Cleveland Jews and the Making of a Midwestern Community

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Cleveland, Ohio, boasts the largest Midwestern Jewish community, with around 80,000 residents, and has historically served as a significant center of American Jewish life outside the East Coast. However, literature on Jewish Cleveland and the broader Midwestern Jewish experience has been lacking. This work addresses that gap, contributing to a growing subfield in American Jewish history that explores Jewish life beyond the East Coast, including cities like Chicago and Detroit. It features ten diverse studies from prominent scholars that enhance our understanding of regional, urban, and Jewish American history, specifically in the twentieth century. The essays tackle critical questions about Jewish Cleveland's role in U.S. history, covering topics such as Jewish philanthropy, comics, gender, religious identity, and education from both Reform and Orthodox perspectives. They also examine participation in social service organizations and the Soviet Jewish movement, highlighting how these elements shape Jewish communities over time. This collection uniquely engages with conversations in Jewish and urban history, making it a vital addition to these dynamic fields.