Memoirs: Louis Green
Patricia K. and Ralph L. DeRoy Papers
Hebrew Benevolent Society
B'nai B'rith
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Louis Green portrait
—Jewish Chronicle, Dec. 17, 1970
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Louis Green fled Ukraine for England, then Brooklyn, then Boswell, Pa., a coal-mining town south of Johnstown.
The first three stops took 15 years.
Green's father and brother had left Ukraine for the United States in 1913 with a plan. They would work hard and save enough to bring over the rest of the family the following year.
But the outbreak of World War I intervened. Borders closed. Travel became complicated, as did communication. For years, an ocean divided the two parts of the family.
One day in 1919, Green’s father saw a shocking item in The Forward. There had been a pogrom in his village. All the Jews had been killed.
He died from the shock.
But it wasn’t true—not entirely.
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In an 11-page memoir, written in 1981, Green describes how his family survived pogroms, war, famine, and bureaucracy to make it safely to England.
He writes:
“I can still remember the day the Bolsheviks retreated from our town. For a while there was no organized government at all. The town was full of rumors. But no one really knew what was going on. The noises of distant artillery guns could be heard and close by some desultory rifle shooting. But the town was at anyone’s mercy and waited with bated breath for what was to come.”
His dramatic story includes incredible moments of providence. A righteous landlady hides his family from plundering mobs. A momentary oversight by a Russian clerk speeds their journey by days, while a later decision to observe Yom Kippur delays the family’s departure by months and maybe even years.
Green's story is remarkable. Also remarkable is the way he tells it.
He understands the limits and the possibilities of memory. He admits he may not have actually lived through events he clearly remembers—the dates don’t align. In other cases, he insists that his memories complicate the facts he has been told. “As I keep reminiscing certain events come to mind and I am becoming convinced that I probably am a few years older than I am officially.”
Writing in his final months, at the request of his wife Florence, Green rushes to complete his account amid hospitalizations from the illness that ultimately took his life. His sense of urgency is profound. “It has been quite some time since I last sat behind the typewriter,” Green writes in April 1981. “Another visit to the hospital, and what not. Just a reminder that time is getting short.”
His account ends in December 1981 with a description of his most recent hospital visits. But he closes by connecting those struggles with his struggles in the past. “Frankly there were times when I was ready to give up, but some kind of stubborn streak in me made me fight," he writes. "Sometimes I wonder whether all the years we were exposed to hunger, starvation, and general deprivation has toughened my body and made me more or less of a ‘knacker.’”
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Next week: William Stark's inside view of philanthropy
All year, the Rauh Jewish Archives is highlighting memoirs of Jewish life in Western Pennsylvania. If you would like to donate a memoir, or just chat about the stories you've read, contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.
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Wedding photograph, Patricia Kreimer and Ralph L. DeRoy, Concordia Club, Oct. 2, 1946.
—Patricia K. and Ralph L. DeRoy Papers and Photographs [MSS 1200]
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In addition to documenting these families, the collection is a good source of information about Jewish communal institutions such as Rodef Shalom and Tree of Life, the local jewelry business, and a wide range of other topics.
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Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania:
Hebrew Benevolent Society
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Constitution and By-Laws of Hebrew Benevolent Society, handwritten
—Aaron Family Papers [MSS 248]
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The Hebrew Benevolent Society was likely the first Jewish charity in Western Pennsylvania. It began as an organization in June 1854, although similar activities had been already underway within the local Jewish population for several months.
The society initially supported “poor traveling Israelites” coming through Pittsburgh, but it expanded over time to oversee local collections for national emergency drives and to advocate on behalf of the Jewish people both locally and abroad. In a later constitution and bylaws, the society described its activities as providing “in the best manner possible, for the relief of our unfortunate and indigent brethren, and to alleviate their sufferings.”
Our entry for the Hebrew Benevolent Society includes its handwritten constitution, a list of its presidents through 1904, assorted newspaper articles, and a bibliography.
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The Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania brings together numerous online resources into a clearinghouse for conducting research about Jewish history in this region. As we migrate information to this new website, we’ll be announcing new entries and resources in this section of the newsletter. |
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A history of the region, told through B’nai B’rith |
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Western Pennsylvania Council of B'nai B'rith Lodges convention program, 1947
—from New Castle Jewish Community Records [MSS 1061]
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The Independent Order of B’nai B’rith started more than 90 lodges in some 60 towns in Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The first was Jericho Lodge No. 44 in 1862.
The Rauh Jewish Archives recently compiled a list of all these lodges.
Going down the list, and seeing where and when each lodge pops into existence, you can watch B’nai B’rith spread in six waves. It’s a communal history of the region, in miniature.
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—from B'nai Israel Congregation Photographs [MSP 470] |
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The B'nai Israel Choir was one of the prides of the East Liberty congregation, its voices swirling around the rotunda of its glorious sanctuary. You can almost hear those voices as you look at this photograph of the choir from 1964.
But you cannot praise these singers, because we don't know their names.
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The Rauh Jewish Archives is seeking two volunteers with basic Hebrew literacy skills to help us transcribe and transliterate gravestone inscriptions and yahrzeit plaques. (If you can read the Hebrew name and date on the photograph above, you’ll do fine.) We're asking for an initial commitment of at least four hours per month for no less than one month, but there is plenty of additional work for those who enjoy doing it. Work can be done remotely.
Think you can help? Drop us a line or call 412-454-6406.
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February 15
Black & Jewish Histories of the Hill District
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Repair the World—Pittsburgh is hosting a panel looking at the overlapping and diverging Black and Jewish histories of the Hill District.
Rauh Jewish Archives Director Eric Lidji will join ACH Clear Pathways Director Tyian Battle, Multimedia Producer Njaimeh Njie, and Hill District community leader Terri Baltimore to discuss communal institutions, partnerships and tensions, migration, arts and culture, racial justice uprisings, and more. The panel will be moderated by BOOM Concepts Co-Founder D.S. Kinsel.
This program was originally scheduled for January but later postponed. If you registered for the original time, you do not need to register again.
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Dor Hadash calling for Bat Mitzvah photographs |
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Congregation Dor Hadash is asking the community for photographs of bat mitzvah celebrations past and present. The materials will be used as part of an upcoming celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first bat mitzvah in 1922.
The centennial weekend on March 19-20 will include speakers, workshops, and chances for people to share their personal experiences. To contribute or to learn more, contact the congregation at batmitzvah100@dorhadash.net.
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Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project |
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The home page of the new Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project website, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University Libraries. The redesigned website is launching this month. |
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By now, you're probably expertly zipping around the new Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project platform. But if you still need a little help navigating the features and tools of the website, the Rauh Jewish Archives recently contributed a brief explanatory article to the Jewish Chronicle. It provides some basic tips and techniques for conducting research using the new site.
We plan to provide a live virtual training workshop in the near future to review the website and its functionalities. Until then, we are here to help you troubleshoot problems. You can contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.
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[IMAGE: Marian Schreiber and employees at the Schreiber Trucking Company, c.1943—from Schreiber Family Papers and Photographs, MSS 846.]
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The Rauh Jewish Archives was founded on November 1, 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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Plan a Visit
Senator John Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222
412-454-6000
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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.
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