Lancaster, Pa. Jewish American Revolutionary Patriot and Frontiersman
Headline
Joseph Simon
1712-1804
Jewish Pioneer, Indian Trader, Merchant and Religious community leader when Lancaster, Pa. was the frontier of America. Replete with Bemah, Ark and Torahs, Simon's home became the synagogue and a magnet for the Jews on the frontier of Pennsylvania.
The marker text reads: Jewishpioneer and merchant, Simon played a significant role in the development of central and western PA. He participated in expeditions as far as the Mississippi, and helped establish Lancaster as a center for exploration, trade & settlement. During the American Revolution, Simon supplied the Continental Army with arms and equipment. Simon's home near here was one of the first centers of Jewish worship west of Philadelphia.