When viewing the panoramas of Jewish, Chicago today......the quarter of a million of Jewish inhabitants, the several synagogues in the Jewish working centers located in every part of the city, it is rather difficult to imagine that all this is a product of only seventy five years. The first Jews that settled in Chicago, came here in 1838, when Chicago was only populated by one-hundred pioneers, who protected themselves from the Indians.

Ten years later, in 1848, the first synagogue was found in Chicago ( the west at that time) the Kehillath Anshe Sfarad, and was not located in Douglas Park, which was at that time a forest, but in the center of today's loop, where the post office is now situated, corner of Clark Street and Jackson Blvd.

On that corner, the Illinois Jewish Historical Society placed a bronze tablet, three years ago, in commemoration of the first synagogue in Chicago, with the following inscription:

"The first Jewish Synagogue stood in this place in the year of 1851."

The members of the synagogue were all German Jews, because the first Jews to settle in Chicago migrated from Western Europe. The Jewish population commenced to grow, only when the Jews of Eastern Europe, the Russian and Polish Jews, migrated to America.

Jacob B. Grossman, a Russian Jew who came to Chicago in 1882, relates several interesting facts about the assimilation between the German and the Russian Jews of that time. The Yohudim (German Jews) of that time were very foreign and often publicly evinced hatred toward the Russian Jew. Grossman, recalls a very humorous situation, which occurred then and illustrated what the Jews of Germany and other Western European Jews have done to their Russian and Polish (Jews) brethren.

An Independent Order B'nai B'rith, existed then, whose members consisted of Western European Jews only. A group of Russian and Polish Jews organized and submitted an application blank to the Independent Order of the B'nai B'rith, as a Lodge of the I. O. B. B.

The Order rejected this application blank with the explanation "That they do not want to mingle with the Russian Jews." The news about this incident entered the press and an Irish Order. "The Clan-No-Giel," became aware of that incident and it notified the Russian Jews that the Irish members were willing to accept them into their Order. That incident then became the laughing stock of Chicago.

Then the German and Russian Jews separated from each other and the relation between both groups recalled the old German proverb, "The German does not like the Frenchman, but he loves his wine." And so the situation remains today. The German Jew does not like the Russian Jew, but he likes his votes. Yet, despite the fact that German Jews constitute ten percent and Russian and Polish Jews ninety percent of the Jewish population of Chicago, nearly all the Jewish judges and city officials are German Jews, who were elected by votes of the Russian Jews.

Sunday evening, October 9, fifty years ago, the great fire, that practically destroyed the entire city, broke-out. When the flames began spreading and annihilating property, Chicago was already a large city, and the Jews, who played a very considerable part in the economic life of the city, were afflicted very much by the fire.

To aid the victims of that horrible fire, the United Jewish Relief Association, of that time, collected approximately thirty thousand dollars, and did much to help the unfortunate Jewish families.

After the historic fire, Chicago became a new city and from year to year, the Jewish community grew. In 1882, only one Russian orthodox synagogue existed, the "Beth Midrash Hagodol," an old building on La Salle Street, between Polk and Harrison Streets. With influx of the great masses of Russian and Polish Jews, in the next few years, the religious and cultural life of 5Chicago Jewry revived and a considerable Jewish labor movement was also established.

There were no professional people among the Russian Jews at that time, with the exception of a few rabbis and Hebrew teachers.