Niagara's Jewish Community

The Jewish community in Niagara Falls, New York has deep roots, and began in the late nineteenth century at two primary temples in the city: Temple Beth Israel and Temple Beth El. Temple Beth Israel was a Conservative synagogue, and the congregation disbanded in 2012. Temple Beth El, a Reform synagogue, still has an active, if small, community and membership base. 

Temple Beth El was founded in 1864, with its official incorporation in 1905. Until the temple at 720 Ashland Avenue was constructed, the congregation met at various sites in Niagara Falls, including the Silberberg Clothing Store on Main Street. In fact, the congregation met so frequently at Silberberg’s, that when their new building was constructed in 1887, temple rooms were established in the space. The Silberbergs also served as early teachers in the community religious school. The current temple finished construction in 1915 and is still located in its original location. 

Born in 1901, Polly King was a cousin to the Silberberg family. She attended Temple Beth El and lived one street away from the synagogue for most of her life. A prolific artist, Polly painted at least 350 portraits of women who lived in Niagara Falls, with more discovered each year. These women were later given the honorific “Portrait Ladies” by Polly’s friend Sandy Rutkowski. For the past twenty-eight years, Rutkowski has been diligently researching the Portrait Ladies’ individual biographies for a multi-volume book project. Many of these women were Jewish.

Portrait Ladies like Mary (Pugrant) Levy, Polly (Sax) Spector, and Olive Mae (Davis) Slepian were women that King knew from Temple Beth El. Others, such as Joyce Underberg and Ilene (Nimelman) Katz, were members of Temple Beth Israel. When Katz was a child, she took art lessons from Polly and became an artist herself. In 2015, Rutkowski interviewed Katz’s daughter, Terri Katz Kasimov, also an artist, for her book. “They spoke about Kasimov’s ancestors’ flight from persecution in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust and the life they made in New York once they arrived here.” This is but one of the countless stories captured in King’s portraits and Rutkowski’s forthcoming book.

Although the Jewish community in Niagara Falls is smaller now than it was during Polly’s life (she died in 1993), it is still a vital and active part of the fabric of Niagara Falls. Polly King and her enduring artistic legacy are also part of this fabric. In 2023, the Niagara Falls National Heritage Area, in cooperation with the King family, installed window vinyls of the Portrait Ladies on the old Jenss Department Store building on Main Street. There, the faces of Ilene Katz and 73 other “Women of Niagara” shine brightly for all to see.

To learn more about Polly King and her artwork, visit pollykingstudio.com and  discoverniagara.org

Niagara Falls National Heritage Area