November 26, 2023

Vol. 4, No. 48

Restaurants:

307 Beverly Rd.

Jewish Encyclopedia:

Moogen David Congregation

Family Clubs:

Kaiserman Cousins Club



Calendar:

Dec. 10: JGS presents: Claire Weill

through Nov. 27: Mosaics

Community:

SHHS archives

"How We Got Here"

JCBA "Road-Trip"

Research Tools:

Newspapers, Cemeteries,

Memorial Plaques, Books,

Population Figures, Synagogues, Newsletter Archive,

Shul Records America

Restaurants:

307 Beverly Rd.

Advertisement for Jeffrey's Delicatessen and Catering Service—April 5, 1962.

—from Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Throughout our tour of Jewish-owned restaurants, we’ve seen several instances where a building passed from restaurateur to restaurateur.

In the lower Fifth Avenue section of Uptown, 1314 Fifth Ave. was home to Canter’s, Richest’s, Bubbles & Sherman, and the several versions of the Corned Beef Kettle.

And in Squirrel Hill, there was 2201-2203 Murray Ave., which was home to the Murray Sandwich Shop, the Volensky Grill, Hebrew National, Polonsky’s Delicatessen, Iz Cohen’s, Rhoda’s, and Kazansky’s.

In Mt. Lebanon, that phenomenon occurred at 307 Beverly Rd.

The Jewish population of the South Hills expanded greatly after World War II, leading to the founding of Temple Emanuel in 1951, the founding of Beth Israel Center in 1958, and the relocation of Beth El to Scott Township in 1962. By the early 1960s, the South Hills had approximately 897 Jewish households totaling some 3,588 people and accounting for about 9 percent of the Jewish population of greater Pittsburgh, according to a community survey from 1963.

Jeffrey’s Kosher Delicatessen started at 435 Cochran Rd. in 1960 and relocated to 307 Beverly Rd. later that year. It billed itself as the “only delicatessen of its kind in Mt. Lebanon.” It sold meats from Cantor and Smolar, Wilno, Hebrew National, 48, and Oscherwitz, and bread from Herman Brothers and Hoffman.

Erv’s Delicatessen opened at the Beverly Road location in 1967. It marketed itself as a “kosher style” delicatessen. The following year, it became known as The Deli, operated by Gil Kart and Les Davidow. The address was later home to Hal’s Deli. Fred and Ann Mazur purchased Hal’s around 1978 and renamed it the Reub-Inn in 1984, in honor of its best-selling sandwich.

All year, the Rauh Jewish Archives is highlighting Jewish restaurants in Western Pennsylvania. If you would like to donate a material from a Jewish restaurant, or just reminisce, contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.

Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania:

Moogen David Congregation

Section of G. M. Hopkins Co. map showing Miller Street in the Hill District, including the location of Shaaray Tefilah and Moogen David synagogues—1923.

—from University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections

We’re reviewing the history of Rishishe shuln—the many local congregations founded between 1880 and 1920 by Jewish immigrants from different parts of the Russian Empire. So far, we’ve profiled six of these congregations: Beth Abraham, Agudas Achim, Beth Israel, Beth Zedeck, Beth David, and Shaaray Tefilah. These congregations were all loosely interconnected, with members from one congregation often breaking away to start another. 

Shaaray Tefilah Congregation had been formed in 1906 through the merger of Beth David and Beth Zedeck. (The two congregations had split the previous year.) The merged congregation occupied a newly dedicated synagogue on Miller Street that still stands. The synagogue became known as “The Russian Shul,” a name it retained even after relocating to Squirrel Hill in the late 1940s. In its early days, though, it was known as “The Big Russian Shul,” to better distinguish it from “The Little Russian Shul,” which stood next door.

Moogen David Congregation [Shield of David] was founded in 1911. Charter members include Benjamin Cooper, J. Frankel, Louis Freedman, Meyer Glass, J. Kaufman, Abraham Kress, Morris Ostrovsky, Simon Romick, Jacob Shenberg, Abraham Waitsman, Jacob Yoshpa, and Frank Zasloff. Ostrovsky had previously been one of the charter members of Beth David Congregation and was later a member of Shaaray Tefilah Congregation. His involvement suggests that Moogen David was likely a breakaway or a subsidiary of Shaaray Tefilah.

Moogen David Congregation either purchased or built a small synagogue at 21 Miller St., next door to the larger Shaaray Tefilah synagogue. The two congregations may have also maintained some sort of ongoing financial relationship, as well. When the Moogen David Congregation synagogue was marketed at a sheriff’s sale in 1934 and 1935, Shaaray Tefilah was listed as “terre tenant,” suggesting it held a lien on the 21 Miller St. property.

Following this sale in the mid-1930s, a new congregation arose from within the local Russian Jewish population. We’ll profile that congregation next week.

Family Clubs:

The Kaiserman Cousins Club

Newspaper notice for the Kaiserman Family Club—September 13, 1957.

—Jewish Criterion

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Max and Katie/Kayla KAISERMAN had at least four children: Lillian, Jessie, Maurice, and Nathan. Lillian Kaiserman married Nathan WASSERMAN and had four children, Milton, Leonard, Morton, and Shelton. Maurice and Dora Kaiserman had a daughter, Betty Mae LEWIS. Nathan and Rebecca Kaiserman had a son, Morris. Katie/Kayla Kaiserman’s sister Esther married a man who was also named Max Kaiserman. They had at least four children: Fay SERBIN, Shirley JULIUS, James Kaiserman, and Ben Kaiserman.

Jacob and Dora STEIN had at least two children: Sylvia LEBENSON and Bertha BROUDY. The Stein/Kaiserman relationship has not yet been determined.

These branches formed the Kaiserman Cousins Club by September 1957 and held meetings through at least April 1960, according to newspaper notices.

Known surnames in the club include: Broudy, Julius, Kaiserman, Lebenson, Lewis, Serbin, Stein, and Wasserman. The club met at the homes of members in Squirrel Hill, the East End, and Eastmont. Known meeting places include: 349 Princeton Ave. Eastmont (Harvey Serbin residence); 6342 Crombie St. (Shelton Wasserman residence); 5634 Rippey St. (Allen Broudy residence); 4833 Coleridge St. (Jack Julius residence); 4414 Coleridge St. (Howard Lewis residence); 2274 Tilbury Ave. (Lil Wasserman residence); Jackson Street (Nathan Kaiserman residence); 315 Delaney Dr., Eastmont (Martan Wasserman residence); Jacob Stein residence; and the Penn Shady Hotel.

There is no known archival material for the Kaiserman Cousins Club. If you have information about the club or its members, please contact the archive.

Dec 10:

JGS Pittsburgh Presents:

Jewish Genealogical Resources in France

Waves of French-Jewish immigrants came to North America. In this presentation, Claire Weill will discuss some of the reasons behind emigration and tell you what else you can learn about your French Jewish relatives.

There is an extensive and varied collection of material available for genealogical research for the 20th and 19th centuries, and resources do exist for the 18th century. These include civil vital records, military documents, Census records, cadastral registers, National and Departmental Archives, and many databases. This presentation aims to show you where to find these materials and how best to use them to further your research.

The program is Sunday, Dec. 10, 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. 

"Jewish Genealogical Resources in France" 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.

Claire Weill has French Ashkenazi Jewish roots. She is Professeure de Chaire Supérieure and teaches Spanish Literature. She has been involved in genealogy for more than 30 years, with a special interest in Alsace. She is a board member of the CGJ, Cercle de Généalogie Juive, the first Jewish French Genealogical association, with more than 700 members and a huge collection of information. She recently joined JewishGen as a Project Coordinator for the France Research Division.

through Nov. 27:

From Darkness to Light

Presented in collaboration with Violins of Hope, this free exhibit in the Commons of Rodef Shalom Congregation features mosaics from artists around the world, created in response to October 27. Through their pieces, artists tackle antisemitism and injustice, and promote hope, resilience, and peace.

Community

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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