Jewish Heritage

Maine's Jewish heritage can be traced back to Colonial days, but the majority arrived in the 19th and 20th centuries. More than 115,000 Jews came directly from Europe by boat, others moved to Maine from elsewhere in America, and some, mostly Russian Jews, were relocated here from New York, by the Industrial Removal Office of the Jewish Agricultural and Industrial Aid Society.

While Jews reside throughout Maine, the largest communities are found in Portland, Bangor, Biddeford, Lewiston, Old Orchard Beach, Bath, Waterville, and Augusta. Among the noteworthy Maine Jews are: 

• Hiram Abrams: early movie mogul, one of first presidents of Paramount Pictures Corp. and co-founder and first managing director of United Artists Corp. 

• Shirley Povich: famed sportswriter, at age 20 named sports editor—the youngest in history at a metro daily—of the Washington Post. 

• Albert Abrahamson: assistant director of the War Refugee Board, created in 1944 and credited with assisting the rescue of approximately 200,000 European Jews.

• Louise Nevelson: Russian-born sculptor who resettled with her family in Rockland; her work can be viewed at the Farnsworth Museum's Louise Nevelson Gallery.

• William Zorach and Dahlov Ipcar: father and daughter; William was sculptor, Dahlov is a painter, illustrator, and sculptor. Works by both can be viewed in Bath and throughout Maine’s art museums.

• Linda Lavin: TV, film, and Broadway actress.

• William S. Cohen: former U.S. Senator and Secretary of Defense.

A number of cultural resources unite Maine's Jewish community:

• Documenting Maine Jewry examines all facets of the Maine Jewish experience. 

• The Maine Jewish Film Festival, held annually in Portland, explores the overall Jewish experience through features, documentaries, and shorts.

• The Tree of Life Museum in Portland's Etz Chaim Synagogue building—currently undergoing restoration—will share Maine's Jewish history, art, and culture through exhibits and educational programs.

Generations of Jewish children and teens have attended summer camp in Maine, creating a global community of Jews with ties to the state. Camp Modin, founded in 1922 in the Belgrade Lakes region, is New England's oldest Jewish camp and one of America's oldest overnight camps. Shaping a brighter future is Seeds of Peace, in Oitsfield, which opened in 1993 with 46 Israeli, Palestinian, and Egyptian teenagers and a mission to advance reconciliation and coexistence.