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114 Arkansas

114

THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA

Aries

many

of the Jews of Little Rock and other Arkansas were members of the Confederate Army. Pine Bluff has a Jewish community almost as

cities

large as that of Little Rock. The proportion of Jews to the total population being greater, they are more influential in public affairs. Between 1845 and 1850, a Jew named Wolf now in the New Orleans home came to Pine Bluff. From that date the influx of Jews continued until toPine Bluff, day (1902) there is a Jewish population of some 700 or 800. In 1867 the congregation Anshe Emeth was organized with 20 members. Bloch, a teacher in the public schools, was rabbi, and M. Aschaffenberg, president. In 1871 Bloch resigned and was succeeded by Flugel, who retained office for four years. His successor was M. Greeneblatt, at whose death (1885) Rev. Isaac Rubenstein was appointed. He held office but one year, and was succeeded in 1887 by the Rev. Ferdinand Becker. During his long term the congregation increased to its present membership, 76; and he conducted a most successful Sabbath- school. On his retirement in 1898 he was succeeded by the present incumbent, Rabbi Joseph Kornfeld. The population of Pine Bluff is estimated at The majority of 12,000, of whom 800 are Jews. the Jewish inhabitants are merchants and there are several lawyers, a physician, and a school-teacher. The trades followed by Jews are carpenter, laundry, printer, and tailor. Fort Smith, the community next in size, is considerably smaller than Little Rock or Pine Bluff. Although there were Jews here as Fort Smith., early as 1845, it was not till much later that there were enough to form The earliest settler that can be a congregation. traced was Edward Czarnickow, who came to Fort

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Smith from Posen in 1842. He was followed by Morris Price (1843), Michael Charles (1844), and his brother, Louis Czarnickow, and Leopold LoewenFrom 1845 to 1865 several business thal (1845). houses were established, and the greater part of the business done was carried on with the Indians that flocked to Fort Smith. The first organization was the Cemetery Association. It was established in 1871, and the next year Louis Tilles it purchased a plot for a cemetery. was president. The Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society was also organized in that year. From its inception it has been a great power for good relieving the poor, and contributing generously to the building of the temple. In 1890, through the efforts of Rabbi Messing of St. Louis, a congregation, consisting of about 25 members, was formed. A. Traugott was appointed minister. With the aid of the Ladies' Benevolent Society a lot was bought and a temple erected. In 1895 Traugott retired and was succeeded in 1896 by Max Moses. During the ministry of the latter the debt on the temple was almost In 1898 Moses was succeeded entirely liquidated. by Max C. Currick, who served till the end of 1901. The membership has greatly increased, there being now (1902) 44 full members and 25 associate members; of these about 10 live in neighboring towns. The Sabbath-school, which has 40 pupils and 3 Besides teachers, is in a most prosperous condition.

the organizations mentioned, there are the Progress Club (social), with 40 members (1899); and a local

lodge of the I. O. B. B. (1879), at one time very prosperous, the membership of which has fallen from 30 to 7. The total population of Fort Smith is estimated The only trades at 20,000, of whom 230 are Jews. pursued are: tailor, cutter, photographer, and upholsterer.

Van Buren, a suburb of Fort Smith, contains a few Jewish families, most of whom are members of the Fort Smith congregation. Hot Springs has a Jewish population of 170 in There have been Jews in Hot Springs since 10,000. 1856, when Jacob Kempner came there from Cracow, Galicia.

The congregation was organized in was the first rabbi, and was succeeded by the present incumbent,

F. L. Rosenthal

1878.

Hot

Louis Schreiber.

On

account of the

numbers of sick poor that flock to Hot Springs, the demand upon the community is very heavy and to meet it the Society for the Relief of the Sick Poor was organized in Springs,

large



1899. settler in Jonesboro was Morris arrived in 1882. In 1897 there were enough Jews to form a congregation. In September of that year Rabbi Isaac Rubenstein was called Through his untiring efforts the to the ministry. temple was completed, and was dedicated on Jan. 2, 1898. He died in Jan., 1899. In August of the

The

first

Berger,

Jewish

who

same year Adolph Marx began his Jonesboro, ministry, and served until 1900, when

Texarkana, he was succeeded by J. Ellinger. The total population of Jonesboro is Helena, Camden. 5,000, of whom 125 are Jews. Both in Hot Springs and Jonesboro the only trades pursued by Jews are those of tailor and shoemaker. Texarkana, Helena, and Camden have Jewish communities of about the same size, numbering each between 100 and 140. None of them has either a permanent rabbi or regular services; but they all have services during the autumn holidays, generally conducted by a student of the Hebrew Union ColThe oldest of these communities is Helena, its lege. congregation having been organized as far back as 1869.

It

had permanent rabbis

until 1887.

They

were: A. Meyer (1880-1881), L. Weiss (1882-1884), A. M. Block (1885), and A. Gustmann (1886-1887). Abraham Brill served as rabbi from 1900 till 1901. Each of these communities has a social club, a society for the relief of the poor, a literary society, and a local lodge of the I. O. B. B. Scattered through the remainder of the state, in the towns of Brinkley, Batesville, Conway, Ozark, Paragould, Malvern, Newport, Paris, Fayetteville, Searcy, and Dardanelle, there are some four or five hundred Jews. They are in no greater groups than five families to a town with the exception of Newport and Conway, which have each about 55 Jews.

M. C.

A.

ABKITE(S) Palestine.

('piyn)

is

C.

Ancient people of northwestern In Gen. x. 17, I Chron. i. 15, the Arkite mentioned as a son of Canaan and opens