Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities - Osceola, Arkansas
Historical Overview
Osceola, Arkansas, is one of two county seats in Mississippi County. Located on the Mississippi River, the town emerged in the early 20th century as a local steamboat and rail hub. Early infrastructure laid the groundwork for the development of significant industry and manufacturing in the mid-20th century. As of 2023, Osceola continues to serve as a manufacturing center and river port, but the town’s population has declined since the beginning of the century.
Jewish history in Osceola and the surrounding area begins with the local steam boat boom of the 1890s. Osceola Jews established a small congregation in 1912 and regularly held services for approximately a decade. Although Jewish organizational life later shifted to nearby Blytheville, Osceola Jews maintained their tight-knit community and called the town home for the duration of the 20th century. The town’s Jewish population declined over the decades, however, and there is no significant Jewish presence in the town as of 2023.
Jewish history in Osceola and the surrounding area begins with the local steam boat boom of the 1890s. Osceola Jews established a small congregation in 1912 and regularly held services for approximately a decade. Although Jewish organizational life later shifted to nearby Blytheville, Osceola Jews maintained their tight-knit community and called the town home for the duration of the 20th century. The town’s Jewish population declined over the decades, however, and there is no significant Jewish presence in the town as of 2023.
Early Jewish Settlers and the Osceola Jewish Community
The area that became Mississippi County remained sparsely populated in the early 19th century. Flooding, dense forests, and difficult travel discouraged large scale settlement; and the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812 caused major disruptions for the few people who lived in northeast Arkansas and neighboring states. White settlers slowly began to return to the area with the advent of a growing steamboat industry, and in 1837 white settlers bartered with local Indigenous people for land, with which they established a settlement that would become Osceola. The town quickly became an important steamboat landing along the Mississippi river, exporting local timber to fuel steamboats. Cotton culture also developed in the area during this time.
The first known Jew to settle in Osceola was Israel “Louie” Harwag (1864-1943), who fled Ukraine to escape mandatory conscription in the Russian empire. “To be a Jew in the Russian army,” he explained, “was like being in hell with your back broken.” Initially he immigrated to Memphis, where he met and married his wife Tillie Shatsky, and the couple then moved upriver to Osceola. In the 1890s Louie and Tillie set up a dry goods and tailoring shop, and they reportedly endured an “isolated existence” until the railroad came to town in 1899. The local Christian population overwhelmingly accepted the Harwag family. Upon their arrival in Osceola, one of the Harwags’ white, Christian counterparts allegedly said, “Now our town is complete—we have a Jew.”
Interfaith relations extended beyond mere acceptance. Early Jewish settlers in Osceola established close, personal relationships with non-Jewish families. The Weinberg family, for example, were such close friends with the Edrington and Cartwright families that Annie Weinberg, the family matriarch, allowed her children to attend Methodist Sunday school and church with the Edrington and Cartwright children. The Weinberg children considered this weekly tradition a social and recreational activity. According to family histories, daughter Lillie Weinberg, “thought of this as entertainment rather than a religious experience” and “enjoyed the music.” Although her decision was influenced at least in part by the small number of Jews in the area, Annie Weinberg also approved of her children dating non-Jewish peers. She remained adamant, however, that her children marry Jewish spouses, and intervened whenever she feared her children’s romantic relationships with non-Jews were too serious.
As more Jews moved to Osceola, Jewish families developed the beginnings of a Jewish community. By 1912 Osceola boasted 11 Jewish families with some 20 Jewish children aged between five and seventeen, all of Eastern European background. With the help of Reform Rabbi Max Samfield of Memphis, local Jews founded Congregation B’rith Shalom, hoping that it would draw membership from the surrounding area, particularly the nearby town of Blytheville. Isaac Miller served as the congregation’s first president and Harry Weinberg as the superintendent of the religious school. Following the congregation’s founding, Annie Weinberg became the unofficial leader of B’rith Shalom. Local histories credit Annie Weinberg with almost single-handedly keeping the congregation running; she owned a torah, hosted a minyan in her house every Friday, and organized High Holiday services at the local Methodist church.
The first known Jew to settle in Osceola was Israel “Louie” Harwag (1864-1943), who fled Ukraine to escape mandatory conscription in the Russian empire. “To be a Jew in the Russian army,” he explained, “was like being in hell with your back broken.” Initially he immigrated to Memphis, where he met and married his wife Tillie Shatsky, and the couple then moved upriver to Osceola. In the 1890s Louie and Tillie set up a dry goods and tailoring shop, and they reportedly endured an “isolated existence” until the railroad came to town in 1899. The local Christian population overwhelmingly accepted the Harwag family. Upon their arrival in Osceola, one of the Harwags’ white, Christian counterparts allegedly said, “Now our town is complete—we have a Jew.”
Interfaith relations extended beyond mere acceptance. Early Jewish settlers in Osceola established close, personal relationships with non-Jewish families. The Weinberg family, for example, were such close friends with the Edrington and Cartwright families that Annie Weinberg, the family matriarch, allowed her children to attend Methodist Sunday school and church with the Edrington and Cartwright children. The Weinberg children considered this weekly tradition a social and recreational activity. According to family histories, daughter Lillie Weinberg, “thought of this as entertainment rather than a religious experience” and “enjoyed the music.” Although her decision was influenced at least in part by the small number of Jews in the area, Annie Weinberg also approved of her children dating non-Jewish peers. She remained adamant, however, that her children marry Jewish spouses, and intervened whenever she feared her children’s romantic relationships with non-Jews were too serious.
As more Jews moved to Osceola, Jewish families developed the beginnings of a Jewish community. By 1912 Osceola boasted 11 Jewish families with some 20 Jewish children aged between five and seventeen, all of Eastern European background. With the help of Reform Rabbi Max Samfield of Memphis, local Jews founded Congregation B’rith Shalom, hoping that it would draw membership from the surrounding area, particularly the nearby town of Blytheville. Isaac Miller served as the congregation’s first president and Harry Weinberg as the superintendent of the religious school. Following the congregation’s founding, Annie Weinberg became the unofficial leader of B’rith Shalom. Local histories credit Annie Weinberg with almost single-handedly keeping the congregation running; she owned a torah, hosted a minyan in her house every Friday, and organized High Holiday services at the local Methodist church.
Business and Civic Life
By the 1890s Osceola had become well-positioned in the cotton and timber industries thanks to local river and rail transport. Shortly thereafter, railroads overtook steamboats as the primary method of transportation in the area. As a stop on the main line of both the St. Louis and San Francisco railroads, Osceola’s economy boomed. Soon the town was home to a telephone system, courthouse, newspaper building, and bank, and received some six trains a day. Local Jews benefited during this time of economic growth. Ike Miller, the second Jew to settle in Osceola, came to town as a peddler and eventually established several successful stores. Osceola presented Jews with an opportunity for social and economic mobility, and many Jews who got their start in Osceola at the turn of the century were also able build generational wealth. Russian-born William Nickol (1885-1940), who originally settled in Memphis through the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS), moved to Osceola in 1913 and opened a dry goods and shoe store. His son Morris became a dentist and eventually served as president of the Northeast Arkansas Dental Association.
As Jews settled in town and achieved economic success, they also began participating in local civic life. Local clothing store owner Lionel Silverfield served on the board of the Chamber of Commerce and City Planning Commission in the mid- and late 20th century. Similarly, Melvin Lapides, son of Louis Lapides and owner of a successful general mercantile store “Little Lap’s”, was influential in Osceola politics, promoting local and state politicians like Bill Alexander, Dale Bumpers, and even eventual president, Bill Clinton.
Lapides also played a significant role in the town’s late 20th century economic development. After Congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1955, construction of Interstate 55 began near Osceola. The town’s proximity to river, rail, and interstate highway transportation made it an attractive destination for manufacturing companies. In 1960, the founder and president of the American Greetings firm, Jacob Sapirstein, consulted Lapides on the treatment of Jews in Osceola. Following Lapides’ confirmation that “the city did not have a hint of anti-Semitism,” Sapirstein opened a small factory in Osceola, which grew to be the 7th largest employer in the state of Arkansas by 1988. The city has since continued to build a solid industrial base and, in the 21st century, become one of the largest steel producing counties in the country.
As Jews settled in town and achieved economic success, they also began participating in local civic life. Local clothing store owner Lionel Silverfield served on the board of the Chamber of Commerce and City Planning Commission in the mid- and late 20th century. Similarly, Melvin Lapides, son of Louis Lapides and owner of a successful general mercantile store “Little Lap’s”, was influential in Osceola politics, promoting local and state politicians like Bill Alexander, Dale Bumpers, and even eventual president, Bill Clinton.
Lapides also played a significant role in the town’s late 20th century economic development. After Congress passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1955, construction of Interstate 55 began near Osceola. The town’s proximity to river, rail, and interstate highway transportation made it an attractive destination for manufacturing companies. In 1960, the founder and president of the American Greetings firm, Jacob Sapirstein, consulted Lapides on the treatment of Jews in Osceola. Following Lapides’ confirmation that “the city did not have a hint of anti-Semitism,” Sapirstein opened a small factory in Osceola, which grew to be the 7th largest employer in the state of Arkansas by 1988. The city has since continued to build a solid industrial base and, in the 21st century, become one of the largest steel producing counties in the country.
Lionel Silverfield in Silverfield's Department Store, photograph by Carolyn Gray LeMaster, n.d.. Carolyn LeMaster Collection, Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Central Arkansas Library System.
Change and Decline
Hopes for B’rith Shalom, Osceola’s local congregation, to become a regional Jewish hub for northeast Arkansas were never realized. Poor infrastructure made it difficult for locals to travel easily between towns; a short trip to a neighboring town like Blythesville often required a train ride and an overnight stay. Furthermore, while Jewish migration to Osceola slowed, Jewish migration to Blytheville increased. By 1918 enough Jews had moved to Blytheville to establish a B’nai B’rith lodge and the Menorah (S.S. Sternberg) Lodge. In 1923 Annie Weinberg moved to Blytheville to live with her daughter Lillie. A number of Osceola Jews like Ben H. Levy, Ike Rosenthal, Max Meyers, and Addie Levy soon followed in Annie’s footsteps. This wave of Jewish migration from Osceola to Blytheville spurred the foundation of Temple Israel in Blytheville.
As older generations aged and retired, younger generations moved to larger towns and cities seeking educational and economic opportunities. Jewish folks like Nathan and Hyman “Hymie” Weinberg, sons of Annie, remained lifelong Osceola residents even after their retirement in the 1970s. The next generation, however, did not follow their lead. Lionel Silverfield was one of only a handful of Jews to move back to Osceola after completing an undergraduate degree. By the start of the 21st century, only a handful of Jews remained in Osceola. While their population was never large and they had a congregation for only a few years, the Osceola Jewish community thrived through much of the 20th century.
As older generations aged and retired, younger generations moved to larger towns and cities seeking educational and economic opportunities. Jewish folks like Nathan and Hyman “Hymie” Weinberg, sons of Annie, remained lifelong Osceola residents even after their retirement in the 1970s. The next generation, however, did not follow their lead. Lionel Silverfield was one of only a handful of Jews to move back to Osceola after completing an undergraduate degree. By the start of the 21st century, only a handful of Jews remained in Osceola. While their population was never large and they had a congregation for only a few years, the Osceola Jewish community thrived through much of the 20th century.