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Home / Spanish Hebrew Society History

Spanish Hebrew Society History

By Eva Rosenthal, 2018 Workum Intern

SHS After

Cincinnati’s Sephardic community purchased a cemetery plot for $600 cash in Price Hill on October 29, 1920. This marked the beginning of the Spanish Hebrew Society Cemetery, Cincinnati’s sole Sephardic cemetery. The money had been raised through “nickel-and-dime” donations gathered from the Sephardic community, the earliest members of which had begun migrating from Turkey in 1906. The Sephardic Jews were known at the time in Cincinnati as “Jerusalem Jews,” to the rest of the community. Their customs and culture differed greatly from those of the Ashkenazic community and the Sephardic community was regarded as being somewhat removed from the greater community. When a Sephardic Jew would pass away, it was difficult to acquire a plot in one of the Cincinnati Jewish cemeteries. This lack of welcome would later contribute to the tightly-knit Sephardic congregation and community and their need to create a cemetery of their own.

On October 1, 1921, the Spanish Hebrew Society was officially formed to tend to all aspects of Sephardic life in the Cincinnati area. Monthly dues were raised from 10 to 50 cents to ensure that all members had free plots in their community’s new cemetery. Their cemetery, Spanish Hebrew Cemetery, is located in a small plot of land within the Love Brothers Cemetery. The early days of this new Spanish Hebrew cemetery contain some interesting stories. In 1919, for example, Hayim Hassid was buried in Judah Touro Cemetery, also in Price Hill. Hassid had come from Turkey after serving as a court jester under the reign of Abdul Hamid II, during Ottoman rule. Hassid, who was only 30 inches tall, immigrated to Cincinnati to be with other Jews he knew from Salonika. According to his obituary, he later performed in a “side show” to earn a livelihood. In his last months, he stayed at the home of Leon Benmayor, an early prominent member of the Sephardic community, now buried in Spanish Hebrew Society Cemetery.

Prior to the building of the congregation, the Sephardic community met every year on High Holidays at a makeshift synagogue in the basement of the JCC on Clinton, near Central Avenue. Women took charge of finances and fundraising for the congregation, while men took control of the other remaining tasks. As the Sephardic population in Cincinnati grew, the members’ next mission was a building campaign.

Every Rosh Hodesh (beginning of a new month), two committed members went around to Jewish homes, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, to collect donations from the community. Rabbi Eliezer Silver took charge of the project of building the future Beth Shalom Congregation, soliciting companies for specific donations, such as glass for windows. Much of the materials were acquired through donations. The Sephardic Beth Shalom Synagogue was inaugurated in 1933, on Manss Avenue in Price Hill, to serve this growing community.

Once the synagogue was built, the congregation thrived, as now the community could gather regularly and observe all holidays and customs of their tradition. The congregation only grew from there, especially after World War II, when many refugees from Greece came to Cincinnati. After 80 strong years, the synagogue closed its doors in 1993.

Rabbi Isaac Jerusalmi, an influential leader in Cincinnati’s Sephardic community, was born in Kuzgundjuk, Istanbul and was raised in a Ladino-speaking family. After completing his studies at Hebrew Union College, Jerusalmi was ordained as a rabbi in 1956. He then returned to Turkey, where he served as an officer during the Korean War. Rabbi Jerusalmi then went to Paris, where he obtained a Ph.D in Aramaic Inscriptions. In 1963, Rabbi Jerusalmi began teaching at Hebrew Union College in Bible and Semitic Languages. He was passionate about preserving the Ladino language and Sephardic culture. Through this passion, he served the Sephardic community in Cincinnati, acting as Haham, the traditional Sephardic title for the rabbi of the community, overseeing the congregation and the Spanish Hebrew Society Cemetery.

The Spanish Hebrew Society Cemetery officially merged with JCGC in July 2018.

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    If you’ve met Ronnie, you know he’s the real deal and always joking, like in this headline (and of course, he’s not speaking about YOU personally!) We wanted to share our pride in Ronnie’s accomplishments and years of service to our community being recognized. ... See MoreSee Less

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    Thank you to our friends 91.7 WVXU and Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial! We're excited for Sunday's program, which will provide a new twist on some great family stories! Will we see you there? ... See MoreSee Less

    The holidays are a great time for genealogical exploration

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    An upcoming workshop has tips for recording your family history.
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    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati

    2 months ago

    Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
    What an honor to have been part of this historic year of events! Thank you to the Cincinnati Preservation Association for the kind recognition. Chazak, chazak v’nitchazeik – wishing our entire community success in moving from strength to strength!Each year, the Cincinnati Preservation Association's Preservation Awards recognize outstanding accomplishments in local preservation activities in the areas of preservation leadership, education, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and sustainability.We're doing something different this year by sharing our honorees ahead of time! Please join us in congratulating the honorees as they are announced, and follow the link below to RSVP to the 2022 Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards that will take place at 4pm on Sun 4 Dec at ARCO in Price Hill! (ARCO Cincy is a 2020 CPA award winner in the Rehabilitation category.)Education is one of CPA's founding principles, and education is key to connecting people to the importance of our history and the need to preserve it. This year’s education award goes to the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial, a 14-month long celebration that featured more than 50 events, including genealogy exercises, history lessons, concerts, dance performances, and art exhibitions with a range of collaborators and partner organizations.Jewish community life in Cincinnati formally began with the founding of Chestnut Street Cemetery in 1821, on land purchased from the largest landowner in the area, Nicholas Longworth.The Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial kicked off on 26 Sep 2021 with the rededication of this burial ground, one of the Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati. In preparation for the start of the celebration, the tombstones were cleaned, a plaza and educational panels were added, and the gate, fence and brick wall around the cemetery were restored and repaired.L’dor v'dor — from generation to generation — the Jewish Cincinnati Bicentennial looked back on 200 years of history and forward to continuing contributions to the city. This milestone was a chance for both celebration and reflection, and presented a compelling opportunity for the community to come together as one.Congratulations to everyone involved for providing a robust platform for us all to learn about and celebrate 200 years of Jewish life in Cincinnati!Stay tuned as we continue to announce the 2022 honorees and please plan to join us at ARCO this Sunday: www.eventbrite.com/e/2022-preservation-awards-and-annual-meeting-tickets-430317470137 ... See MoreSee Less

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Jewish Cemeteries of Greater Cincinnati
3400 Montgomery Road
Cincinnati, Ohio 45207
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