In the first part, “History of the Weikersheimer Family in Gaukoenishofen,” he follows one branch of his family in a southern Germany town from the 18th century to the Nazi era. He compiled the account using several historical sources acquired from German archives and historians. 

The second part, “History of the Weikers Family: Facts, Reminiscences and Ramblings,” was, as Weikers explains in a brief introduction, “obtained party from old documents and photographs but mostly from memory. The accuracy of the information suffers from the same imperfections that affect memory.” It tells the story of four generations of Weikers: his grandparents, his parents, his entire life story, and a brief account of his children.

Read back-to-back, the two accounts present a multi-generational story with a vast sweep. That story begins with Ensel Levi of Weikersheim, whose entire estate is worth just 50 gulden in 1810. The story ends with Norbert Weikers retiring from his private neurology practice in Pittsburgh in 1995. 

The turning point is Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass,” when Nazis attacked Jews all over Germany in November 1938. That was the moment when the Weikers—and so many other Jewish families throughout Germany—knew they could no longer remain in their homeland. It is humbling and remarkable to consider that the entire American half of this 185-year story might never have occurred, had German history unfolded differently.

All year, the Rauh Jewish Archives is highlighting memoirs of Jewish life in Western Pennsylvania. If you would like to donate a memoir, or just chat about the stories you've read, contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.

Harry Seiner (1892-1953) was born in Suwalk province and immigrated to the United States around 1910, settling in Pittsburgh. In time he became a partner in Seiner & Colker, a ladies wholesaling company at 1042-1044 Fifth Avenue. The Seiner Family Papers [MSS 1211] documents the immigration process of various members of the family. Included are a travel pass from the Russian Treasury Department, a Russian draft notice (see here), and various other official documents.

With his wife Eva Seiner, Harry Seiner had four children, Shirley, Janice, Marilyn and Jerome. Janice (Seiner) Colker became an artist and art teacher. While working at Samuel S. Nixon Elementary School in Scott Township in 1976, she oversaw the creation of a student quilt commemorating the United States Bicentennial by depicting a moment from each year of the republic: from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 to the movie “Jaws” in 1976.

"Philanthropy on a paying basis"

Jewish Criterion, April 1, 1921

The project emerged in the early 20th century out of concerns with housing conditions in the Hill District. A survey in April 1916 by the United Hebrew Relief Association found severe overcrowding, shoddy construction, poor sanitation and high rents. In charts accompanying the report, Pittsburgh—meaning the Hill District— was presented as the most crowded and expensive major city in the U.S.

By now, you're probably expertly zipping around the new Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project platform. But if you still need a little help navigating the features and tools of the website, the Rauh Jewish Archives recently contributed a brief explanatory article to the Jewish Chronicle. It provides some basic tips and techniques for conducting research using the new site.

We plan to provide a live virtual training workshop in the near future to review the website and its functionalities. Until then, we are here to help you troubleshoot problems. You can contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.

The Rauh Jewish Archives was founded on November 1, 1988 to collect, preserve, and make accessible the documentary history of Jews and Jewish communities of Western Pennsylvania. You can help the RJHPA continue its work by making a donation that will directly support the work being done in Western Pa.

Shop | Join | Donate | Visit