March 17, 2024

Vol. 5, No. 11



The Early 1970s:

Judaic libraries

Small Towns:

Latrobe

Family Clubs:

Shoop Family Club

Display:

Abrams House

Calendar:

closing March 18: "The Sofer"

April 14: JGS: The Future of Genealogy

Community:

URA photographs

SHHS archives

"How We Got Here"

JCBA "Road-Trip"

Research Tools:

Newspapers, Cemeteries,

Memorial Plaques, Books,

Population Figures, Synagogues, Newsletter Archive,

Shul Records America

The Early 1970s:

Judaic Libraries

Black and white photograph showing dedication of the Gertrude and Philip Hoffman Judaic Collection at the Hillman Library of the University of Pittsburgh, including United Jewish Federation President Donald Robinson, Joseph Rattner, Marilyn Rattner, Ken Elias, Carol Elias, Gertrude N. Hoffman, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Wesley Posvar, Dr. Jerome Rosenberg of the Jewish Studies Program and grandchildren Stuart Rattner, Jed Elias, Craig Elias, Richard Rattner, Michael Elias, David Rattner, and Steven Rattner—1971.

—courtesy Carol Hoffman

Jewish identity was a perpetual concern in the early 1970s, as an increasingly accepted American Jewish community worried about maintaining continuity with its traditions and culture. One expression of this interest was the creation of new scholarly resources for studying Jewish identity: the expansion of local oral history initiatives, the first efforts to preserve local Jewish primary source materials, the formation of local university Jewish Studies programs, and the first publically accessible Judaic libraries.

We’ll review all those stories this year, starting this week with the libraries.

The 1950s and 1960s saw the emergence of specialized fields of research devoted to specific world regions and identities, including Jews and Judaism.

The year 1966 was especially important for the field of Jewish Studies. UCLA professor Arnold Band published an article that year in the American Jewish Yearbook, looking at the growth of Jewish Studies programs at American colleges and universities since World War II. The article led to a 1969 colloquium and the founding of the Association for Jewish Studies.

Also in 1966, the Association of Jewish Libraries was created through the merger of two existing (and very similarly named) groups: the Jewish Librarians Associations representing Judaic libraries based in academic institutions and the Jewish Library Association representing Judaic libraries at synagogues, Jewish day schools, and Jewish community centers.

These two developments were related. The scholars of Jewish Studies emerging all over the country needed robust local libraries of Jewish texts.

As this academic field was developing in Pittsburgh in the early 1970s, the local Jewish community helped create this resource. Over just two months in late 1971 and early 1972, several local families founded the existing Judaic collections at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

Black and white photograph showing Carnegie Mellon University President H. Guyford Stever receiving $10,000 check from Dean J. Hirschfield to endow Library of Judaica at Hunt Library—January 13, 1972.

—from Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

• The forerunner of this trend locally occurred in 1968, when Rabbi Herman Hailperin of Tree of Life Congregation donated his private library to Duquesne University. In addition to his congregational duties, Hailperin was a scholar of Biblical interpretation of the Middle Ages and an instructor at Duquesne University for years. The “Rabbi Herman Hailperin Collection” at the Gumberg Library originally included more than 2,600 items. Dr. Solomon B. Freehof of Rodef Shalom Congregation later added 150 volumes.

• As the University of Pittsburgh worked behind the scenes in the early 1970s to establish a Jewish Studies Program, university librarians were beginning to develop new Judaic collections on campus. The Hoffman family established the Gertrude and Philip Hoffman Judaic Collection and an associated purchasing fund at Hillman Library in December 1971. Expanded since, the collection currently contains more than 5,000 titles covering a broad array of topics relevant to the Jewish experience in America and around the world. 

• A few weeks after the Hoffman Judaic Collection was announced, Harold Obernauer donated 179 volumes from his private Judaic collection to the University of Pittsburgh. He had previously given Hillman Library a complete run of National Geographic starting from its inception in 1888. The year before, he had donated some 300 prints to the Carnegie Museum of Art.

• A few weeks after that, in January 1972, Rabbi Abba Leiter allowed Hillman Library to borrow rare Hebrew works from his father Rabbi Wolf Leiter, who was a leading Talmudic scholar and elder statesman of the local rabbinate.

• Carnegie Mellon University also expanded its Judaic holdings during this flurry of activity. In January 1972, Dean Hirschfield created a $10,000 endowment for the new Judaica Library at CMU’s Hunt Library. The United Jewish Federation also underwrote a lecture series at the school.

“Judaica in Pittsburgh” monograph, published by the National Council of Jewish Women-Pittsburgh Section.

As these university collecting initiatives were getting underway, the National Council of Jewish Women-Pittsburgh Section launched its Judaica Catalog Project in October 1971. The multiyear project cataloged the Judaica libraries at six large local Jewish institutions: the Hebrew Institute, Rodef Shalom, B’nai Israel, the Jewish Home for the Aged, Temple Sinai, and Temple Emanuel of the South Hills. The goal was to create resource for researchers seeking specific volumes and for librarians deciding how to spend limited funds. 

The project was conceived by NCJW President Marcia Frumerman (1970-1972), and chaired by Irene-Ruth Kreimer with vice chairs Carol Hoffman (daughter of Gertrude and Philip), Elaine Krasik, and Sylvia Schutzman, as well as assistance from a large committee of NCJW volunteers and community partners. It culminated in the 1976 monograph “Judaica in Pittsburgh.”

All year, the Rauh Jewish Archives is highlighting stories of Jewish life in Western Pennsylvania in the early 1970s. If you would like to donate a material from this time period, or any historically relevant materials documenting Jewish life in this region, contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.

Small Town Jewish History Project

Latrobe

Black and white photograph of the bima (dais) of Beth Israel Congregation in Latrobe around the time of its dedication—c1954.

—from Beth Israel Congregation (Latrobe, Pa.) Records [MSS 1067]

In many small towns of Western Pennsylvania, former synagogues stand vacant or have been demolished. But some have been creatively repurposed.

One of the best examples can be found in Latrobe, where the former Beth Israel synagogue is now the Latrobe Area Historical Society. If you visit, you will find the old ark and the memorial boards in the former sanctuary.

The first Jewish settlers of Latrobe arrived before the incorporation of the borough in 1854, although the Jewish population remained too small to support communal institutions until the end of the century. A small group began gathering informally for prayer as early as 1898 and chartered Beth Israel Congregation in 1906, according to community memory.

Beth Israel built a synagogue on a small plot of land on Miller Street in the First Ward of the city. By the early 1950s, the congregation wanted “a new, larger and more modern plant suitable for catering to both our religious and social needs,” as congregant Louis Goldman described it a community history. 

The congregation dedicated a new synagogue on Weldon Street in November 1954. The long one-story building included a sanctuary with seating for 85, and a social hall and kitchen with service for at least 100. As part of the decision to build a new synagogue, Beth Israel shifted its denominational status and officially joined the Conservative movement. The congregation also began holding confirmations services in Latrobe for the first time.

Beth Israel was always lay-led. For special events and for the High Holidays, it hired student or traveling rabbis. Among these was Rabbi Jack Maza, who led High Holidays services in Latrobe in 1955 and 1956. He later changed his name to Jackie Mason and became a popular stand-up comedian. 

Since we published our entry on Latrobe in 2016, we’ve processed additional records collected from the town. Our updated entry includes a finding aid for the Beth Israel Congregation (Latrobe) Records [MSS 1067] and oral histories from former residents of the town. The updated bibliography includes a listing of records at the Latrobe Area Historical Society with relevance to Jewish history. These include yearbooks from Latrobe High School, Latrobe city directories, and other resources, such as the local midwife books.

Family Clubs:

Shoop Family Club

Notice announcing founding of the Shoop Family Club—November 26, 1954.

—from Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Simon and Fannie Shupinsky were pioneering community leaders in town, credited as founders of the Hebrew Free Loan Association. The Shupinskys had at least five children, Mrs. William FELDMAN, Bessie ROSENBLATT, Louis SHOOP, Bella KAPLAN, and Elinore LEWIS. Louis and Augusta Shoop had at least three children, Rabbi Simon H. Shoop, Mrs. Abraham STOCK, and Mildred KUSHNER. Bessie and Charles Rosenblatt had at least four children, Samuel Rosenblatt, Lillian MOSS, Celia Moss, and Tessie SIMON.

In late 1954, these families started the Shoop Family Club. Known surnames in the club include Feldman, Kaplan, Kushner, Kurren, Lewis, Moss, Shoop, Shupinsky, and Surloff. Known meeting places include Sherbrook Street (Louis Kaplan residence) and Stanton Court (Morris Kushner residence). The latest notice of the club found to date was published January 1957. No known material exists for the Shoop Family Club. If you have information about the club or its members, please contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.

Display:

The Abrams House

Color photograph of the Abrams House on Woodland Rd.—undated.

—from Abrams Family Papers [MSS 1288]

The Rauh Jewish Archives' Catelyn Cocuzzi has curated a display of photographs and documents from the Abrams Family Papers [MSS 1288] looking at the conception and construction of the former Abrams House, a post-modern residence on Woodland Road in Squirrel Hill, designed by architect Robert Venturi. The next time you visit the Heinz History Center, please stop up to the Library & Archives on the sixth floor to see the display.

April 14

JGS Pittsburgh Presents:

"The Future of Genealogy"

What impact will technology have on genealogy?

Jarrett Ross will discuss the emerging tools and technology that may have a big impact on the future of genealogy and genetic genealogy, including AI, Facial Recognition Software, low SNP artifact testing, and much more.

The program is on Sunday, April 14 from 1-3 p.m. ET. This is an online program, occurring exclusively on Zoom. The program will be recorded, and the recording will be made available to current JGS-Pittsburgh members. 

"The Future of Genealogy" is a collaboration between the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh and the Rauh Jewish Archives. Please register online. This program is free for JGS-Pittsburgh members and $5 for the general public. To become a member of the JGS-Pittsburgh and to receive a free membership code for this program, please visit its website.

This program is possible through the support of the William M. Lowenstein Genealogical Research Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation.

Jarrett Ross, also known as the Genea Vlogger, began seriously researching his own family history in 2009 while finishing his undergraduate degree at the University of Pittsburgh. Since then he has successfully connected with thousands of relatives all over the World, helped build hundreds of trees for people of varying ancestral backgrounds, and has worked on hundreds of genealogical projects of varying types.

Jarrett has found a specialty in Genetic Genealogy and Sephardic Jewish research with an emphasis on the Portuguese Jewish Community of Amsterdam. Jarrett’s other main focuses of research are in Jewish Agricultural Societies of Southern New Jersey, Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry in the Pale of Settlement, Jews in America, and Jews in Ukraine.

Along with his areas of focus, Jarrett also has extensive experience with research in a variety of ancestral backgrounds from all over the World, including an array of experience in genetic genealogy. Jarrett spent just under 5 years working as the Lead Forensic Genealogist at DNA Labs International, helping create investigative leads to identify unknown human remains and perpetrators of violent crimes. In October 2023, Jarrett left the Forensic industry to pursue a content creation and genealogy education full-time.

through March 18:

Rodef Shalom Congregation Presents:

"The Sofer: A Tribute To My Zayde"

The Sofer is a multi-generational narrative about Pittsburgh artist Rosabel Rosalind's relationship with Zayde, her grandfather, a retired Orthodox rabbi with whom she lived for the first twelve years of her life. (He spent part of his career in Western Pennsylvania, leading Beth Samuel Jewish Center in Ambridge.) Fragmented by time and memory, the story recounts details from the years Zayde and Rosalind lived as roommates, interspersed with historical reimaginings and stark cultural observations that span past and present. 

The book follows Zayde and Rosalind, as she came of age in a Conservative Jewish household and as she continues to come to terms with her Jewishness. The Sofer is about the haunting of memory, history, and tradition in the face of a resurgence of anti-Semitism, through an intimate and inherited perspective. 

The original manuscript of The Sofer is 185 pages and is entirely hand-painted with beet juice, citing Zayde's affinity for Manischewitz brand borscht and the complexities of diasporic Jewishness. Sofer, translates to a Jewish scribe of ancient texts, and it is also Rosalind's maternal name; her Zayde’s last name. Thus she transcribed the familial, ancestral, and historical, using an untraditional hand-made ink, per scribal ritual, with a combination of painting and comic techniques and specific Sofer lettering of Rosalind's design.

Community

Urban Redevelopment Authority Archives

The City of Pittsburgh Archives has launched a new digital archive containing thousands of photographs and documents spanning more than two centuries. Of particular interest to local Jewish history is a collection of more than 2,000 photographs of properties in the lower Hill District taken by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in the late 1950s prior to demolitions in the area. 

Squirrel Hill Historical Society Archives

Squirrel Hill Historical Society has added a collection of 60 historic images of Squirrel Hill to the Historic Pittsburgh website. The collection contains selected images from three organizations: the Squirrel Hill Historical Society, Squirrel Hill Urban  Coalition, and Mary S. Brown Memorial-Ames United Methodist Church. The photographs document many aspects of life in Squirrel Hill, including many beloved businesses from the 1990s that no longer exist.

From the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh

"How We Got Here"

Each family is unique. 

Each family has its own traditions, its own spirit, and its own dynamics. 

Despite all these differences, every Jewish family in Western Pennsylvania has at least one thing in common: They all have a story about how they got here.

Perhaps your family sailed in steerage across the Atlanti in the 19th century.

Or perhaps your family drove the Pennsylvania Turnpike in a station wagon in the 1960s to work for the universities and hospitals during Renaissance.

Or perhaps your arrival into one of the many Jewish communities of Western Pennsylvania involves marriage, or conversion, or a surprising DNA discovery.

Each of these stories is special, and each contributes to the larger story of our community. To collect and honor these origin stories, the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh is launching a new initiative called “How We Got Here.” To participate, just write a short account explaining how you or your ancestors came to settle in Western Pennsylvania. All stories are welcome.

Stories will be eligible for inclusion in the JGS-Pittsburgh’s monthly newsletter Z’chor and also for preservation in the Rauh Jewish Archives. For more information about this initiative, or to contribute, contact Eric Lidji.

From the Jewish Cemetery & Burial Association

"Road Trip: The Jewish Cemeteries of Western Pennsylvania"

The Jewish Cemetery and Burial Association of Greater Pittsburgh has released a new documentary showcasing Jewish cemeteries in Western Pennsylvania.

“Road Trip: The Jewish Cemeteries of Western Pennsylvania” is a one-hour tour of the many cemetery properties overseen by the JCBA, as well as an overview of the organization’s ongoing work to care for these sacred burial grounds. The video is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate these special Jewish cultural sites in our region. The video includes many historic photographs and documents from the collections of the Rauh Jewish Archives. 

Research Tools

The Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project contains digitized, searchable copies of four local English-language Jewish newspapers between 1895 and 2010. It is a valuable tool for researching almost any topic about Jewish history in Western Pennsylvania. For a primer on using the website, watch our video.

Western Pennsylvania Jewish Cemetery Project

The Rauh Jewish Archives launched the Western Pennsylvania Jewish Cemetery Project in 1998 to preserve burial records from Jewish cemeteries across the region. Over a period of fifteen years, the information was compiled into a searchable, online database containing approximately 50,000 burial records from 78 Jewish cemeteries throughout the region.

Western Pennsylvania Yahrzeit Plaques Project

The Rauh Jewish Archives launched the Western Pennsylvania Yahrzeit Plaques Project in 2020. The goal was to create a comprehensive collection of burial records from memorial boards at synagogues across the region. Volunteers are currently transcribing these boards and records are being added monthly to our online database. The database currently contains more than 2,700 listings.

Rauh Jewish Archives Bibliography

University of Pittsburgh librarian and Rauh Jewish Archives volunteer Laurie Cohen created this comprehensive bibliography of the Rauh Jewish Archives library holdings from 1988 through 2018. It lists nearly 350 volumes arranged by type and then by subject. This a great tool to use early in your research process, as you’re surveying available resources on a given subject.

Jewish Population Estimates

Looking to figure out how many Jews lived in a certain part of Western Pennsylvania at a certain moment in time? This bibliography includes more than 30 estimates of the Jewish population of Pittsburgh and small-towns throughout the region, conducted between 1852 and 2017.

Synagogues

A database of buildings throughout Western Pennsylvania known to have hosted Jewish worship services. Includes links to photographs and citations with original source material. Database currently includes 90 locations from 2 institutions

Rauh Jewish Archives Newsletter

The Rauh Jewish Archives has been publishing a weekly newsletter since 2020. The newsletter contains a variety of articles about local Jewish history, including much original research not found anywhere else. You can find and read every issue—more than 150!— in our new index.

Shul Records America

Online finding aid from JewishGen listing congregational archival collections held at publicly accessible repositories across the United States. Includes 63 listings from the Rauh Jewish Archives, as well as other repositories with Western Pennsylvania congregational records.

The Rauh Jewish Archives was founded on November 1, 1988 to collect and preserve the documentary history of Jewish life in Western Pennsylvania and to make it available to the world through research assistance, programing, exhibits, publications, and partnerships.

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