Trenton, New Jersey once housed over 62 potteries and major manufacturing plants that attracted many Jewish immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s as it provided opportunities for work. While Jews did not typically work in the manufacturing industries, they established themselves as independent store operators and professionals like clergy, physicians, lawyers, and accountants. By the mid-1900s, as Trenton's economy declined with the loss of industry, the Jewish population diminished along with their synagogues and organizations, though some outstanding individuals from Trenton's Jewish community went on to have notable careers.