Encyclopedia-Henderson

Early History of Henderson

Henderson founded as "Red Banks" (due to the reddish clay soil) in the 1770s. The town became Henderson upon its formal establishment in 1797. Growth in the city relied on tobacco farming, and it quickly became the world's leading producer of dark tobacco. Tobacco warehouses and stemmeries dotted downtown Henderson; and postcards from the era show long lines of horse- and mule-drawn wagons piled high with tobacco, waiting their turn to unload for shipment downriver.

The Wartime Jewish Community

A handful of Jewish settlers arrived in Henderson before the war, overwhelmingly brought to the city by the booming tobacco trade. By the end of the Civil War, a handful of Jews lived in town, including local merchants Henry Schlesinger, Bernard Baum, and N. Heyman.

Henderson's positioning along the Ohio River made wartime life difficult for Henderson's Jews. The lack of federal troops allowed rebel mobs to sack stores and raid them of supplies. By 1864, periodic raiding got so bad that most of Henderson's Jews temporarily relocated their stores to Louisville, where a federal presence was stronger. Only Henry Schlesinger would return to Henderson after the war.

S.& E. Oberdorfer

Prussian-born immigrant Simon Oberdorfer first immigrated to Kentucky in the 1850s. When the Civil War broke out, Oberdorfer enlisted in the Union Army, serving in the Kentucky infantry. After the war he moved to Henderson and opened the European Hotel, which included a restaurant and saloon. Simon's nephews Solomon & Edward soon followed him to Henderson, opening a dry-goods store S. & E. Oberdorfer. The store quickly became a success and was flourishing by the turn of the 20th century.

Jewish Shops & Merchants

The Jewish community began growing after the Civil War. Many of the Jews who arrived Henderson were merchants and peddlers. Some, like Abraham Mann and Moses Heilbronner started their lives in Henderson as store clerks while they saved up enough to open a store of their own. Abraham Mann opened Mann Brothers Department Store with his brother Isaac in 1872. The store became a success, eventually expanding to a three-story building (pictured above) before closing during the Great Depression. Moses Heilbronner opened a grocery store in the 1870s which operated in Henderson into the 1920s.

Others who arrived in Henderson immediately opened businesses upon their arrival. Henry and Morris Baldauf opened a dry goods store when they arrived in town in the early 1870s. The store was a resounding success, with the two owning large houses in town and a significant amount of real estate. Morris's son, Julius, would follow in his father's and uncle's footsteps, opening a drug store in Henderson in 1893. Julius ran this store until his death in 1926.

Henderson's First Jewish Institutions

By 1879, Henderson's Jewish community was flourishing, mainly due to the influx of German merchants. The late-1870s saw the existing community members begin to host services and celebrations. For example, Hanna Oberdorfer, Simon's wife, regularly held prayer services in the parlor of their house on Main Street. In 1884, Oberdorfer called Jennie Heilbronner, Cecelia Oberdorfer, and Bertha Mann to this same parlor to establish the Hebrew Ladies Auxiliary Society.

The Hebrew Ladies Auxiliary Society established to found a religious school, acquire land for a cemetery, and "provide and maintain a house of worship." Oberdorfer served as the first president of the group, which soon set about raising money to purchase land for a cemetery. In 1885, the society purchased land for a cemetery, which they named Mt. Pisgah, on the east end of town. A rabbi came in from Evansville to conduct the consecration ceremony in 1886.

The first formal Jewish congregation opened Henderson in 1887, Congregation Adas Israel. Initially the congregation met above Beugger's Bakery and Moses Heilbronner led services. Morris Baldauf started a religious school shortly after and pushed for the construction of a synagogue. The Baldauf family donated land at the corner of Alves Center streets. The congregation laid the cornerstone for the new synagogue in 1891 and dedicated the building in 1892.

Growth and Decline of Henderson's Jewish Community

Bolstered by the arrival of Eastern European Jews, Henderson's Jewish community continued to expand into the 20th century. By the turn of the century, there were roughly 150 Jews living in Henderson. The majority of these new arrivals followed the settlement patterns of the earlier migrants. Most of them either worked as peddlers or opened up shops in Henderson's downtown.

At the turn of the century Adas Israel had 21 dues-paying families. However, these dues were not enough to afford a rabbi and Moses Heilbronner served as the congregation's lay leader. Despite the lack of a rabbi, Adas Israel joined the Reform Union of Hebrew Congregations in 1905. As was the case with most small-town synagogues, the Reform affiliation did not mean that all the members were reform-allgned themselves. Membership was a mixture of native-born Americans and newly-arriving immigrants. Some of the congregation's members kept kosher, traveling across the river to Evansville, Indiana for kosher meat. Of the congregation's nine board members in 1900, three were American-born, four were German immigrants, and two came from Eastern Europe.

Adas Israel continued growing in the first decade of the 20th century. In 1905, there were 30 dues-paying families. By 1907, 24 children attended Adas Israel's Hebrew school. This would be its highest ebb, however. Over the next several decades, the Jewish population of Henderson steadily declined, By 1935, only 20 families belonged to Henderson’s lone Jewish congregation. In 1937, only 88 Jews lived in Henderson; in 1942, this number had dipped to 70 people. Adas Israel had only 18 dues paying members in 1945.

The Closure of Henderson's Jewish Community

Adas Israel held a rededication ceremony to mark the congregation's 50th anniversary in 1942, but they had fewer than 20 member families at the time. Despite this, the congregation continued weekly services with lay leaders and the occasional student rabbi. By 1953, a student rabbi visited only once a month and by the end of the decade student rabbis only came into town for the High Holidays. In 1959, the congregation could not even afford these sporadic appearances.

The community continued to decline into the 1960s. In 1959, Adas Israel had only 15 members, almost all of whom were over the age of 65. By the mid-1960s only five families remained at Adas Israel and the cost of maintaining the temple became too much. In 1966, the congregation sold the building to a local church, marking the official end of organized Jewish life in the city.

Stories from Jewish Life in Henderson

Stones & Silvermans

In the early 1910s, Sam Stone arrived in Henderson. A native of Odessa, in what is now Ukraine, Stone was a peddler who previously lived in New York, Denver, and Salt Lake City. He moved to Henderson at the behest of his wife, Mollie, whose sister, Ida, lived in Henderson with her husband, Morris Silverman.

Morris Silverman had owned a successful dry goods store in downtown Henderson since 1905. When the Stones moved to Kentucky, Sam opened up a small shoe repair business inside Silverman's store. He operated out of Silverman's store until 1917, when Stone could finally afford to open his own stand-alone shop.

Ultimately, Stone's shoe repair shop would outlive the Silvermans' store, as Morris and Ida left Henderson for Florida in 1927.

Simon's Store

Stones & Silvermans

Jacob Simon, a native of Lithuania, arrived in Henderson in 1910. Jacob's brother, Ben, preceded him to the city, prompting his migration. Jacob's early career in Henderson focused on peddling, particularly in garments. Because Jacob spoke little English, he had difficulty gaining the trust of his customer-base. Over time, Jacob was able to gain their trust and he said that "the children began to look forward to my visits as if I were Santa Claus.”

After a few years peddling, Jacob opened up a small store in town, though he sold it upon enlisting in the Army and shipping of to World War I. When he returned, Jacob bought out an existing dry goods store and renamed it Simon's.

He often traveled to Louisville for merchandise. It would be on one of these trips that Jacob met his wife Goldie Grossman, who was the daughter of one of his suppliers.

Jacob and Goldie's son, Larry, joined the family business in 1949. Under Larry's stewardship, Simon's shifted focus to exclusively selling shoes. In the early 1960s the store renamed to Simon's Shoe Store and remains in business, owned by Larry's son Bruce. (Pictured Below)

Bernstein's

Kraver's Theater

Ben Bernstein arrived in Kentucky as an immigrant from Romania. Initially he made his living as a peddler, but eventually opened a small store in Henderson. This proved a short-lived venture, as Bernstein and his wife Mae moved to Hopkinsville in the 1920s. They returned to Henderson a few years later and Ben bought the Interstate Store, which he renamed Bernstein's.

Ben was an active member in Henderson's civic life. He helped organize the local chapter of the Salvation Army and spent three terms as its chairman. Bernstein also served on the board of the YMCA, and was chairman of the World Service Committee. Ben's wife Mae also served as vice president of the city's Public Welfare Board and served on the board of the local Red Cross for two decades.

Ben's son Sol joined the family business when he returned from World War II. Soon after, the business moved into a new building and was renamed Bernstein's Men's and Boys' Store. Sol eventually left the business to pursue interests in journalism and broadcasting. His wife, Shirley took over running the store. Sol and Shirley's son Jerry would be the third generation of Bernsteins to run the store in 1969. He ran the store for the next 40 years, finally closing it in 2009.

Kraver's Theater

Henry Kraver arrived in Henderson in the 1890s and began a number of pursuits. He was a whiskey distiller and president of the First National Bank. However, it would be 1929 that Kraver made his biggest mark on the city. He constructed a large building downtown with the intent of leasing it out to Montgomery Ward. However, when the great depression hit, the store shuttered. Not deterred by this, Kraver converted the empty building into a theater that showed movies and hosted vaudeville performances. The Kraver Theater opened in 1935 and would be a landmark in downtown Henderson for the next 40 years.

Jewish History of Henderson, Kentucky

Early History of Henderson

The Wartime Jewish Community

S.& E. Oberdorfer

Jewish Shops & Merchants

Henderson's First Jewish Institutions

Growth and Decline of Henderson's Jewish Community

The Closure of Henderson's Jewish Community

Stories from Jewish Life in Henderson

Stones & Silvermans

Stones & Silvermans

Stones & Silvermans

Simon's Store

Stones & Silvermans

Stones & Silvermans

Bernstein's

Kraver's Theater

Kraver's Theater

Kraver's Theater

Kraver's Theater

Kraver's Theater

Bibliography

Jewish History of Henderson, Kentucky

Early History of Henderson

The Wartime Jewish Community

S.& E. Oberdorfer

Jewish Shops & Merchants

Henderson's First Jewish Institutions

Growth and Decline of Henderson's Jewish Community

The Closure of Henderson's Jewish Community

Stories from Jewish Life in Henderson

Stones & Silvermans

Stones & Silvermans

Stones & Silvermans

Simon's Store

Stones & Silvermans

Stones & Silvermans

Bernstein's

Kraver's Theater

Kraver's Theater

Kraver's Theater

Kraver's Theater

Kraver's Theater

Bibliography

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