Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center
Ellwood City is a borough in Lawrence County with a district extending into Beaver County. It was incorporated in 1892, and the local population grew throughout the 1890s and into the 20th century with the arrival of a seamless tubing plant and other industries.
The first Jewish families to settle in Ellwood City arrived in the early 1890s and included Isadore and Esther Krause and the Keller family. In 1894, a group held High Holiday services in rented rooms at 702 Lawrence Avenue and started a cheder (religious school).
The first Jewish organization in Ellwood City was B’nai B’rith Lodge No. 638, which was established in 1908 with approximately twenty members. The local Jewish population founded Congregation Tree of Life in 1909, fulfilling a dying wish from early resident Pauline Keller. The Orthodox congregation acquired a lot at Wayne Avenue and 7th Street in 1910 and dedicated a $5,000 brick synagogue at in 1911. Tree of Life burned its mortgage on the building and prepared a formal constitution and bylaws in 1922. The following year, the congregation remodeled its Wayne Avenue synagogue.
As the Jewish population of Ellwood City increased between the World Wars, Tree of Life launched a building fund in 1945. The congregation broke ground on a new synagogue on Beatty Street near Ewing Park in 1952 and formally dedicated the building in 1954. The sanctuary took longer to finish and was dedicated separately in 1960. The new building was often called the Ellwood City Jewish Community Center, reflecting a trend in the midcentury toward Jewish religious facilities with a social component.
The overall population of Ellwood City started to decline after 1950 and accelerated with the closing of the U.S. Steel facility in the 1980s. The local Jewish population followed a similar path. Tree of Life closed in the mid-1990s, donating its Torah scroll to Riverview Towers in Pittsburgh and donating its Beatty Street synagogue to the local hospital. After the closing, many members joined congregations in nearby Beaver Falls and New Castle.
Women’s Organizations
The women of Tree of Life Congregation created a Hebrew Ladies Aid Society around the time of the dedication of the synagogue in 1911. With the help of women in New Castle, the Hebrew Ladies Aid Society of Ellwood City was converted into a National Council of Jewish Women section in the 1920s and started a Sunday school. In the 1920s, women from Ellwood City and Wampum formed the Ellwood-Wampum Hadassah.
As part of the construction of the new Tree of Life synagogue and community center in the early 1950s, the local National Council of Jewish Women and Hadassah chapters merged in 1951 to form the Jewish Women’s League. The league took an active role in fundraising activities for both the Jewish community and for civic organizations.
Population
| Type | Year | Population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1900 | 2,243 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1910 | 3,902 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Ellwood City] | 1919 | 383 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 21 [1919-1920] |
| Jewish population [Ellwood City] | 1919 | 39 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 21 [1919-1920] |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1920 | 8,958 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Ellwood City] | 1927 | 150 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 30 [1928-1929] |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1930 | 12,323 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Ellwood City] | 1937 | 120 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 42 [1940-1941] |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1940 | 12,329 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1950 | 12,945 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Ellwood City] | 1951 | 147 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 52 [1951] |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1960 | 12,413 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1970 | 10,857 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1980 | 9,998 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Ellwood City] | 1984 | 110 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 84 [1984] |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 1990 | 8,894 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 2000 | 8,688 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 2010 | 7,921 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Ellwood City] | 2020 | 7,642 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
Spiritual leaders
Spiritual leaders of Tree of Life Congregation include Rabbi Cantor, Rabbi Solomon Shoulson, Rabbi Nathaniel Steinberg, Rabbi Sidney Rappaport, Rabbi Rudolph Loebel, and Rabbi Leib Heber.
Bibliography
Rauh Jewish Archives
Collections
- Beverly Greenberg Collection on the Jewish Communities of Beaver Valley and Ellwood City [MSS 1125] (catalog record).
- Barbara Nathan Roff Papers [MSS 1110] (catalog record).
- Ellwood City materials, from Jewish Archival Survey Collection [MSS 196] (catalog record).
- Photographs (3) of Torah given by Ellwood City to Riverview Tower [1998.0084] (catalog record).
- Aaron Caplan (Dr.) obituary file (catalog record).
Books
- Dedication book / Tree of Life Synagogue, Ellwood City, Pa. [BM225 .E5 D4 1953 q] (catalog record).
Oral Histories
- Beverly Greenberg oral history [2015.0110] (catalog record).
Exhibit history
- Author: Eric Lidji, Catelyn Cocuzzi
- Original: May 18, 2017
- Current: August 21, 2026
Acknowledgements
- This entry was created in 2017 as part of Phase I of the Small Towns Jewish History Project and was expanded in 2026 through a Jewish Community Priorities grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.