Austin Reid, at The Blogs

Austin Reid

Documenting Hidden Jewish Histories and Legacies

Jan 19, 2025, 6:25 PM

What 19th-Century Jewish Converts Can Teach Us About Today

In December 1864, Ada Walker stood before the congregation of Beneh Abraham in Portsmouth, Ohio, and formally embraced Judaism. Her story, and others like it, reveal a moment in Jewish history that challenges common assumptions about conversion—one that may...

Dec 27, 2024, 8:02 AM

Carrying the Light: Stories of Jewish Life and Unity During World War I

As we light the Hanukkah candles this year, I am drawn to the stories of Jewish life in places where its presence might surprise some—small towns like Steubenville, Ohio, and Tredegar, Wales. These towns, though removed from the major...

Dec 22, 2024, 6:57 AM

Lessons of Giving: How Non-Jews Supported Synagogues and Jewish Causes

In Lima, Ohio, in the early 20th century, the Jewish community faced a challenge familiar to many small-town congregations: constructing their first synagogue. After worshiping in rented spaces for decades, the community sought a dignified, lasting home to serve...

Dec 15, 2024, 5:29 AM

How Jewish Leaders Brought Universal Values to Small-Town America

The former Beneh Abraham synagogue in Portsmouth, Ohio. Rabbi Stephen S. Wise’s 1923 lecture helped raise funds to construct this building, which now serves as a church. Photo courtesy of Scioto Historical.

In April 1872, a small but remarkable event unfolded in Springfield, Ohio. Rabbi Max Lilienthal, a towering figure in American Reform Judaism, delivered a lecture at the town’s Opera House. The event, organized by Springfield’s Jewish community of fewer...

Dec 3, 2024, 6:06 AM

The Jewish Mayor Who Transformed Corning: Sam Eichenbaum’s Appalachian Legacy

“‘Obligations say you will not speak evil of a brother or sister.’” These words, shared by Samuel Eichenbaum’s niece Bertha Eichenbaum Levion when confronted with town gossip, embody the ethos of a family deeply rooted in service and integrity....

Nov 26, 2024, 7:02 AM

Featured Post

The vanishing Stars of David

B’nai Israel Synagogue of Lancaster, Ohio, circa 1990. This building served the community for more than six decades before the congregation disbanded in 1993. (Image first published in the Fall 2018 edition of Fairfield County Heritage Quarterly, courtesy of the author, Austin Reid.)

Small-town Jewish decline in America has eroded the interpersonal ties that once bridged divides between Jews and their neighbors

About Me

Austin Reid is a historian and writer uncovering the hidden histories of Jewish communities and their enduring relevance in American life. He specializes in connecting local stories to broader cultural and social themes, with work highlighted by national publications and historical archives.

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