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Bentonville, Arkansas

Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Bentonville, Arkansas

Overview >> Arkansas >>  Bentonville
Historical Overview 
Located in the far northwestern corner of Arkansas, Bentonville is an unusual Southern Jewish story. Unlike other small Jewish communities in the South, the community in Bentonville has experienced tremendous growth in the twenty-first century. This growth can be attributed to one specific factor: Bentonville is the home of America's largest company, Wal-Mart.
RESOURCES
History of Congregation Etz Chaim
Congregation Etz Chaim 
Stories of the Jewish Community in Bentonville
A Different Story
The Jewish community in Bentonville does not follow the typical story of the small town Jewish community in the South, one of peddlers and merchants opening stores in the nineteenth century. In fact, in 1937, no Jews were reported to live in Bentonville. Instead, the community grew along with Wal-Mart. The transformative retail company began as a five and dime store in downtown Bentonville, and as the company grew, so did the town's population. In 1990, the population of Bentonville was 11,257. By 2000, almost 20,000 people lived there; just five years later the population was up to more than 29,000. As Wal-Mart emerged as the world's largest retail operation, other companies opened offices in Bentonville to be closer to their largest customer. Among these new residents were Jews, with 100 estimated to be living in the area by 2005, a development that even attracted the attention of the national media, with a front-page feature in the New York Times in 2006. Practically all of them came from other areas of the country, and most were young families with children. In 2004, they organized Bentonville's first ever synagogue, Etz Chaim (Tree of Life). The religious school quickly became the second largest in the state.

As the small town retail trade has declined, many Jews have moved into professional and corporate careers. As a result, they have moved to economic centers like Houston, Dallas, and Atlanta, while small town Jewish populations have shrunk. As a corporate center, Bentonville provides opportunity for twenty-first-century Jews.

The Jewish Community in Bentonville Today 
Bentonville is a fast-growing Jewish community, though it experiences a high degree of turnover. Many corporations who station employees in Bentonville transfer them to other offices after a few years. Despite this, Bentonville’s Jewish community will likely continue to grow in next few decades. Anticipating this growth, Chabad has recently opened a branch in town.
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  • Home
  • WHO WE ARE
    • Our Mission & History
    • Goldring and Woldenberg
    • Board of Directors
    • Staff
    • Our Founder
    • Jobs and Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • WHAT WE DO
    • Education >
      • ISJL Program Associates
      • Collective Enrichment >
        • Conference
      • Curriculum Highlights >
        • Lesson Plan Evaluation
      • Community Support >
        • Communities
      • Literacy >
        • LAB
        • Our Reading Family
        • TAP >
          • TAP Basic Resources
          • Order TAP Supplies
          • TAP Newsletter
          • TAP Workshops
          • Zadeck TAP Mentors
    • CULTURE >
      • Cultural Programming >
        • Presenters Roster
      • Heritage & Interpretation >
        • Virtual Vacation >
          • Virtual Road Trip Through the Jewish South
        • Southern Jewish Heritage Tours
        • Temple B'nai Israel - Natchez
      • History >
        • Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities >
          • Alabama Encyclopedia
          • Arkansas Encyclopedia
          • Georgia Encyclopedia
          • Florida Encyclopedia
          • Kentucky Encyclopedia
          • Louisiana Encyclopedia
          • Mississippi Encyclopedia
          • North Carolina Encyclopedia
          • Oklahoma Encyclopedia
          • South Carolina Encyclopedia
          • Tennessee Encyclopedia
          • Texas Encyclopedia
          • Virginia Encyclopedia
          • Encyclopedia Credits
        • Meet the Historian
        • Oral History
    • SPIRITUALITY >
      • High Holidays Helper 2022
      • Meet Our Rabbi
      • Taste of Torah
  • Shalom Y'all
  • DONATE
  • Strategic Plan
  • Southern & Jewish Blog
  • ISJL Calendar
  • Who Knows One
  • Virtual Press Kit