THE REFORM ADVOCATE.


heimer, president; Bernard   Bloom, vice-president,
and Joseph Gutman, secretary and treasurer.
  The congregation, like other denominations, was
formed for the worshiping of God, the supreme ruler
of the Universe, to unite its members socially and for
the betterment of humanity. The energy which has
been put into the congregation and the intelligence
shown in all of its actions gave to the community that
which can not be repaid. A grateful posterity will
love to recall the work of their fathers and forefath-
ers.
  The Ladies' Benevolent Society wi-th a proud record
of nearly forty-one years' service was organized about
1872 under the influence of Mrs. Leopold Wachen-
heimer and Mrs. Isaac Tuteur.
  In 1870 on March 13 at the Masonic hall, a local
branch of the Independent Order of B'nai Brith, the


LA CROSSE STATE NORMAL SCHOOL.


Cremeix Lodge, was organized. The first officers
were as follows: Isaac Cantrovitz, president; John
M. Levy, vice-president; Joseph Gutman, recording
secretary; Nathan Iseman, financier; S. Newman,
treasurer. Owing to the lack of members the charter
was given up a few years ago. They meet on the
first and third Sundays of eacll month, in the hall of
the Jewish congregation. The     organization, like
many others, was a secret, lenevolent and endow-
ment society. It derived the name of the lodge from
the eminent evangelist, Adolph Cremeix, the world-
renowned French jurist. One of the principal objects
of the society was the maintenance and support of
the orphan asylum located at Cleveland, Ohio, to
which all members of that organization, residing in
Ohio and west of it, contributed.
  Another lodge which was instituted later, on June
3, 1877, was the Kesher Shell Barsell, No. 166, which
lodge has also disbanded for the same reason as the
above. The lodge was instituted in the hall of the
Cremeix Lodge by G. L. Eppstein, of the District
Grand Lodge. No. 4. The charter members about
1881 numbered thirteen, as follows: A. Hirshheimer.
I. Cantrovitz. M. Gutman, L. Wachenheimer, S. New-
man, L. Hirshheimer, B. L. Strouse, H. Fox, A. Patz,
John M. Levy, N. Stern, M. Hirshheimer and    H.
Hoff. The first officers were: A. Hirshheimer,-presi-
dent; L. Wachenheimer, vice-president; B. L. Strouse,
treasurer: J. M. Levy, secretary; H. Fox, guardian;
Morris Gutman, conductor. Besides the obligation
of assisting each other in sickness and distress, and
an endowment to widows upon the death of their
members, they also erected a home for the aged and
infirm. In connection with this society was a Sab-
bath school and a Ladies' Benevolent Society.  :
  What may be considered the second period in the
history of the Jewish community of 'La Crosse. was
begun with the coming of the Omerbergs about 1880.
Others who came to the city shortly afterwards were


the Gettses, the Wolfsons, the Natenshons, the Fein-
bergs, the Goldishs, the Weisbords, the Jacobs and
many others. About eight years ago, this group of
orthodox Jews organized a congregation, calling them-
selves the Sons of Abraham. They erected a syna-
gogue and held regular services. For the first few
years Meyer Reiman acted as rabbi and during the
past four years Louis Epstein has officiated at the
services. The congregation was organized through
the efforts of Abraham Goldish, whose leadership has
been the preserving factor of the congregation. Mr.
Goldish was selected as the first president of the Sons
of Abraham and still holds that office, having been
re-elected seven times.   There are about 25 or 30
orthordox families here and many more have come
and gone. Mr. Wolfson, one of the oldest settlers of
this community of Jews, died about a year ago in
Minneapolis where he had moved. A Ladies' Benev-
olent Society was also organized about the same time
that the congregation was formed, and was instru-
mental in helping many a destitute family. Mrs.
Moses Omerberg has held the office of. president in
the society since its founding.
  The entire Jewish community of La Crosse has
done much to build up the city and make it prominent
commercially and otherwise. The site of the original
city was surveyed in 1812 before any Jewish settler
had arrived. The same year that the city became the
mecca of the reform Jews in 1856, La Crosse was in-
corporated_ For years the staple-industry was the
manufacture of lumber in which the early settlers of
the Jewish community took more or less of an impor-
tant part. Isaac Tuteur was one of the first lumber-
men in the city. The saw mills have now disap-
peared but in its place kindred other industries have
sprung up, such as the manufacture of sasl, doors
and blinds and interior wood finishings. The steady
growth of the manufactories of La Crosse has been.
owing to the community itself rather than adventitous
introduction of any capital from without. The Jew-
ish people occupy different trades and occupations,
the principal one at present being the La Crosse Plow
Company of which Albert Hirshheimer is president.
There are large foundries, machine shops, boiler
works, stove foundries, ladies' garment factory, to-


          LA CRQSSE HIGH SCHOOL.

bacco warehouses, large packing houses, glove, mat-
tress, box,' cigar, candy, cracker, soap, furni-
ture,. broom, -vinegar,. boot and shoe, confection-
ery, trunk and package factories, button factories,
two- knitting #works,- carriage works, sash door and
blind factories, rubber clothing factory, tool works,
granite and marble works, electrical instrument man-
ufacturies, jwoolen. mills; ratan works, iron. works,
brick ,yards ;- La -Crosse - has -five large breweries,
three of them larger than any others northwest of
Milwaukee, a number of cooperages, and its. flour