The Early Development of the Jewish Federation of Youngstown 

Local community leaders organized the “Almost Jewish Center” at the Hebrew Institute located in the Henry Tod Mansion on the corner of Elm Street and Lincoln Avenue in 1926. Discussions concerning the viability of organizing a Jewish Federation in Youngstown took place throughout the fall of 1935. By early October, the personnel committee invited Hyman Peretz to visit the city to discuss his views toward communal activities. Accordingly, a meeting at Anshe Emeth Social Hall was held on 31 October 1935. The meeting officially established the Jewish Federation of Youngstown. It also hired Peretz as executive director, passed a constitution and bylaws, and elected Federation officers and a board of directors.   

In 1937, the newly created Jewish Federation of Youngstown purchased the McClain home at 646 Bryson Street. The home provided a central location for community activities and replaced the original meeting place at Temple Anshe Emeth. The Jewish Community Relations Council (J.C.R.C.), established as a department of the Federation on 25 July 1946, named Sidney S. Moyer president and worked to develop programs among the Jewish population and neighboring communities. In 1940, the Ohio State Department of Public Works licensed the Family Welfare Department, now known as the Jewish Family and Children’s Service. Among the early work of the J.F.C.S. was assisting in the relocation of displaced Jews following the horrors of Nazism during World War II.   

The lack of facilities for early childhood education, camping, mass programming, physical education, and sports programs led many members to voice dissatisfaction with the Bryson Street Center. In early 1944, Clarence J. Strouss’ $25,000 donation towards a new Jewish Federation-Jewish Community Center Building led to a Building Fund Campaign. Banquets, fundraisers, and community functions occurred throughout the city in order to raise the funds necessary for a new and modern Jewish center. The Federation officially changed its name to the Youngstown Area Jewish Federation in 1981.[1] 

The Mahoning Valley Historical Society educates and promotes an interest in the history of the Mahoning Valley by collecting, preserving, and developing material representative of the people who have inhabited the region.

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