Rauh Jewish Archives Awarded Major Grant
The Rauh Jewish Archives has received a major federal grant to preserve the thousands of letters and memorial objects created as gestures of hope and healing in the months since the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue building on Oct. 27, 2018. The grant from the federal Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program (AEAP) will allow the archive to develop a website showcasing the many gestures of hope and healing created since the attack.

An essential component of the project will be collaborating closely with many different stakeholders throughout the community to ensure that this work proceeds with care and sensitivity. The website will be a living entity, growing over time as new materials become appropriate for public viewing.

In recent decades, memorial objects such as these have become an essential component of the communal grieving process following public tragedies. This grant is believed to be the first time that federal AEAP funds have been directed toward an archival project involving such memorial objects.

"These beautiful objects are a remarkable record of the many ways people all over the world responded to that terrible act on October 27, 2018. These objects are filled with humanity—grief, love, heartache, friendship, pain, and hope. We are so grateful for the opportunity to preserve and share these objects, and we hope that this project will help people in their ongoing effort to heal," said Rauh Jewish Archives Director Eric Lidji.

To contribute materials to the archive, visit our online portal .
May 27: The History of Sefer Torah Celebrations
One of the most beloved recent traditions in Jewish Pittsburgh is the community-wide Tikkun Leil Shavuot, arranged each year by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh .

On the evening of the summer holiday of Shavuot, hundreds of people from across the Jewish spectrum gather late into the night to learn Jewish texts and ideas (and to eat cheesecake and other treats).

This year, the pandemic makes such large gatherings impossible. Instead, the community will be gathering online on May 27, the evening before Shavuot, for "Tikkun Leil Online."
At 9 p.m., Rauh Jewish Archives Director Eric Lidji will present new research on the history of "Siyum Sefer Torah" celebrations in Western Pennsylvania.

The completion, or "siyum," of a Torah scroll is a major event in the life of any Jewish congregation. There have been more than 100 of these ceremonies locally over the past 125 years. These celebrations reveal patterns of Jewish observance, migration, and economic status in our region. And they show how local Jewish communities drew ties with communities in Europe and Israel.

[IMAGE: A poster in English and Yiddish celebrating a Sefer Torah donated by the Ladies Auxiliary Society of Beth Israel Congregation in Allegheny, Pa., now the North Side of Pittsburgh, on Nov. 17, 1907. (2018.0230)]
Featured Cookbook: "From Soup to Nosh"
Jewish cookbook projects often seem to coincide with major moments in communal life, and such is the case with "From Soup to Nosh."

Congregation Tree of Life in McKeesport was founded in 1898. Its neighbor Congregation Sfard was founded a few years later, in 1901.

The two congregations merged in 1973 to form Congregation Tree of Life-Sfard and soon announced plans to relocate to nearby White Oak.

The Tree of Life-Sfard Sisterhood published "From Soup to Nosh" in 1976, as a fundraiser. A note on the cover read "Bicentennial Edition," suggesting that the cookbook was repurposed from an earlier initiative.
In honor of the Shavuot custom of eating dairy dishes, our featured recipe this week is "Quick Blintz Sandwiches," submitted by Mrs. Milton Friedman.

It is a novel combination of French toast and blintz, with a dab of jam.

The Rauh Jewish Archives is placing a special focus on Jewish cookbooks throughout 2020. If you have a copy of a cookbook published by a Jewish individual or a Jewish group in Western Pennsylvania, please contact Eric Lidji at  eslidji@heinzhistorycenter.org  or call 412-454-6406.
The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives was founded in 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.
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The Senator John Heinz History Center is currently closed to the public, however we have you covered with an array of virtual history offerings. 
A proud affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, the  Senator John Heinz History Center  is the largest history museum in Pennsylvania and presents American history with a Western Pennsylvania connection.