Growing up in Lancaster, Ohio, I often walked past a Star of David etched next to a cross on a war memorial in Zane Square Park downtown. It stood out to me. My hometown had no organized Jewish community. Who did this symbol represent?
Years later, as a college student researching local history, I discovered its story. The Star of David honors Victor Epstein, a Lancaster native who died in combat during World War II. His family had been part of B’nai Israel, a synagogue that closed in 1993 after serving the community for more than six decades. Lancaster’s Jewish community faded from existence, and soon many individuals in town forgot that a Jewish community ever existed locally.
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