December 10, 2023

Vol. 4, No. 50



Restaurants:

Delma's

Jewish Encyclopedia:

Congregation Kehilleth Isaac

Beth Mogen David

Databases:

Yahrzeit Plaques

Synagogues



Calendar:

TODAY: JGS presents: Claire Weill

Jan. 14: JGS presents: Chuck Weinstein

Community:

NEW: 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

Restaurants:

Delma's

Advertisement for Delma's restaurant at 418 N. Highland Ave. in the East End, announcing hot corned beef, cold cuts, steaks, and chops—December 26, 1947.

—from American Jewish Outlook

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

“What was then isn’t anymore,” Jewish Chronicle Publisher Joel Roteman wrote in 1995, in an obituary of sorts for the Jewish community of the East End.

The article came at a moment of transition for that community. The largest East End congregations—B’nai Israel and Adath Jeshurun—were both relocating to the suburbs. The sole remaining congregation, Torath Chaim, faced an uncertain future following the death of its Torah reader Shamai Shapiro. 

Roteman recalled the years after World War II, when thousands of Jewish families lived in the neighborhoods of East Liberty, Highland Park, and Stanton Heights, filling several synagogues and the local public schools. “The stores on Mellon Street and environs reflected that population: George Berman’s Grocery; Tubby Levine’s Deli; Perchersky’s; and Consumer’s Bakery, with its wonderful bulkies and bagels. Jewish teens hung out at Delma’s, particularly after a movie (Savor’s and Dinty Moore’s were for date nights.) Gammon’s of course, was for a preppier crowd, considerably less Jewish than Delma’s.”

Martin C. Port and Joseph Reck opened Delma’s at 418 N. Highland Ave. in the East End in the late 1940s. They called it “traditional Jewish style prepared foods.” Their wives Annie Port and Rose Reck initially oversaw the kitchen and appear to have assumed greater control over business operations after Martin retired in 1951 and Joseph died in 1952. Annie Port and Rose Reck continued operating Delma's restaurant until 1955, when the location became Harold’s.

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:

Congregation Kehilleth Isaac/Beth Mogen David

Selection from amendment to charter of Congregation Kehilleth Isaac, changing name to Congregation Beth Moogen David, later spelled Beth Mogen David—1936.

—from Allegheny County Charter Books

Allegheny County

The mid-1930s was a dynamic time for the local Rishishe community that comprised thousands of Jewish immigrants from parts of the Russian Empire. 

Following decades of congregational breakaways and mergers, the Rishishe community had mostly settled on two neighboring synagogues: Shaaray Tefilah Congregation (“the big Russian shul”) at 23 Miller St. and Moogen David Congregation (“the little Russian shul”) next door at 21 Miller St. 

The Shaaray Tefilah synagogue was extensively damaged by two fires in early 1933. Following renovations, the building was rededicated that September.

As those renovations were underway, the Beth Abraham Cemetery Association (which rented space at Shaaray Tefilah) undertook a major expansion of its cemetery complex in Carrick. The association added some 112 plots in the middle of the cemetery, a new gate, and eventually the construction of a chapel designed by architect Alexander Sharove.

At the same time, Moogen David Congregation was experiencing some sort of operational or financial trouble. As early as March 1934, the city began advertising a sheriff’s sale for Moogen David's synagogue at 21 Miller St.

Amid these developments at Sharray Tefilah, Moogen David, and Beth Abraham, a new group chartered Congregation Kehillath Isaac [Community of Isaac] in July 1934. The new congregation met at at 11 Miller St, which was the home of founding member George Stern. Stern had previously been one of the founding members of the short-lived Congregation Ezras Tzadickem.

Kehilleth Isaac legally changed its name to Beth Mogen David in 1936 and rededicated the former Moogen David Congregation synagogue building at 21 Miller St. The unusual name Beth Mogen David [House of the Shield of David] appears to have been an amalgamation of the former Beth David and Moogen David congregations, suggesting a faction within the Rishishe community that was persistently pursuing independence from the larger community.

Beth Mogen David partnered with the local Polishe shul Shaare Zedeck Congregation in February 1937 to bring Rabbi Abraham B. Zilberberg to Pittsburgh. The announcement was an important moment in the religious life of the Hill District, the most significant rabbinic appointment in the neighborhood since Machsikei Hadas had brought Rabbi Wolf Leiter to Pittsburgh from Galicia in the early 1920s. Rabbi Zilberberg was installed in March 1937 in a ceremony at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall with some 300 people in attendance.

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, many Jewish institutions left the Hill District for eastern neighborhoods. Shaare Zedeck and Shaaray Tefilah went to Bartlett Street in Squirrel Hill, while Beth Mogen David went to Highview Street in the East End. Rabbi Zilberberg followed Beth Mogen David to the East End. Stern did too, retaining his presidency. Beth Mogen David closed in the mid-1960s, following the death of Rabbi Zilberberg in 1962 and the death of Stern in 1964.

Databases:

Western Pennsylvania Yahrzeit Plaques Project

The Western Pennsylvania Yahrzeit Plaques Project currently contains 3,173 records from 15 current and former institutions in the region.

We recently added 63 plaques from one memorial board from Young People’s Synagogue in Squirrel Hill.

The board includes names from Young People's Synagogue, B’nai Zion Congregation (Homewood), and Beth Israel Congregation (Wilkinsburg). The plaques were transcribed by Pat Andrews (English) and Ralph Roskies (Hebrew).

Color photograph of memorial board from former Beth Israel Congregation.

We are actively transcribing yahrzeit plaques from congregations from throughout the region. Each month, we’ll use this space in the newsletter to report on additions to the database. We are currently working through a backlog of nearly 20,000 individual records. The more help we have, the quicker we’ll go. We’re currently looking for volunteers who can read and transcribe Hebrew names and dates. Work can be completed remotely or in-person at the Archive. To volunteer, email us or call 412-454-6406.

Western Pennsylvania Synagogues Project

Screen capture from the Western Pennsylvania Synagogue Project database, showing listings for Kether Torah Congregation.

The Western Pennsylvania Synagogue Project now includes 137 listings from 40 Jewish institutions in more than 20 parts of the Greater Pittsburgh area. Recent additions include listings for Beth Israel Congregation [1896) (Hill District), the Hilltop Jewish Community Club (Beltzhoover), the Jewish Home for the Aged (Hill District/Squirrel Hill), Kether Torah Congregation (Hill District/Squirrel Hill), the Kollel Jewish Learning Center (Squirrel Hill), New Light Congregation (Hill District/Squirrel Hill), and Ohav Shalom Congregation (Strip District).

TODAY:

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.

January 14:

JGS Pittsburgh Presents:

Choosing a Genealogy Software

Chuck Weinstein will walk you through the criteria for selecting software to record and track your software, along with reviews of the features and benefits of the most popular software packages currently on the market.

The program is on Sunday, Jan. 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. 

"Choosing a Genealogy Software" 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.

Chuck Weinstein has been tracing his family history for more than 30 years. A past-president of the JGS of Long Island, Chuck has also been active with JewishGen for over 28 years. In that time, he has served as a Moderator for the JewishGen Discussion Group, Director of KehilaLinks, and is now the Towns Director of the JewishGen Research Division. His family tree goes back to the 15th century and he has helped numerous researchers break through the brick wall in their own family trees. He was Co-chair of the 2016 IAJGS Conference in Seattle, and wasLead Chair of the 2023 IAJGS Conference in London.

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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