COVID-19 Update
The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Senator John Heinz History Center is closely monitoring all updates on the coronavirus causing COVID-19 and consulting on public health recommendations with the  Allegheny County Health Department  and the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .

In accordance with the recommendations of local and state officials to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Heinz History Center and Fort Pitt Museum will  remain closed  to the public through Sunday, March 29.

The RJHPA has initiated a work-from-home protocol and is continuing to respond to public reference requests to the degree possible.
Tell Us Your Story
The COVID-19 outbreak is causing unprecedented disruptions to Jewish communal life throughout our region. Synagogues have closed their doors. Schools are operating remotely. Businesses are searching for creative ways to engage their customers.
 
During this historic time, the Rauh Jewish Archives is asking you to document the impact of the outbreak on your life and the life of your community. You can submit photographs, websites, social media posts, first-person stories, and more through our online portal .
 
Working together, we can give future generations a rich picture of the struggles, successes and surprises we are all experiencing as we respond to this public health crisis.
Our New Podcast - The Cornerstone - is Now Online
The Rauh Jewish Archives has launched its first podcast. The Cornerstone connects Jewish places throughout our region to materials in the archive. 

Each episode investigates one place in Western Pennsylvania. The first episode starts at Bess Topolosky's grave at the Workman's Circle No. 45 Cemetery in Shaler Township. From there, the story moves to the Hill District of the 1920s, where Bess started her life in communal activism. Be sure to check out the exclusive StoryMap , where you can see all the materials from the episode.

You can subscribe to the Cornerstone on the Heinz History Center website .
PHMC Approves Pauline Hanauer Rosenberg Marker
The great Jewish social reformer Pauline Hanauer Rosenberg (1863-1940) will soon be getting a Pennsylvania Historical Marker. The marker is one of 24 approved earlier this month by the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.

Rosenberg was one of the founders of the National Council of Jewish Women at the World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893. She was the first president of the local NCJW section, and she oversaw the creation of sections in Philadelphia, Altoona, and Scranton.
Among her many projects was the Columbian Council School, which was the genesis of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh.

The effort to get a marker for Rosenberg was led by Matthew W. C. Falcone. Falcone is also the president of Preservation Pittsburgh. He is a great advocate for local history and has been particularly dedicated to telling the stories of his neighborhood of Deutschtown, where Rosenberg once lived. We congratulate Matthew on this wonderful accomplishment.

[IMAGE: Pauline Hanauer Rosenberg (Corinne Azen Krause Photographs, MSP 113)]
Featured Cookbook: "The SpORT of Cooking"
The Organization for Rehabilitation through Training, better known by its acronym ORT, was founded in Russia in 1880 as a Jewish job-training program and has grown into an international operation. The Women’s American ORT was founded in 1927 as a fundraising arm of the organization. The Pittsburgh Region of Women’s American ORT was founded in 1949 and soon stood alongside older Jewish women's organizations like the National Council of Jewish Women and Hadassah.
The Pittsburgh Region was part of Women’s American ORT District IV, which included chapters in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio, upstate New York and Michigan. District IV published "The SpORT of Cooking" in 1975, bringing together recipes from the members of 18 chapters, including Pittsburgh. Jane Berkey was the area chair for the project and donated her copy of the cookbook to the archives.

Our featured recipe, for "Annie’s Cheese Cake," was selected because it included Berkey’s annotated endorsement: "[Five stars] THE BEST!"
We are placing a special focus on cookbooks in 2020. If you have a cookbook published by a Jewish person or group in Western Pennsylvania, please contact Eric Lidji at eslidji@heinzhistorycenter.org or 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.
Plan a Visit

Senator John Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA,15222
412-454-6000

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.