During World War II at least 13 local Jews are known to have served. Their names are Robert Bernstein, Howard Brody, Alvin Cohodas, Elinor Cohodas, Norman Cohodas, Herbert Kauvar, Norman Kippen, Stanley Krohngold, David Loeb Jr., David Rubenstein, Harry Rubenstein, Albert Wakser, and Robert Weiner. Following the war, at least six Jewish war veterans moved to Ashtabula. Their names were Arthur Aronson, Stanley Altman, Sanford Coblitz, John Goldsmith, Samuel Goldstein, and Morton Newman. During the war, Albert Wakser was awarded the Purple Heart, Silver Star, and Bronze Star.55 David Loeb Jr. served as a lieutenant and also received the Purple Heart. David went on to serve in the Korean War along with another member of the Jewish community, Robert Reider. Herbert Kauvar was likely the youngest person to serve after he joined the Navy at age 17.56 Following the end of World War II on September 2, 1945, a Jewish War Veterans chapter was established in Ashtabula. This group, which nationally is the county’s oldest active veteran’s organization, existed in Ashtabula until the late 20th century. It is also of note that shortly after the end of World War II two couples who were refugees from Europe arrived in Ashtabula. Max and Anita Freilich moved to Ashtabula after spending a few years in Canada. During the war, Max served in the Canadian Army.57 Max’s parents, who were not able to secure passage out of Europe, were murdered by the Nazis. Felix Freilich, Max’s brother, also escaped from Europe and went on to play violin with the Cleveland Orchestra.58 Anita’s parents, Walter and Zdenka Abeles, were also able to leave Europe for Canada in 1939. In Canada, Walter found work with Canadian Permanent Pastures Incorporated, a company that sold grass seed to farmers. After the war, the Abeles moved to Ashtabula so that Walter could be closer to customers in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.59 Both Walter and Zdenka’s parents were murdered during the Holocaust. One Holocaust survivor, Joseph Reinhold, also settled in the village of Jefferson after the war. Joseph’s first wife, Sara, was murdered at Auschwitz in 1942.
In 1949 the Jewish population of Ashtabula was estimated to number 179 people.60 This was likely a decline from the community’s total in the 1930s. The community’s size, however, would grow again during the 1950s and early 1960s, and Ashtabula’s Jewish population likely reached its peak around 1962 with an estimated 225 individuals.61 Jews continued to play a prominent role in Ashtabula’s civic and economic life. Some of the businesses in town owned by Jews during the mid-20th-century included, the Ashtabula News Agency, the Arthur Louis Supply Company, Crown Jewelry Store, Stan’s Delicatessen, Sterling Jewelers, and the Wheeler Manufacturing Corporation. The Ashtabula News Agency was owned and operated by Norman Kippen for 54 years. Norman inherited the business from his father, David who established it around 1926. Sanford Coblitz arrived in Ashtabula County in 1948 after investing in The Arthur Louis Supply Company alongside a group of other businessmen. Within a few years, he took full ownership of the business. Sanford, a native of Scranton, Pennsylvania, moved to Ashtabula with his wife Leah Coblitz. Nine years later, Sanford created the Wheeler Manufacturing Corporation, which continues to produce pipes locally in Ashtabula County into the 21st century. Leah and Sanford were active members of the Ashtabula community. Stanford served as commander of the local Jewish War Veterans post and he was president of Tifereth Israel. He was also a member of the Ashtabula Kiwanis Club and Shea Theater.62 Charles and Mauriel Krasnoff owned the Crown Jewelry Store, which had branches in both Ashtabula and Conneaut. The couple were members of Tifereth Israel, and Mauriel was an accomplished violin player.63
Stan’s Delicatessen was a fixture on Main Avenue for over 30 years. The deli was operated by Stanley and Zelda Altman. Stanley was a native of Michigan who moved to Ashtabula after his marriage to Zelda, who was the daughter of Bessie and Louis Levin. The Levin family had arrived in Ashtabula around 1909, and Louis found work as a cattle dealer and butcher.64 In the early 1980s, Stanley served as president of the Ohio State Restaurant Association, which had approximately 5,000 members at the time.65 Zelda was an active volunteer with many community organizations including the Women's Club of Ashtabula, Zonta International, the Ashtabula Arts Center, and the Salvation Army.66 Ann and Jack Myers operated Sterling Jewelers from 1945 to 1969. Both Ann and Jack were also highly involved in the Ashtabula community. Ann served as president of the local Parent Teacher Association and she was a member of United Jewish Women, B’nai B’rith Women, and the Order of the Eastern Star.67 Jack served two terms as president of B’nai B’rith and a term as president of Tifereth Israel. He was also a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Masons, and Retail Merchants Association.68
Younger members of the Ashtabula Jewish community also found ways to come together through organizations. Beginning in the 1950s, a Young Judaea chapter existed in Ashtabula. This youth group sponsored activities locally and traveled to meet with other chapters in nearby cities.69 A chapter of United Jewish Women also existed locally for a period of time in the mid-20th century. Ann Myers, Rhoda Weiner, and Gertrude Kahne were among its members. Rhoda Weiner moved to Ashtabula in 1949 with her husband, Robert and she found work as a clerk at the Ashtabula Municipal Court. This work eventually allowed Rhoda to create her own business, Rhoda S. Weiner Associates which provided court reporting service. This business would be in operation until 1997.70 Rhoda was also a member of Zonta International, where she served a term as president, and she was the chairwoman of the Ashtabula County Medical Center Fund Development Committee at the time of her death in 2007.71 Robert Weiner worked as a teacher in the Ashtabula city school district and he was also an insurance salesman. In the community, he was an active member of the Elks and Masons and served on the board of the American Heart Association of Northeast Ohio. He was also president of Tifereth Israel for a time.72 Gertrude was the daughter of Alfred and Alice Kahne, and she was born in Ashtabula. She worked as a librarian in Ashtabula before moving to Cleveland for a number of years. In 1973 she returned to Ashtabula and resumed her work as a librarian locally.73
During much of the 1960s, Tifereth Israel had a full-time religious leader named Edward Kalifon. Before moving to Ashtabula in 1963, Edward worked as a Hebrew teacher in Cleveland. While not an ordained rabbi, Edward was the first full-time religious leader Tifereth Israel had in several years.74 The last full-time rabbi known to have served at Tifereth Israel was Norman Samson, who was an Air Force veteran and a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York.75 Norman arrived in Ashtabula in 1950. In addition to working at Tifereth Israel, Edward visited local churches to teach about Judaism. His adult education classes were also attended by many non-Jews. Edward had four sons named Herman, Stuart, Robert, and David who all moved to Israel as adults. In 1971, Edward left Ashtabula for a position in Greensboro, North Carolina. After his departure, it appears that Tifereth Israel again utilized the services of visiting or part-time rabbis.
55 Obituary of Al 'Sonny' Wakser, Cleveland Jewish News, January 30, 2004.
56 Herb Kauvar, interview by Avi Master, 2012.
57 Miriam Sterling, email to author, December 08, 2021.
58 Terry Ray and Allen Ray, Failure to Comply (Bloomington: Xlibris, 2013).
59 Miriam Sterling, email to author, December 08, 2021.
60 “Statistics,” American Jewish Yearbook, http://www.ajcarchives.org/AJC_DATA/Files/1948_1949_18_Statistics.pdf, p 673.
61 “Jewish Population in the United States, 1961,” American Jewish Yearbook, http://www.ajcarchives.org/AJC_DATA/Files/1962_4_USDemographic.pdf, p 142.
62 "Sanford Coblitz, Businessman, Inventor and Civic Activist, 76," Cleveland Jewish News, August 22, 1997.
63 Obituary of Mrs. Charles Krasnoff, Cleveland Jewish News, March 18, 1977.
64 Obituary of Louis Levin, Jewish Independent, November 21, 1958.
65 "Restaurant Association Endorses State Issue 1," Daily Gazette (Xenia, OH), October 15, 1981.
66 Obituary of Zelda Altman, Star Beacon (Ashtabula), March 13, 2011.
67 Obituary of Ann Myers, Cleveland Jewish News, July 01, 2011.
68 Obituary of Jack Myers, Cleveland Jewish News, October 19, 1984.
69 “Y Camp Setting Cites Israeli Theme,” Y.M. & W.H.A. Weekly (Pittsburgh), June 12, 1959.
70 Obituary of Rhoda Weiner, Star Beacon, October 23, 2007.
71 Ibid.
72 Obituary of Robert Weiner, Cleveland Jewish News, May 10, 1996.
73 Obituary of Gertrude Kahne, Cleveland Jewish News, July 10, 1998.
74 Mike Lebowitz, "A Biblical Find," News-Herald (Willoughby, OH), November 07, 2004, https://www.news-herald.com/news/a-biblical-find/article_a4eecfe6-7089-5f7c-a54d-993a0d720472.html.
75 “Institute on Judaism is Tuesday,” Star Beacon, October 08, 1950.
76 Mike Lebowitz, "A Biblical Find," News-Herald (Willoughby, OH), November 07, 2004.