The Jewish Community of Clarksburg
Synagogues, Jewish Organizations & The Jewish Cemetery
Tree of Life Synagogue & Jewish Community Center - West Pike & Fifth Streets. Established around 1917 as an Orthodox congregation possible known as the Clarksburg Hebrew Congregation. The congregation changed its name to Tree of Life in 1922. It became Conservative in 1939 upon the merger with the Reform Temple Emanuel. Closed in 2004 due to a severe decline in Jewish population. Some Presidents of the Congregation include: Max Friedlander (1917), H.A. Caplan (1938-1951); Jacob Berman (1951-1954), Robert Weiner (1955); Don Berman; Richard Millstone
Temple Emanuel - Established ca. 1914 as a Reform congregation and merged with the Tree of Life Synagogue in 1939.
Jewish Memorial Cemetery: Adjacent to the Bridgeport Cemetery - Bridgeport, West Virginia
Clarksburg B’nai B’rith Lodge No. 727 - Established in January1913 in a small room aboe Caplan’s Jewelry Store. The first President was Joseph Jay. Prior to 1955, the chapter changed its name to the Louis Hiller Lodge, in memory of the well-known Clarksburg Jewish businessman.
Tree of Life Sisterhood - Organized in 1939 as the Tree of Life Ladies’Auxiliary upon the merger of Congregation Tree of Life and Temple Emanuel.
Clarksburg Chapter of Hadassah - Organized in 1948 with Mrs. Murray Lerner, President; Mrs. Louis Lees, 1st V.P.; Mrs. Jerome Krongold, 2nd V.P.; Mrs. Robert Weiner, Recording Sec’y.; Mrs. Jack Friedlander, Corr. Sec’y.; Mrs. Sam Winerman, Treasurer.
Clarksburg Zionist Organization
Cohen Building - 345 West Main Street, c. 1905. This structure is a three-story Italianate building with three bays. A central bay and a large vaulted arched window are located on the second level; it has an arcade effect on the third level. The cornice and triangular pediment at the roof level are Romanesque. It was built by Michael Cohen who was a major stockholder in Robinson Grand Theatre.
David Davidson Building - 324-328 West Main Street. Erected in 1873 by Jewish businessman David Davidson. No longer extant?
Jewish Families
The first permanent Jewish settler in Clarksburg were David Davidson who came to the city prior to 1861 and opened a clothing store. The Nusbaum Family came next in 1880. Among other early Jewish families in Clarksburg were the Adler, Berman, Bloch. Caplan, Ernst, Evnitz, Rosen & Winethrop families. Other Jewish Families in Clarksburg over the years include: Aaron, Barton, Benkiel, Bernstein, Birshtein, Blumberg, Burka, Calan, Chapnick, Cherry, Cohen, Dalton, Davis, Edlavitch, Enelow, Fried, Friedlander, Friedman, Gillman, Goldberg, Goodfriend, Gottlieb, Gurson, Hammersmith, Hiller, Hutson, Jacobs, Jay, Joseph, Karp, Kish, Klapper, Klein, Kramer, Krongold, Lees, Lefkowitz, Lerner, Levey, Levine, London, Lopen, Lurie, Mall, Mandell, Markowitz, Marks, Mellott, Miller, Millstone, Moksay, Morris, Moshein, Moss, Nelson, Oliker, Rose, Roseberg, Rosenfeld, Rosenthal, Ruck, Samuel, Schindler, Schoen, Schwartz, Siegel, Silvert, Sloan, Smith, Stern, Tabakin, Tannenbaum, Trumpeter, Weiner, Weisberg, Wilmoth, Winerman, Zasloff
Local & Regional Jewish Personalities and Public Servants
Howard Caplan served as the US attorney for the Northern District of WV, served as Clarksburg City Atttorney.
Fred H. Caplan served as the Assistant Attorney General of WV and was a member of the WV house of Delegates.
Bernard Gottlieb served as a member of the WV State Board of Police
Max Burka served in WWII and was killed in action.