Lowentritt House
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
Oil City is located in Venango County in northwest Pennsylvania. The city became a center of the emerging American petroleum industry in the mid-19th century, after the first commercially successful oil well was developed in nearby Titusville in 1859 and local wells were drilled in Oil City around 1861. Initially, the area of present-day Oil City was two distinct boroughs divided by the Allegheny River: Oil City to the north and Venango City to the south. Oil City was incorporated as a borough in 1862. It was incorporated as a city in 1871, after merging with Venango City.
The first Jewish settler in Oil City was likely Myer Lowentritt. Born in Cleveland to Bavarian immigrants, he had studied law and medicine followed by stints in the fur business in Wisconsin and the grain business in Iowa. He came to Oil City in 1864 to work in the petroleum industry. He was superintendent of the Cherry Valley Oil Company, later went into oil production and was a broker on the Oil City Oil Exchange.[1]Bell, Herbert Charles. “History of Venango County, Pennsylvania: Its Past and Present,” Brown, Runk & Company, 1890, Chicago, p. 903 (online—Google Books).
The growth of the oil industry brought other Jewish settlers to the oil region. A small group started a Reform congregation in Oil City in 1871 called the Progress Administration. By 1880, the Jewish population of Oil City was approximately 58 and Progress Administration had 28 members with 24 students and one teacher in its school.[2]“Statistics of the Jews of the United States,” Philadelphia, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1880 (online—Hathi Trust).
By the end of the 19th century, the Progress Administration had dwindled. Growth in the local Jewish population prompted a desire for a new institution, but efforts to start a new congregation and build a synagogue were delayed by debates between Reform and Orthodox segments of the community. A congregation called Tree of Life was ultimately founded in 1892, according to a survey from the Works Progress Administration Church Archives. The congregation rented rooms at the Second National Bank on Center Street until 1903, when it dedicated a synagogue at 17 Plummer Street. In a report from the dedication ceremony, the Jewish Criterion noted, “The old issue of orthodox and reform was raised” but “a compromise was effected, and the congregation is extremely conservative. A few yet remain on the outside, but in time they will likely see the wisdom of coming into the fold and joining with the others in upbuilding the religious life of the community.”[3]“Synagogue Dedicated,” Jewish Criterion, May 22, 1903 (online). The congregation established a cemetery in Cherrytree Township in 1921.
The membership of Tree of Life always included families from surrounding towns, particularly the Wein family, which lived in Clarion, Pa. until the mid-1990s.
A second congregation emerged in the early 20th century. By 1905, approximately 15 families “not belonging to the existing congregation” were meeting for services every other week under the guidance of Rabbi Max C. Currick of Erie and the local presidency of I. Baer.[4]“Reaching Eastward,” American Israelite, April 27, 1905 (online—Newspapers.com). Shaarith Israel Congregation was organized on Dec. 18, 1906 and rented a building at 261 Elm St.[5]“The Jewish Population of the United States: Pennsylvania: Oil City” American Jewish Year Book Vol. 21 (1919-1920) (online—AJC Archives). The congregation established the Sage Run Cemetery on Route 62 around 1911.[6]“Jewish Cemetery,” Oil City Derrick, Jan. 19, 1911 (online—Newspapers.com). Shaarith Israel disbanded some time after 1919.[7]“The Jewish Population of the United States: Pennsylvania: Oil City” American Jewish Year Book Vol. 21 (1919-1920) (online—AJC Archives).
The history of Shaarith Israel was never well documented and became muddled over time. A 1939 report from the Works Progress Administration Church Archives Survey claimed that Shaarith Israel had broken away from Tree of Life in 1898 and rejoined in 1904.[8]Sharith Israel Congregation (Oil City), from Pennsylvania, U.S. WPA Church Archives, 1937-1940, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (Ancestry.com) An unsigned historical review from 1957 titled “History of the Tree of Life Synagogue” noted, “Because of some unremembered dispute, a number of the members withdrew and were dubbed by the historical name ‘Coxey’s Army.’ They held services for a period of two years in a rented room on the third floor of the present Reick building on Elm Street. To complete the separation, they went so far as to establish the Sage Run Cemetery which is still in use. After two years the Congregation solved their difficulties and reunited in Shalom.”[9]“History of the Tree of Life Synagogue,” from “Dedication: Tree of Life Synagogue, 1957 (online). [10]The Rauh Jewish Archives thanks Charles Salkin for uncovering primary source materials detailing the early history of Shaarith Israel Congregation.
The Jewish population of Oil City and the surrounding area peaked between the wars. Responding to this growth, Tree of Life Congregation established a Jewish Community Center in 1931, apparently within the walls of the synagogue. It created a Sunday School alongside its existing Hebrew school in 1934. The congregation began allowing mixed seating in 1942.
Tree of Life renovated its Plummer Street synagogue in 1941 and began discussing plans for a new synagogue as early as 1944. The congregation launched a five-year building campaign in 1952 and dedicated a new “Shul-Center” on West First Street in 1957.
In addition to serving the Jewish community of Oil City, Tree of Life Congregation became home to Jewish families in nearby small towns that could not support independent Jewish institutions. These included families from Brookville, Clarion, New Bethlehem, Reno, and Shippenville.[11]“Jewish Community Book” of Clarion and Venango counties (1981) (online). In the second half of the 20th century, as the regional Jewish population in northwestern Pennsylvania declined and nearby congregations closed, Oil City also began attracting Jewish families from Franklin and Titusville.
With the ongoing decline in the Jewish population in the early 21st century, Tree of Life entered into a partnership with the Oil City YMCA. The arrangement gave the YMCA the ability to use the building as a youth day care center while allowing the congregation to use the sanctuary for services. Tree of Life Congregation closed in 2020.
Some of the surnames associated with the Jewish community of Oil City include: Adelson, Albert, Bacharach, Backer, Baltrotsky, Berenson, Bernstein, Blumberg, Borton, Brody, Bucher, Cohen, Cohn, Dodelson, Duchon, Duke, Eisner, Finkelstein, Fried, Frumi, Gendler, Gettlin, Glazer, Glick, Goldberg, Goldsmith, Goldstein, Goodstein, Gordon, Grant, Harris, Heyison, Kaminsky, Keller, Kessler, Korchnoy, Krouse, Lachman, Lang, Levine, Lewis, Lifshitz, Lowenhaupt, Lowentritt, Lurie, Magdovitz, Manheim, Marks, Miller, Mintz, Mogilowitz, Natzeff, Papernick, Phillips, Posner, Recht, Rosen, Rosenwaser, Rosin, Rubenstein, Sabin, Salkin, Samuels, Schleider, Schochet, Schwartz, Schwartzman, Segal, Serrine, Serrins, Shakespeare, Shalof, Shapiro, Siegall, Silverman, Sklar, Slesnick, Snyder, Solovey, Srolowitz, Stahl, Steinberg, Swetsky, Teig, Tucker, Vinn, Vudin, Wein, Wizenberg, Yudin, Zand, Zucker, and Zuckerman.
In addition to Tree of Life and Shaarith Israel congregations and its auxiliaries, known Jewish organizations in Oil City include B’nai B’rith Oil City/David Cohen Lodge No. 1222 (org. 1920), the Council of Jewish Women-Oil City Section, Hadassah (org. 1918), Israel Bonds, and the Jewish War Veterans Carnick-Cohen-Magdovitz Post No. 366.
| Type | Year | Population | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population [Oil City] | 1870 | 2,276 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1880 | 7,315 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Oil City] | 1880 | 58 | Statistics of the Jews of the United States [1880] |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1890 | 10,932 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1900 | 13,264 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Oil City] | 1907 | 320 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 8 [1907] |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1910 | 15,657 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Oil City] | 1919 | 380 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 21 [1919-1920] |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1920 | 21,274 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Oil City] | 1927 | 500 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 30 [1928-1929] |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1930 | 22,075 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Oil City] | 1937 | 375 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 42 [1940-1941] |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1940 | 20,379 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1950 | 19,581 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Oil City] | 1950 | 360 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 52 [1951] |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1960 | 17,692 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1970 | 15,033 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1980 | 13,881 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Oil City] | 1984 | 165 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 84 [1984] |
| Total population [Oil City] | 1990 | 11,949 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Jewish population [Oil City] | 1992 | 100 | American Jewish Yearbook, Vol. 92 [1992] (NOTE: Population estimate "includes all of 2 counties.") |
| Total population [Oil City] | 2000 | 11,504 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Oil City] | 2010 | 10,557 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
| Total population [Oil City] | 2020 | 9,608 | U.S. Census via Wikipedia |
References
| ↑1 | Bell, Herbert Charles. “History of Venango County, Pennsylvania: Its Past and Present,” Brown, Runk & Company, 1890, Chicago, p. 903 (online—Google Books). |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | “Statistics of the Jews of the United States,” Philadelphia, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, 1880 (online—Hathi Trust). |
| ↑3 | “Synagogue Dedicated,” Jewish Criterion, May 22, 1903 (online). |
| ↑4 | “Reaching Eastward,” American Israelite, April 27, 1905 (online—Newspapers.com). |
| ↑5, ↑7 | “The Jewish Population of the United States: Pennsylvania: Oil City” American Jewish Year Book Vol. 21 (1919-1920) (online—AJC Archives). |
| ↑6 | “Jewish Cemetery,” Oil City Derrick, Jan. 19, 1911 (online—Newspapers.com). |
| ↑8 | Sharith Israel Congregation (Oil City), from Pennsylvania, U.S. WPA Church Archives, 1937-1940, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (Ancestry.com |
| ↑9 | “History of the Tree of Life Synagogue,” from “Dedication: Tree of Life Synagogue, 1957 (online). |
| ↑10 | The Rauh Jewish Archives thanks Charles Salkin for uncovering primary source materials detailing the early history of Shaarith Israel Congregation. |
| ↑11 | “Jewish Community Book” of Clarion and Venango counties (1981) (online). |
