Max’s Grocery and Restaurant, on the corner of Second and Spruce Streets (now part of the St. Louis Arch Grounds). [3, p. 1128]
1837	From 1837 to 1839, about 33,000 banks in the United States closed. The cause of the bank failures appears to be a lack of capital to support the paper money being issued. The Bank of Missouri was established in 1837. [3, p. 748]
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1840s
1840	On 31 May 1840, thirty-three out of the forty to fifty Jews living in St. Louis met at the Waverly House, on Main Street near Olive, for the purpose of establishing a Jewish cemetery. “On 24 July 1840, [Nathan] Abeles and [Casper] Weinberg paid $200 to Charles and Elizabeth Carpenter for an L-shaped plot of land, about 200 ft x 211 ft, outside the city limits in St. Louis County,” thereby establishing the first Jewish cemetery in St. Louis. “Located in the Mill Creek Valley at what was later to be the southwest corner of Pratte Avenue and Twenty-Sixth Street (Jefferson Avenue), the site today is the little-used railroad marshaling yards just to the west of the Jefferson Avenue viaduct and slightly north of where that viaduct intersects with Chouteau Avenue.” [1, p. 52]
1841	On 3 October 1841, the first Jewish congregation, United Hebrew Congregation, was formed. They were also known as the Polish Congregation and were strictly Orthodox. Their first location was rented at Broadway and Locust. Later, they moved to the Masonic Hall on First and Market Streets. One of the initial purposes of the group was the establishment of a cemetery. [1, p. 56–57]
1841	Simon Gratz Moses, 28 years old, arrived and became the first Jewish doctor in St. Louis.
1842	On 6 November 1842, the first Jewish benevolent society in St. Louis, Chesed v’Emeth (Kindness and Truth), was formed. Its purpose was to aid indigent Jews. “In December 1846 the group formally incorporated as the Hebrew Benevolent Society (H.B.S.)” [1, p. 63]
1843	In January 1843, Shaare Rachmonis (Gates of Compassion) Congregation presented a list of grievances to United Hebrew Congregation. No evidence exists as to when Shaare Rachmonis was formed. However, within a few months, the grievances were addressed and Shaare Rachmonis was never heard from again. [1, p. 88] On 4 November 1843, United Hebrew Congregation assumed full ownership of the first Jewish cemetery created in 1840; that cemetery was used until 1868. [1, p. 53] In 1867, the City of St. Louis prohibited further use of the grounds as a burial place. United Hebrew acquired land out in the county, which later became University City, along North and South Rd. and Canton Avenue. Formal dedication of the new cemetery, called Mount Olive, occurred in 1880, and at that time, the bodies in the original cemetery, as well as some of the stones, were transferred to Mount Olive. In 1960, the name of the cemetery was changed from Mount Olive to United Hebrew.
1844	By this time, there were about sixty–seventy Jews living in St. Louis.
1844	A major flood occurred in June. The Mississippi River was three–six miles wide by 20 June. Once the water began to recede, however, it did so quickly. [3, p. 795]
1846	The Mexican War, between the United States and Mexico, occurred.
1846	The Mercantile Library, the oldest library west of the Mississippi River, was incorporated. It would remain independent until 1998 when it moved into the University of Missouri-St. Louis’s Jefferson Library building.
1847	City Hospital opened. The streets of St. Louis were illuminated by gas lamps.
1847	Emanu El Congregation was organized, mainly composed of Western Jews, possibly German, who wanted to purchase a common burial plot. They initially worshiped on Broadway between Washington and Lucas, in the rear of the firm of Samuel C. Davis and Co. over a livery stable. This congregation was popularly known as the German or Bavarian congregation. [1, p. 89]
1848	The second Jewish cemetery in St. Louis, known as the Camp Springs Cemetery, was established in May of 1848. Trustees for Emanu El Congregation, Mingo H. Goldsmith, Isaac Isaacs, Joseph Rothan, and Max Stettheimer, “purchased a piece of ground 200 ft. x 211 ft. on the southwest corner of Gratiot Street and Pratte Avenue, in the Camp Spring area just north of the Missouri Pacific Railroad tracks. … A 50 ft. x 50 ft. square area was fenced off for a graveyard. … By the middle of 1852, Emanu El’s finances…had dwindled precariously. Accordingly, on 7 June 1852, the congregation sold part of its land, a little more than a third of an acre, to Missouri Pacific…” [1, p. 90]
1848–1849	Revolutions in Europe began in 1848. Various German principalities rebelled, although rebellion was most widespread in Baden. In 1849, after the revolutions failed, revolutionaries fled to Zurich, London, and America.
1849–1852	The Great Cholera Epidemic started in December 1848 with immigrants arriving from New Orleans. Deaths began in January 1849 and continued through 1850, 1851, and 1852. At the start of the epidemic, St. Louis had a population of 63,471. About 4,000 victims were claimed by the time of the Great Fire (see below). In 1850, there were 833 deaths, bringing the total close to 5,000, and then in 1851, there were 845 more deaths. [3, p. 681]
1849	The Great Fire occurred on 17 May, when at 10 p.m. a fire broke out on the steamboat White Cloud. Within thirty minutes, twenty-three steamboats were engulfed in flames. The fire swept up the levee, destroying tons of freight and fifteen blocks of residences, warehouses, and stores. [3, p. 681] Businesses destroyed that were owned in whole or in part by Jews included that of Isaac Jacobs, Abraham Jacobs, Lewis M. Levy, Simon Lewis, Raborg & Shaffner, Helfenstein & Co., Charles Roderman, Weil & Bros., L. Newman, Helfenstein, Gore & Co., Levy & Bros., H. Cohen, and Simon Abeles. [1, p. 82]
1849	B’nai B’rith (Sons of the Covenant) Congregation was organized. Composed mainly of Eastern Jews, possibly Bohemian, they worshiped on Sixth Street and were popularly known as the quot;Bohemian congregation.” The third Jewish cemetery was established by B’nai B’rith Congregation. An acre of land was purchased about six miles southwest of the city limits on Gravois Rd.
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1850s
1850	The Hamburg emigration lists began. Hamburg and Bremen became popular places from which to emigrate, as did ports in the Netherlands and France. The only emigration lists from this time period that still exist are those from Hamburg.
1851	A flood rose to a level about five feet below the the Great Flood of 1844. The advent of the steamship in the 1850s cut trans-Atlantic travel time from forty-three days (sailing ship) to thirteen days.
1852	On 17 October 1852, Emanu El and B’nai B’rith Congregations merged to form B’nai El Congregation. At first the congregation met in homes; then they rented rooms on 9th and Lafayette. Later they rented rooms on 15th and Walnut. In August 1853, B’nai El rented rooms on Seventh and Lafeyette Streets. In 1854 they moved to rented rooms on Seventh and Park, in a building known as Decker’s House. [1, p. 94] B’nai El would remain an Orthodox congregation for many years.
1853	Elliot Seminary, later to become Washington University, began. By this time, between 600 to 700 Jews lived in St. Louis.
1854	Dr. Bernard Illowy became United Hebrew’s first rabbi, thereby also becoming St. Louis’s first rabbi. Rabbi Illowy resigned after just one year due to philosophical differences with the congregation. In November 1854, Rabbi Illowy began a Hebrew school at United Hebrew. Though it lasted just three months, to February 1855, it was St. Louis’s first Jewish parochial school. On 10 December 1854, Adas Jeshuran Congregation was organized by members seceding from United Hebrew. By August 1855, the seceders reunited with United Hebrew. Of note, the seceders purchased the grounds for a cemetery which later became United Hebrew’s Mount Olive Cemetery.
1855	B’nai El Congregation constructed the first Jewish synagogue in St. Louis located on the east side of Sixth Street between Gratiot and Cerre Streets.
1855	From 1 August 1855 to 18 April 1890, Castle Garden was used as the entry point in New York City for arriving immigrants.
1855	On 5 August 1855, the Hebrew Relief Society of St. Louis was organized. The Independent Order of B’nai B’rith, Missouri Lodge No. 22, was instituted. B’nai B’rith was first organized in New York City in 1845. By 1897, there were five lodges in St. Louis. [2, p.185]
1857	The St. Louis Merchants’ Exchange was organized.
1857	Another major financial crisis, with private banks closing, hit the country. The State Bank reopened in 1858 after closing in 1857. [3, p. 750–51]
1858	In January 1858, the Judah Touro Society was organized.
by 1858	By 1858, the Zion Ladies Association was organized to benefit the poor and the sick. Later it was known as the Ladies Zion Association. By 1858, an estimated 1000 Jews lived in St. Louis.
1858	A flood rose to a level about two and a half feet below the the Great Flood of 1844.
1859	A horse-drawn street railway system began.
1859	On 17 June 1859, United Hebrew Congregation dedicated its own synagogue on 6th Street between Locust and St. Charles.
1859	On 13 November 1859, the Harmonie Club was organized for the “cultivation of literary attainment and promotion of social intercourse among its members.” Formally incorporated on 31 May 1869, it was primarily a social club. [1, p. 176]
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1860s
1860	The St. Louis Public Library was established at Fifth and Olive Streets. Approximately 5,000 Jews or 3% of the total city population lived in St. Louis.
1862(?)	The Ladies’ Widows and Orphans Society was organized to aid in establishing an orphan asylum in St. Louis.
1862	Chevra Kadisha was organized, according to an article by Rabbi Adolph Rosentreter in the 1925 Modern View 25th Anniversary book. [8, p. 42] Chevra Kadisha’s charter was granted on 28 August 1873.
1862	Temple B’nai El moved to 6th and Carr Streets.
1863	In July 1863, Ebn Ezra Lodge of B’nai B’rith was organized in St. Louis. On 23 August 1863, the Hebrew Young Men’s Literary Association was organized.
1865	A cholera epidemic broke out and continued through 1866. This was a smaller epidemic than that of 1849.
1866	The Reform Movement in Judaism became active in St. Louis. Prior to this, there was no division between Orthodox, Conservative, or Reform––just shuls or synagogues.
1866	Prussia defeated Austria in the Seven Weeks’ War.
1867	Members of B’nai El Congregation left to form Shaare Emeth (Gates of Truth). They wanted to build up a new congregation and erect a house of worship dedicated to the principles of the radical reform movement. At first, they organized under the name Saint Louis Temple Association. Shaare Emeth was the first Reform congregation in St. Louis.
1868	Sheerith Israel was organized in either 1868 or 1869. Sheerith Israel first rented a room at 926 North Sixth Street. This was probably the original “Krakower Shul” in St. Louis.
1868	B’nai B’rith established a national Jewish orphans’ home in Cleveland, Ohio, originally to look after children orphaned by the Civil War. Lacking facilities, welfare organizations in St. Louis sent Jewish orphans there. [1, p. 153] The Jewish Sentinel appears to be the first St. Louis Jewish newspaper. It seemed to have started in June 1868 and lasted about a year. Its last known issue was dated 28 May 1869. [5, 235]
1868	Cornerstone Lodge No. 323 of the Order of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons was organized. The lodge was predominantly a Jewish lodge, and it merged with Benjamin Franklin Lodge No. 642 in the 1980s.
1869	On 27 April 1869, Mount Sinai Cemetery Association was incorporated to provide burial facilities for B’nai El and Shaare Emeth. The original grounds were owned by B’nai El on Gravois Road. Additional land, about six and a half acres, was purchased next to the original grounds. In 1884, the cemetery association purchased an additional adjoining twenty acres, making Mount Sinai about twenty-eight acres. In 1886, Temple Israel joined the association. [1, p. 185] On 28 August 1869, Shaare Emeth consecrated its first temple on the corner of Seventeenth and Pine Streets.
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1870s
1870	In 1870, B’nai El’s transition from an Orthodox synagogue to a Reform temple accelerated with the hiring of Rabbi Samuel Wolfenstein.
1870–1871	Many men fled Germany to avoid serving in the Franco-Prussian War. The German Empire was founded in 1871.
1871	A Jewish literary magazine, Die Wahrheit: Zeitschrift fur Freie Menschen (The Truth: Periodical for Free People), was a German-language weekly published and edited by Shaare Emeth’s Rabbi Solomon Sonneschein. The publication lasted for only six months, from January to June 1871. [1, p. 235] United Hebrew Relief Association was established in October 1871 to assist many poor Jewish families, who came to St. Louis from Chicago after the great fire there. The Association lasted until 1901, when the Jewish Federation replaced it. [3, p. 1125]
1871	By October 1871, another Jewish cemetery was established by Sheerith Israel on a small parcel of land at what is now Blackberry Avenue and North and South Road in University City, Missouri.
1872	A smallpox epidemic struck. [3, p. 683]
1872	The first lodge of Independent Order of Free Sons of Israel was instituted in St. Louis. The District Grand Lodge No. 2, with jurisdiction over Missouri, was organized in 1876. [3, p. 831]
1873	A financial crisis was brought on, chiefly through excessive railroad building in the West. [3, p. 751]
1873	On 8 July 1873, B’nai El participated in the creation of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), the umbrella organization of America’s Reform temples.
1875	The first Jewish Tribune was published in 1875. No known copies of this newspaper exist.
1875	Temple B’nai El moved to 11th and Chouteau.
1878	Yellow fever epidemics struck several cities in the lower Mississippi Valley in 1878 and 1879.
1879	On 29 August 1879, the Jewish Tribune appeared in English. At first the newspaper was devoted to local society affairs. Later the newspaper had a religious tone. During a later period of three years (1885–1887), the newspaper was known as the Jewish Free Press. On 1 January 1888, the newspaper became The Jewish Voice, printed in Yiddish and English, and it was last published on 10 November 1922. [4, p. 1901] Society Record, a literary publication published in English, lasted just a few months. No known copies exist. [1, p. 236] The Hebrew Free and Industrial School Society was founded by Rev. H. J. Messing.
1879	Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol (Great House of Learning), an Orthodox congregation, was organized. The exact date of the first Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol minyan cannot be pinpointed due to lack of records. Congregants met informally for about two years before they organized. Then, for the next eleven years, they worshipped in rented rooms, usually in the 900 block of North Seventh Street, between Wash (now Cole) Street and Franklin Avenue (now Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd.) [1, p. 249] United Hebrew officially became a Reform congregation by becoming a part of UHAC.
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1880s
by 1880	By 1880 these benevolent societies were formed in St. Louis: Knights of Joseph, Progressive Order of the West, Sons of Benjamin, Fortschrittstoechter Society (a women’s lodge), Miriam Ladies Society, and Toechters Israel (a women’s lodge). By 1880, six lodges of the Independent Order of Kesher Shel Barzel existed in St. Louis.
1880	United Hebrew moved to a new building on 24th and Olive Streets.
1880	On 1 February 1880, the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA) was organized. The association was incorporated on 6 March 1880. [1, p. 315] On 18 January 1880, the Hebrew Free School was formed. Until 1901, the Hebrew Free School rented rooms and used existing temples. In 1901, the school moved into the Jewish Educational and Charitable Building, on the northwest corner of Ninth and Carr Sts., where the school finally had a permanent home. By 1905, the school merged with other agencies housed in that center to become the Jewish Educational Alliance. [1, p. 256–260] On 13 April 1880, Orthodox Jews associated with Sheerith Israel established the Hebrew Family Benevolent Association. Its purpose was to provide financial and medical assistance. Sulamith, a monthly Jewish newspaper in German, was published from November 1880–January 1881.
1881	The smallpox epidemic continued through 1882. [3, p. 683]
1881	With the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, bloody pogroms and other barbaric acts of inhumanity occurred in 1881 and 1882 in some 167 cities and towns in western Russia and the Ukraine as well as in widespread rural areas. By 1883, 19,000 Russian Jews had reached the United States. By the end of the 1880s, another 161,000 Jews fled Russia for the United States.
1881	The Order of B’rith Abraham, a fraternal and benevolent order originating in New York City, was introduced in St. Louis in 1881. By 1897, there were nine lodges with about 500 members. [2, p. 238]
by 1882	Sheerith Israel Congregation was at Ninth Street and Franklin Avenue.
1882	Harmonie Club moved to the western part of St. Louis. A number of members seceded and established a new club, the Concordia Club. The Home for Aged and Infirm Israelites was established with the purchase of 3652 Jefferson Avenue in April 1882 by the United Hebrew Association. The Home was formally dedicated on 28 May 1882, having been initially formed on 8 May 1881. This home was supported by the German Reform Jews in St. Louis. [3, p. 1045]
1882	Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol was chartered.
1883	An estimated 1,500 Jewish families were in St. Louis.
1884	Congregation B’nai Amoona, an Orthodox synagogue, was organized in August of 1884 by Rabbi Aaron Levy and members of Sheerith Israel Congregation. B’nai Amoona held a minyan on Sixth Street, then rented rooms at Pohlman’s Hall at Broadway and Franklin Avenue, before arriving at its quarters at Ninth and Washington Avenue. Most, if not all, of the founders of B’nai Amoona were from Kracow. The original name of the congregation was Moses Montefiore Congregation, after the famed British-Jewish philanthropist. When the founders didn’t hear a reply from Montefiore, they changed the name to B’nai Amoona (Children of Faith) in honor of the shul Moritz Schuchat, a founder, attended in his native Kracow. [6, p. 1–5] Rindskopf-Roth Funeral Chapel was established.
by 1885	Moses Montefiore Hebrew Free School was formed. The school was administered and financed by the eastern European Orthodox Jewish population. The school was quartered at the Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol Synagogue before moving to 710 Wash Street.
1885	Jewish Free Press, a weekly newspaper, appears to have been published from 6 March 1885–25 November 1887.
1886	A diphtheria epidemic occurred and continued through 1887. [3, p. 683]
1886	Sheerith (sometimes Anshei) S’fard Congregation, an Orthodox congregation, was organized. The congregation, started by poor Russian immigrants, existed into World War II. The congregation might have begun informally as a minyan in a private home on Wash Street. Another possible date for the organization of Sheerith S’fard is 15 February 1887. In 1886, internal strife and dissensions divided the members of Shaare Emeth. Shaare Emeth’s spiritual leader, Dr. S. H. Sonneschein, left with a number of members to form Temple Israel.
1887	Chevra Ahavas Achim existed at Eleventh and Franklin.
1888	The Jewish Voice, a weekly newspaper, appears to have been published from 6 January 1888 to 24 December 1926.
1888	Temple Israel dedicated its own house of worship at the corner of Twenty-Eighth and Pine. Chesed Shel Emeth (Kindness of Truth) Congregation was organized during Passover. The congregation was mainly Eastern European immigrants. By 1 May 1893, they had purchased burial grounds at 7500 Olive Street Road, where it intersects with Hanley Road. Also that year, congregation B’nai Amoona moved to 823 Franklin Avenue. [6, p. 20–21] Sheerith S’fard moved into its new synagogue at 715 Carr Street on 2 September 1888. [1, p. 311–312]
1889	B’nai Amoona moved to its new location at 13th and Carr Streets. The building had been the First German Baptist Church. [6, p. 21]
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1890s
1890	Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol had its first home at 1123–25 North 11th Street.
1890	Knesseth Israel Anshei Kovno Congregation was organized at the Evans Brothers Building, 1107 Franklin.
1890	With the closing of Castle Garden, a Barge Office was used as the entry point in New York City for arriving immigrants from 19 April 1890 to 31 December 1891.
1890	In October 1890, the Jewish Alliance was formed in St. Louis. Originally formed in August 1890 in Philadelphia, the avowed purpose of the Alliance was to “Americanize” the new immigrants from Russia as quickly as possible. In October 1891, the Jewish Alliance offered a free night school, where those who worked during the day could learn English. The first year it consisted primarily of newly arrived Jewish immigrants from Russia. Later, Romanian Jews and Austrian Jews participated in the program as well as non-Jews from the local area. In 1901, 536 students attended classes, which were conducted at the Jefferson School, on the corner of Ninth Street and Washington Avenue. Also that year, the Jewish Alliance became a constituent member of the Jewish Charitable and Educational Union. [6, p. 58–59]
early to mid 1890’s	Der Yiddishe Presse, a Yiddish newspaper, was published by Mr. Shor and lasted three issues. This appears to be the first Yiddish newspaper in St. Louis.
by 1891	By 1891, Sisters of Rebecca was organized.
1891	The second major wave of Jews emigrating from Russia began in 1891. It was triggered by a Passover-eve decree that expelled Jews from Moscow. Harassment and persecution continued, climaxing in the bloody Kishinev massacre of 1903. The depredations continued, followed by the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905 and revolutionary uprisings. Jews fled Russia by the thousands in a steady stream, seeking refuge in the United States through all these periods.
1891	Sheerith S’fard purchased property at 921 North Ninth (Ninth and Wash Sts.).
1892	From 1 January 1892 to 13 June 1897, Ellis Island was used as the entry point in New York City for arriving immigrants.
1892	Harmonie Club and Concordia Club disbanded and were replaced by the Columbian Club on Lindell and Vandeventer. In the spring of 1892, the first meeting of the Sisterhood of Personal Service was held at Temple Israel. The Sisterhood addressed the need to care for hundreds of utterly destitute men, women, and children, mainly from Russia, knowing neither the language nor customs of the United States. By 1899, the Sisterhood was part of the Federated Jewish Charities of St. Louis. Moses Montefiore Ladies’ Charity Society was organized. The Ben A’Kiba Frauen Verein was founded by eight women. Later the name was anglicized to Ben A’Kiba Aid Society. “For years their most common services were to prepare burial shrouds for the deceased and to provide financial assistance for those who could not afford the costs of a funeral.” [5, p. 331]
1892	Sheerith S’fard Congregation moved into a converted house at 921 North 9th Street.
1893	A typhoid fever epidemic struck. [3, p. 683]
1893	Chevra Kadisha Congregation’s charter was taken over by the congregation Shirei T’hillim in 1893, and that name was adopted in 1904. Later Shirei T’hillim merged with Mishkan Israel to form Mishkan Israel-Shirei T’hillim, which was in existence as late as 1988 in University City. [1, p. 187] On 23 April, Sheerith Israel merged with B’nai Amoona by bringing its Torah scrolls over to B’nai Amoona. A major reason for the merger might have been Sheerith Israel’s inability to secure a rabbi. Sheerith Israel’s name was perpetuated in the cemetery until 1924, when the cemetery was renamed B’nai Amoona Cemetery.
1893	National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) was organized.
1894	Independent Order of B’rith Abraham, subject to a different jurisdiction than the Order of B’rith Abraham, was established in St. Louis. By 1897 there were eight lodges with about 400 members. [2, p. 238]
1895	A diphtheria epidemic hit St. Louis. [3, p. 683]
1895	On 17 February, the Progressive Order of the West, a fraternal and benevolent organization, was instituted in St. Louis. Composed mainly of Russian, Austrian, Polish, Hungarian, and Scandinavian Jews who were naturalized citizens of the United States, the Progressive Order’s objectives were to familarize members with the laws, customs, and institutions of this country, to create a fund to be used for charitable purposes, and to provide for the payment of death benefits to the families of members. In 1898, seven lodges were in existence in St. Louis and steps were being taken to extend the order to other cities. [4, p. 1826] The St. Louis section of the Council of Jewish Women was organized in the fall of 1895. The Council originated at the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition. The Council’s objectives were religious, philanthropic, and literary. [2, p. 491–492] The Tegliche Gazetta or Der St. Louiser Gazette, the second Yiddish newspaper, was published. It was a weekly that lasted about one year. The publisher of this paper was a Mr. Sherman.
1896	Shaare Emeth Temple used a church on 27th and Locust prior to erecting a new temple in 1897 at Vandeventer and Lindell.
1896	The third Yiddish newspaper appeared in St. Louis about 1896 plus or minus a year. The paper lasted about sixteen months. The newspaper’s title and exact dates of publication are unknown at this time. Berger Memorial Chapel was established and remains in the hands of the family.
1897	On 13 June 1897, a fire destroyed the original wooden structure on Ellis Island. The Barge Office was re-opened on 14 June 1897 as an immigrant station. From 14 June 1897 to 16 December 1900, the Barge Office was used as the entry point in New York City for arriving immigrants as the structure on Ellis Island was rebuilt. The First Zionist Congress was held in Basle, Switzerland. [5, p. 255]
1897	The United Jewish Charities of St. Louis was established by the amalgamation of the United Hebrew Relief, the Sisterhood of Personal Service, the Ladies’ Zion Society, and the Hebrew Ladies Sewing Society. Other groups that did not join the United Jewish Charities were the Hebrew Ladies’ Widows and Orphans Society, the Ladies’ Hebrew Relief Society, and the Home for Old, Aged, and Indigent Israelites, on South Jefferson. Educational societies that did not join were the Hebrew Free and Industrial School Society and the Jewish Alliance Night School for Emigrants. United Jewish Charities’ object was to relieve the deserving Jewish poor, prevent want and distress, and discourage pauperism by providing a central organization for the distribution of charity in St. Louis. [3, p. 1126] It eventually became part of the Jewish Federation.
after 1897	Zionist groups in St. Louis were B’nai Zion, Dorchai Zion, Daughters of Zion, Poalei Zion, Ahavath Zion, and Ha-Achooza. In 1905, the St. Louis Zionist Council was founded. On 7 January 1906, the Knights of Zion held its eighth regional convention in St. Louis.
by 1898	By 1898, Modern Woodmen of America was organized. Members of B’nai Amoona were active in this organization.
1898	A Jewish Fair was held in December 1898 at the Coliseum “to aid the worthy poor of the city.” The gross receipts exceeded $44,000, and after all expenses were paid, more than $37,000 was used for charitable purposes. [3, p. 1126]
by 1899	Sons of Benjamin, a Jewish fraternal and benevolent organization originating in New York City, had three lodges of the order in St. Louis.
by 1899	Jewish cemeteries, actually called Hebrew cemeteries in 1899, were Mt. Sinai Cemetery, also called New Mt. Sinai, owned by B’nai El, Shaare Emeth, and Temple Israel congregations; Mt. Olive Cemetery, owned by the United Hebrew Congregation; Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery, owned by the Chesed Shel Emeth Society; and Sheereth Israel Cemetery, owned by B’nai Amoona. Other cemeteries of note were Potters Field on Arsenal and Sublette Avenue, for poor and friendless persons; and Quarantine Burying Ground, a mile and a quarter south of Jefferson Barracks, closed by 1899, which was used as a quarantine, smallpox, and yellow fever hospital.
1899	In 1899, through the efforts of B’nai B’rith, the National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives was established in Denver, Colorado, to care for those who suffered from tuberculosis. Tuberculosis was a disease rampant in crowded and unsanitary tenement environments inhabited by large numbers of immigrants. [5, p. 325]
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20th Century
1900s
1900	About 40,000 Jews were living in St. Louis.
1900	From 17 December 1900 to 1954, Ellis Island was used as the entry point in New York City for arriving immigrants.
1901	The Moses Montefiore Shul Hebrew School was formed. The Modern View, a weekly newspaper aimed at the German Jewish community, began publication. The newspaper was last published in 1951. The Jewish Charitable and Educational Union, a new umbrella organization, was formed on 11 December. One of its constituent members was the Jewish Alliance. The newly formed organization was housed in a building on Ninth and Carr Streets. Although named after the Union, the building, as well as the entire range of social and educational services it housed, was commonly referred to as simply the Jewish Alliance, also popularly known as the Federation of Jewish Charities. In 1915, the name was officially changed to the Federation of Jewish Charities of St. Louis. [9, 1901] Original members included the United Jewish Charities of St. Louis, Hebrew Free and Industrial School, the Home for the Aged and Infirm Israelites, the Jewish Alliance, Jewish Hospital, National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives in Denver, and the B’nai B’rith Jewish Orphans Home in Cleveland. This organization subsidized Associated Hebrew Schools, the Gertrude Home for Boys, the Home for Incurables, and the Jewish Community Center.
by 1901	Tipheris Israel Congregation, an Orthodox shul, was formed by 1901. The shul was located at Ninth and Wash. B’nai Israel Congregation, another Orthodox shul, was also formed by 1901. This shul was located at 1005 North Seventh Street.
by 1902	By 1902, fourteen lodges of the Progressive Order of the West exitsted in St. Louis, as did fourteen lodges of the Independent Order of the Western Star.
1902	Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol purchased a cemetery. Tiphereth Zion School, a Hebrew school, was formed.
1902	Jewish Hospital of St. Louis was organized. [9, 1902]
1903	There was a pogrom in Kishinev, Russia.
1903	United Hebrew moved to a building on Kingshighway and Von Versen (today’s Enright) Avenue.
1904	St. Louis hosted the 1904 World’s Fair and Olympics.
1904	The Workmen’s Circle was formed. The Jewish Express, a periodical, was published in 1904. Missouri Historical Society Research Library has vol. 1, no. 1 (29 April 1904) to vol. 1, no. 6 (3 June 1904).
1905	Shaarith S’fard Congregation moved to its new shul located at Fifteenth and Wash. On 13 August, Shaare Zedek (Gates of Righteousness) Congregation was organized. It was originally started in August 1904 by a group of Jews who rented quarters to conduct High Holy Day services. In December 1905, Shaare Zedek purchased a building at 4557 Cook Avenue. [1, p. 404]
1905	“The Selma Michael Day Nursery and Kindergarten were established in the newly erected Alliance Building at downtown Ninth and Carr.” [5, p. 238]
by 1906	By 1906, the Austro-Hungarian Society was organized. Members of B’nai Amoona were active in this Society.
1906	B’nai El dedicated its new temple at Spring and Flad Avenues in January of 1906. In June of 1906, B’nai Amoona sold its building at 13th and Carr to Shirei T’hillim. In July of 1906, B’nai Amoona acquired the Central Presbyterian Church, situated on the northeast corner of Garrison and Lucas Avenues. [6, p. 22]
1906	The American Jewish Committee was established. Most of its membership came from German Reform Jews who opposed the creation of a Jewish nation. [5, p. 284] “In 1906, the Gertrude Charity Society was organized to find homes for needy boys, especially immigrants arriving alone.” [5, p. 332]
1906/07	Der Forshter or Der Vorsteher appears to be the fifth Yiddish paper to be published for St. Louis Jews. It remained in existence until 1910 but had an irregular daily/weekly publication.
1907	Tiphereth Zion Hachnosas Orchim was formed.
1907	On 16 April 1907, the Jewish Orthodox Old Folks’ Home was established when the newly organized Beth Moshab Z’keinim (Old Folks Home) Society purchased an eighteen-room mansion on North Grand and Blair. [10, p. 1] In October 1907, Westwood Country Club was organized. Originally located at the intersection of Berry Rd. and W. Lockwood in Glendale, in 1928, it moved to Conway and Ballas Roads in St. Louis County.
1908	Beth David Congregation was organized. Congregation B’rith Sholom (Covenant of Peace) was organized during the fall of 1908 for the purpose of forming an Austrian-Hungarian Conservative (Orthodox) congregation. B’rith Sholom incorporated under the laws of the state of Missouri on 8 December 1908. Its first house of worship was rented in the spring of 1909, Smith’s Hall located at 14th and Carr Streets. Initially, only Austrian-Hungarian Jews and their children could be active members. Later this statute was changed to accept Jews of all origins as members. [5, p. 35] B’nai Zion Congregation was organized. It was known as Beth Yakov, as a minyan gathered in 1908 at the house of Yakov Brody. Then a rabbi suggested they change their name to Beth Hak’nesset, which was the name until 1918. [5, p. 91]
1908	The Jewish Orphans’ Home was organized.
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1910s
1910	The Missouri Office of Vital Records began statewide mandatory recording of births and deaths in Missouri. Prior to this, however, the City of St. Louis, as did some other locations, did keep birth and death registers.
1911	Agudath Achim Temple, a Conservative congregation, was organized in East St. Louis, Illinois. B’rith Sholom purchased a fine stone synagogue building at Glasgow and Dayton Streets. [5, p. 36]
1911	The St. Louis branch of the World Mizrachi Organization was founded. This was a religious party within the worldwide Zionist movement. [5, p. 263]
1912	Yiddishe Presse, a Yiddish newspaper, began publication. It didn’t last long and had no relation to an earlier newspaper with the same name. The Maccabeans was organized in 1912 to advocate Zionism. The society was a dynamic influence until after the creation of Israel. [5, p. 264] The Miriam Convalescent Home was established in Webster Groves providing “necessary medical care and social services for children and adults.” The home “metamorphosed into the Miriam School, an institution for children with learning disabilities and emotional problems.” [5, p. 325] The Home for Incurables was incorporated in 1912. In 1914 a new facility was constructed “in rural surroundings on Fee Fee Road in St. Louis County.” In 1920 the name was changed to Jewish Sanitorium, but it was known as the “Home on Fee Fee Road.” [5, p. 326] “The Jewish Shelter Home was organized to provide refuge for homeless children between the ages of three and fifteen. Three years later, when David Sommers became president of the organization, his substantial personal grant led to the purchase of a permanent home at 2236 Tower Grove Avenue, … which was named the Dorothy Drey Sommers Shelter Home for Children. … As the Jewish community changed during the middle decades of the 1900s, the number of Jewish children who needed refuge declined. The Sommers Shelter Home accordingly underwent several reorganizations and mergers, and finally, in 1962, its functions were taken over by the Jewish Family Service Agency. That, in turn, metamorphosed into the Jewish Family and Children’s Service.” [5, p. 329]
1914	On 1 January 1914, the Orthodox Jewish Charitable and Educational Federation of St. Louis came into existence. In 1915, this became the Federation of Jewish Charities. [9, 1915] Mayer Funeral Home was established. In 2003, Alan L. Mayer discontinued services and joined Berger Memorial Chapel.
1914	On 6 August 1914, Shaare Zedek laid the conerstone for its new building at Page Boulevard and West End Avenue.
1914-1918	Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated on 28 June 1914 precipitating World War I. Thousands of Americans, including many Jews, died or were wounded in Europe before the war ended on 11 November 1918.
1916	“The Ben A’Kiba Aid Society raised sufficient funds to purchase a three-story building at 3646 West Pine to remodel and to open the Ben A’Kiba Home for Jewish Working Girls. … By the 1930s, with immigration on the wane and Depression-era social services changing, the number of young women residing at the home declined markedly. When a study conducted by the Federation concluded that the home had outlived its usefulness, the Ben A’Kiba Home for Jewish Working Girls closed on 1 May 1938. …” [5, p. 331] (Y)idisher Rekord (Jewish Record) began publication in Yiddish on 7 January 1916. From 1 May 1927 to 31 January 1928 the name of the paper changed to (Y)idisher Tegliker Rekord (Jewish Daily Record). The paper was last published on 20 April 1951. The Missouri Historical Society Research Library has this listed as Idisher Rekord. It has an incomplete set of microfilms from 7 January 1916 to 22 April 1927.
1917	The Balfour Declaration allowed creation of a state for Jews.
1917	Shaare Zedek School, a Hebrew school, was formed, but it only lasted one year.
by 1918	Mishkan Israel Congregation was organized.
1918	Nathan Harris Congregation was organized. B’nai Amoona built a new synagogue at Academy and Vernon Avenues. Beth Hak’nesset changed its name to B’nai Zion Congregation when it purchased a German Church on 3rd and Soulard.
1918	The St. Louis Chapter of Hadassah was organized. [5, p. 133] The Jewish Orphans Home Society of St. Louis was organized in 1909. “For several years they directed their efforts toward raising funds, and in 1918 they were able to purchase a three-story building at 3117 Lafayette, which, after remodeling, was opened the following year.” [5, p. 329]
1918-1919	An influenza pandemic killed millions worldwide.
1919	Chesed Shel Emeth Congregation moved to its new home at Page and Euclid.
1919	The Alliance Building on Grand Avenue was closed. Its functions merged with the new Jewish Community Center at 3636 Page Avenue. A considerable portion of the Jewish population had moved beyond Grand Avenue into St. Louis’s west end by this time.
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1920s
1920	Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol began meeting in private homes until its new structure was built in 1924.
1920	The U.S. census reported a nationwide population of 118 million, with urban population exceeding rural population for the first time. Prohibition began in 1920. The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was adopted on 18 August 1920, allowing all citizens to vote. Women appeared on voter registration records after this date. The first regular radio broadcast began in 1920.
1921	The Gertrude Charity Society purchased a three-story residence at 3958 Washington Avenue, remodeled it, and in 1922 opened the Gertrude Boys’ Home.
1922	The entrance to the tomb of King Tutankhamen (King Tut) was discovered in Egypt. Also this year: the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) was formed; the first feasible motion picture film-color process, Technicolor, was developed; and a tuberculosis vaccine was first used on children in France. Prior to 22 September 1922, female immigrants marrying United States citizens became citizens without applying for naturalization. Now the law was changed, and females had to naturalize separately.
1922	“United Hebrew Schools Association was organized to bring a semblance of uniformity to the disparate Hebrew schools.” [5, p. 366] Schools in existence included Moses Montefiore Talmud Torah, Tpheris Zion Talmud Torah, Ohel Moshe Yeshiva, Shivas Zion Talmud Torah (popularly known as the Nathan Harris Talmud Torah), and the Achad Ha’am Hebrew School. The association did not last long.
1923	B’rith Sholom purchased the former United Hebrew Temple at Kingshighway and Enright.
1923	The first wireless telephone call was made from New York to London. Streptococcus was identified as responsible for scarlet fever, and a serum for the disease was developed.
1924	IKOR, Yiddish Colonization Relief, was organized. The Vaad Hoir in St. Louis was organized. [9, 1924] The Jewish Orphans Home Society of St. Louis purchased land at Clayton and Oakland Avenues to open a new home, replacing their orginal home on Lafayette Avenue. The home formally opened in 1929. “The passage of time brought new social service philosophies on how to deal with orphans, who were being placed in foster homes instead of in institutions. … The Orphans’ Home underwent several reorganizations and mergers and finally ceased operations completely. Its functions were eventually taken over by the Jewish Family and Children’s Service.” [5, p. 330]
1924	Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol moved to North and South Road in University City.
1924	An amendment to the Immigration Quota Act further reduced the number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. and forbade Japanese immigration. The U.S. Congress declared Native Americans U.S. citizens. Nellie Ross (Wyoming) was elected first woman governor.
1925	The Jewish Federation of St. Louis was created with the merger of The Federation of Jewish Charities of St. Louis and the Orthodox Jewish Charitable and Educational Federation of St. Louis. [5, p. 324] In late 1925, the Associated Hebrew Schools was created. Schools were Moses Montefiore, Tpheris Zion, Shaare Zedek, B’nai Zion, and the Rabbi Zechariah Joseph Yeshiva. [5, p. 367]
1925	The first volume of Hitler’s Mein Kampf was published.
1926	The Associated Hebrew Schools became an affiliate of the St. Louis Jewish Federation. Included were B’nai Zion, Moses Montefiore, Shaare Zedek, Tpheris Zion, and Rabbi Z. JosephYeshiva. [5, p. 367]
1927	The Jewish Day Nursery was organized. The Y.M.H.A. opened its new building on Union Boulevard.
1927	United Hebrew moved to a new building on South Skinker Boulevard. That building now houses the Missouri Historical Society Research Library.
1927	The first transatlantic commercial telephone service opened, offering a connection between New York and London. Charles Lindbergh made his one-person, non-stop transatlantic airplane flight from New York to Paris. Inventor Philo T. Farnsworth demonstrated an electronic television system. The first talking film, The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, was released.
1928	B’rith Sholom purchased a building at 6166 Delmar and remained there until 1959. This building was just east of the University City Loop, within the City of St. Louis.
1928	Amelia Earhart became the first woman to make a transatlantic airplane flight. Television sets went on sale. Penicillin was discovered by Alexander Fleming. Vitamin C was discovered by Albert Szent-Gyorgi.
1929	The Gerber Company invented canned, strained baby food.
1929-1942	In the United States, the stock market crashed on Black Tuesday, 29 October 1929. Worldwide, an economic depression threw millions out of work and caused untold economic hardship.
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1930s
1930	Temple B’nai El moved to Delmar and Clara. B’nai Yakow Congregation was organized.
1930	The Golden Age of Radio started. Construction began on the Empire State Building in New York City.
1930	The St. Louis Rabbinical Association was organized. [5, p. 362] The Yiddish Culture Society was formed.
1931	The Empire State Building opened. The New York Bank of the United States collapsed.
1932	Shaare Emeth moved to a new building on Trinity Avenue in University City, in St. Louis County.
1932	Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and non-stop across the U.S. Kodak introduced 8-millimeter film for home movies. One out of every four U.S. families was on relief.
1933	Phonograph records were sold in stereo. Prohibition was repealed with the Twenty-First Amendment. Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany. Albert Einstein arrived in the U.S. as a refugee from Nazi Germany. The economy began to recover as the U.S. went off the gold standard.
1934	The Social Security Act was passed. Half of the homes in the U.S. owned radios. Three-color Technicolor was used in live action film.
1935	Hitler renounced the Treaty of Versailles. IBM’s electric typewriter was produced. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created.
1936	“The boards of both the Gertrude Society and of the Jewish Federation concluded that the Gertrude Boys’ Home had become just an inexpensive boarding house, serving no real social needs as originally intended. Accordingly, on 29 February 1936, … the Gertrude Boys’ Home closed.” [5, p. 332]
1937	The economy entered a second depression. The Hindenberg, a huge hydrogen-powered German zeppelin, burst into flames on landing in New Jersey, killing half of those on board and creating a spectacular fire. Amelia Earhart was lost in the Pacific. The first photocopier was invented.
1937	The Jewish Special Needs Society was organized.
1938	The infamous Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany occurred 9–10 November 1938. [9, 1938]
1938	The St. Louis Jewish Coordinating Council was created to work on behalf of the St. Louis Jewish community, developing measures to counter anti-Semitic attacks in Europe. Eventually, the Jewish Coordinating Council metamorphosed into the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). [5, p. 335] As of 2003, JCRC constituent organizations were the American Jewish Committee; American Jewish Congress; Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith; B’nai B’rith, Mid-American Region; Jewish Community Center; Jewish Federation of St. Louis; Jewish Labor Committee; Jewish War Veterans; Jewish Women International, St. Louis Council; NA’AMAT USA, St. Louis Council; National Council of Jewish Women, St. Louis Section; St. Louis Chapter Hadassah; St. Louis Federation of Reform Temples; St. Louis Hillel Center; St. Louis Rabbinical Council; Vaad Hoeir; Women’s American ORT, St. Louis Region; and Zionist Organization of America, St. Louis Chapter. The JCRC continues to work for the Jewish community, human rights, advocacy for Israel, combating bigotry, and promoting inter-group, inter-faith harmony.
1938	B’rith Sholom Cemetery Association incorporated in 1937. The cemetery was purchased and located on Olive Street Road, just east of Hanley Road in University City.
1938	The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed, enacting the first national minimum wage and national child labor laws. H.G. Wells’s radio drama, War of the Worlds, was broadcast by Orson Welles, causing national panic.
1939	Albert Einstein alerted President Franklin D. Roosevelt of an opportunity to make and use an atomic bomb. Germany invaded Poland, marking the beginning of World War II. The first public television broadcast was sent from the Empire State Building. Nylon stockings first appeared.
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1940s
1940	The Home for the Aged and Infirm Israelites merged with the Jewish Orthodox Old Folks Home. [10, p. 2]
1941	The United States entered WWII. The war would last until 1945.
1942	Congregation B’nai Amoona purchased the Xenia United Presbyterian Seminary on the corner of Washington and Trinity in University City in March 1942. B’nai Amoona sold its building at Academy and Vernon Avenues to Rabbi Hayyim Fischel for the Epstein Hebrew Acdemy. For the next six years, B’nai Amoona rented back its old synagogue for Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur services, while construction was on hold on the new building because of the war. [6, p. 143]
1947	The Jewish Light began publication as a monthly newspaper. On 27 March 1947, the two-story Hillel House at 6142 Pershing Avenue was dedicated. [5, p. 356]
1948	The Jewish Post and Opinion, Missouri editon, began publication. The last issue was in 1990.
1948	Congregation B’nai Amoona broke ground for its new synagogue in University City at Washington and Trinity in September 1948. The new synagogue was dedicated over the first three days of September 1950. [6, p. 148]
1948	The State of Israel was created.
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1950s
1950-1953	The United States engaged in the Korean War.
1950s	Chesed Shel Emeth built a new synagogue at North and South Road and Gannon Avenue in University City.
1952	Jewish Community Centers Association (JCCA) was founded. This is now called the Jewish Community Center. (JCC)[9, 1952]
abt. 1955	Kneseth Israel purchased an old school building on four acres at 700 South Hanley Road where it remained until 1959
1959	Congregations Tpheris Israel, Chevra Kadisha, and Adas Bnai Yisrael merged to become Tpheris Israel Chevra Kadisha, which is still open in 2016.
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1960s
1960	The Jewish Orthodox Old Folks Home was reorganized, renamed the Jewish Center for Aged, and relocated from north St. Louis to a new facility constructed in St. Louis County. [10, p. 2]
1960	Congregations B’rith Sholom and Kneseth Israel merged, known as B’rith Sholom Kneseth Israel (BSKI). The merged congregation moved into the newly built synagogue at 1107 Linden Avenue in Richmond Heights, which was dedicated on 5 June 1960. At this time B’rith Sholom had about 500 families and Kneseth Israel had about 100 families. Kneseth Israel decided to merge when it learned B’rith Sholom was planning to relocate less than a mile from it. Kneseth Israel sold its property on Hanley, as well as its cemetery, bringing $35,000 to the joint congregation. [5, p. 38]
1961-1975	United States was involved in the Vietnamese War.
1963	The I. E. Millstone Campus opened as the first facility of the JCCA. The Jewish Light newspaper began. The Jewish Family and Children’s Service was created. [9, 1963]
1967	“In 1967, Hillel obtained possession of a stately building at 6300 Forsyth Boulevard and moved there.” [5, p. 357]
1968	In 1968, a branch of the American Technion Society (ATS) opened in St. Louis. The ATS was established in 1940 to help subsidize the Israeli Institute of Technology, “Technion.” Begun in Haifa in 1912, by the mid 1950s, Technion was one of the world’s most important engineering schools. The St. Louis ATS chapter included Jewish architects, engineers, scientists, lawyers, and doctors. [5, p. 285]
1969	Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery on White Road in Chesterfield was established.
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1970’s
1970s	The St. Louis chapter of Parents of North American Israelis (PNAI) was formed. PNAI was a support group for families of children living in Israel.
1971	The Central Agency for Jewish Education (CAJE) was created.
1971	On 4 March 1971, B’nai Amoona purchased thirty acres of land on Mason and Conway Roads. [6, p. 226] On 1 June 1980, ground was broken, with the new building dedicated 18 October 1981. The building housed the congregation’s religious school, a branch of CAJE’s elementary Hebrew school and the Hebrew High School, the congregation’s administrative offices, and the library. The sanctuary remained in University City. [6, p. 227]
1972	The Lights of the Jewish Special Needs Society was organized by the late Dorothy Friedman and six dedicated women striving to serve a special service to the community. The Society sought to follow the footsteps of their mothers and grandmothers who were members of the Jewish Special Needs Society, which was started in 1937. The Lights help to fulfill the immediate needs of the sick, elderly, poor, and handicapped in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
1977	The St. Louis Center for Holocaust Studies was established. [9, 1977]
1978	The Louis and Sarah Block Yeshiva High School, located in Olivette, Missouri, was established. [9, 1978]
1979	On the first Sunday of November 1979, the first Jewish Book Festival was held. [5, p. 414] It continues to be held every fall.
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1980’s
1980	The Jewish Genealogy Society of St. Louis registered with the State of Missouri. The organization, the first Jewish genealogical society in St. Louis, was active until 1985.
1981	Solomon Schechter Day School, located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, was founded. [9, 1981]
1983	On 1 May 1983, the formal dedication of the Saul Brodsky Jewish Community Library of St. Louis was held. [5, p.416]
1983	Seven families in St. Charles, Missouri, organized to establish B’nai Torah, a member of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. By 2003, the number of families grew to thirty-six. B’nai Torah has a stained glass window saved from the old Beth Hamedrosh Hagodol synagogue.
1984	Central Reform Congregation was organized in 1984 and remains the only congregation located in the City of St. Louis. [5, p. 440]
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1990’s
1993	The America-Israel Chamber of Commerce (AICC) of St. Louis was organized. “AICC strives to increase trade between businesses in the metropolitan St. Louis area and those in Israel.” [5, p. 286]
1995	The Jewish Genealogical Society of St. Louis, affiliated with United Hebrew Congregation, was formed. It lasted until 2005 when it disbanded and was reborn as the Jewish Special Interest Group (J-SIG) of the St. Louis Genealogical Society. The Holocaust Museum and Learning Center opened on the Millstone campus of the JCC. [9, 1995]
1996	Congregation Bais Menachem-Chabad, a community synagogue, was established. The congregation bears the name of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
1996	In 1996, the annual Jewish Film Festival began. [5. p.415]
1997	The Jewish Council Against Family Violence was founded by Rebbetzin Paula Rivkin and Judy Zisk Lincoff, a member of Shaare Emeth Congregation. The council assists Jewish women who are in abusive situations.
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21st Century
2000s
2000	In April 2000, the Jewish Women’s Organizations Council (JWOC) was established to collectively support the efforts of one Jewish community, strengthen each organization, and dialogue on issues that affect everyone. Representatives from the following organizations formed JWOC: Barnes Jewish Hospital Auxiliary, Parkview Chapter; J Associates; Jewish Council Against Family Violence; Jewish Women International; NA’AMAT USA; National Council of Jewish Women, St. Louis Section; St. Louis Chapter Hadassah; Women’s American ORT; and the Women’s Division of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis.
2002	Congregation Kol Am received a generous donation of land at the southwest corner of Swingley Ridge Road and Chesterfield Parkway East. Groundbreaking for the new building, which includes a sanctuary with seating for 300, a social hall, religious school, library and administrative offices began in fall of 2002. The congregation moved into its new home in the fall of 2003.
2005	In June, the Jewish Special Interest Group (J-SIG) of St. Louis Genealogical Society began meeting on a quarterly basis.
2013	Congregation Kol Rinah established itself at 829 N. Hanley Road in University City. For a while they shared space with The Journey Church before moving in 2020 to 7701 Maryland Avenue in Clayton.
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Sources 1. Ehrlich, Walter, Dr., Zion in the Valley: the Jewish Community of St. Louis, Volume I, 1807–1907. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 1997. 2. Hyde, William, and Howard L. Conard, editors. Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis: a Compendium of History and Biography for Ready Reference. Volume I. St. Louis, Missouri: The Southern History Company. 1899. 3. Hyde, William, and Howard L. Conard, editors. Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis: a Compendium of History and Biography for Ready Reference. Volume II. St. Louis, Missouri: The Southern History Company. 1899. 4. Hyde, William, and Howard L. Conard, editors. Encyclopedia of the History of St. Louis: a Compendium of History and Biography for Ready Reference. Volume III. St. Louis, Missouri: The Southern History Company. 1899. 5. Ehrlich, Walter, Dr., Zion in the Valley: the Jewish Community of St. Louis, Volume II, The Twentieth Century. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2002. 6. Bronsen, Rosalind Mael. B’nai Amoona for All Generations. St. Louis, Missouri: Congregation B’nai Amoona, 1982. 7. ““B’nai El Congregation,” Missouri Historical Society. Article online at http://www.historyhappenedhere.org/print.php?id=91+PHPSESSID=880a80d91da89e6cfabb8dc96adca14c : 2006 8. Rosenthal, A., editor. Modern View: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition. St. Louis, Missouri: 1925. 9. Jewish Federation of St. Louis Timeline online at http://www.jewishinstlouis.org/page.html?articleID=121914. 10. “JCA Celebrates 90 Years,” St. Louis Jewish Light, special insert, October, 1997.

Last modified: 05-Oct-2023 12:20