Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities For many years, Pine
Bluff had the second largest Jewish community in Arkansas, after
Little Rock. Located in Jefferson County along the banks of the
Arkansas River, Pine Bluff became a bustling market town that
attracted growing numbers of Jews in the late 19th century.
Cotton farming was king in the rural areas around Pine Bluff.
Once the town was linked to Little Rock by railroad in 1881,
Pine Bluff developed industry and grew into the third largest
city in the state by 1900. Pine Bluff, Arkansas Jews first
arrived in Pine Bluff in the 1840s. By 1855, there were about
ten Jewish families in town, and several Jewish-owned businesses
in town. Isaac Altschul opened a dry goods store outside of Pine
Bluff in 1852. The store was in the midst of several slave
plantations, which Altschul catered to. In addition to serving
plantation owners, Altschul would stay open on Sundays to be
able to trade with slaves on their day off, working the counter
himself. Altschul was a v