Sholem Aleykhem! My name is David Schlitt, and I'm proud to be the new director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives (RJA) at the Senator John Heinz History Center. I'm also proud to introduce the first issue of the RJA eNewsletter. This quarterly bulletin will fill you in on what is happening at the RJA and the Heinz History Center. We'll also feature highlights from our collection and ideas for how you can get involved.

Hanukkah is nearly here, and the Rauh Jewish Archives has prepared eight days of gifts for our readers. For each day of Hanukkah, the History Center will post a Hanukkah-themed artifact, image, or document on social media. If you are curious about how Western Pennsylvania's Jews have observed the Festival of Lights, be sure to check out the History Center Blog and our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

I hope you'll this first issue of the RJA quarterley eNewsletter to your family and friends. If you are not yet subscribed, please follow this link to receive the eNewsletter directly in your inbox.

The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives is beginning a new and ambitious chapter. In the coming months we will partner with the JCC, the Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh, Temple Rodef Shalom, and the Western Pennsylvania Jewish Sports Hall of Fame for several exciting public programs. Our former director, Susan Melnick, is spearheading an ambitious project to rescue the artifacts, records, and stories of Western Pennsylvania's small town Jews. If you believe, like I do, that a vibrant Jewish future depends on the preservation and knowledge of our Jewish past, you will want to be a part of our fast-growing kehillah.

Thank you,

David Schlitt
Director, Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives

Exhibitions

There's still time to visit the We Can Do It! WWII
exhibition at the History Center!

Discover how Pittsburgh affected World War II - and the war affected our region - as part of the
We Can Do It! WWII exhibition

Developed by the History Center, this 10,000 square-foot exhibition focuses on Pittsburgh's role on both the home front and the battlefield during World War II. Featuring nearly 300 artifacts, including many from the Rauh Jewish Archives, four life-like museum figures, interactive displays, and immersive museum settings, We Can Do It! WWII brings the 1940s to life as the nation commemorates the 75th anniversary of the start of WWII.
 
We Can Do It! WWII is open at the History Center until Jan. 4, 2016.

Upcoming Programs
Thursday, Jan. 14, 2016 | 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Join us for a reading, discussion, and book signing with Dr. Barbara Burstin, author of "Steel City Jews: In Prosperity, Depression and War - 1915-1950." In the sequel to 2009's "Steel City Jews (1840-1915)," Dr. Burstin tells the story of Pittsburgh Jewry in an era of both triumph and tragedy. In the decade spent researching Steel City Jews, Dr. Burstin scoured attics and cellars, explored a variety of archival collections and books, and drew on personal interviews to weave her account of the city and its Jewish community. The discussion will be moderated by David M. Schlitt, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives.

This event is free and open to the public and does not include admission to the museum. Click here for more information and to register for the event.
 

Sunday, Jan. 31, 2016 | 1:30 - 3 p.m.
 

As you count down to Super Bowl 50, join the History Center for a celebration of the life and legacy of a true Pittsburgh original - Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope. The program will feature a multimedia presentation of rare archival material donated by the Cope family and a keynote presentation from legendary New York Times sportswriter, and Squirrel Hill native, Murray Chass.

This event is presented by the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives together with the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum. This event is included with regular museum admission and is free for History Center members. Click here for more information and to register for the event.
Past Programming 

Ruth Drescher speaking at the Lessons from Kristallnacht event
 

L-R: RJA Director David Schlitt, Ruth Drescher, and Brandon Blache-Cohen
Lessons from Kristallnacht

On Monday, Nov. 9, nearly 200 Pittsburghers commemorated the 77th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, in a program presented by the Holocaust Center of Greater Pittsburgh and hosted by the Heinz History Center.

Lessons from Kristallnacht was underwritten by Edgar Snyder and featured two powerful speakers and included free admission to the History Center's We Can Do It! WWII exhibition. Ruth Drescher, a child survivor, shared her memories of Kristallnacht as a five-year-old in Stuttgart. Brandon Blache-Cohen, the executive director of Amizade Global Service-Learning, chronicled his grandfather's flight from the Nazis and reflected on the responsibilities and decisions that come with inheriting the legacy of a survivor.

RJA in the News 
Presented in Partnership with the Jewish Chronicle 
 
  • Spotlight on Small Town Jewish History Project and the closure of Uniontown's Congregation Tree of Life: Preserving a Legacy, by Toby Tabachnick
Collection Highlight


Earnest Nachman Photographs, Rauh Jewish History Program and Archives at the Heinz History Center

Pittsburgh's Friendship Club, Hanukkah, c. 1950
 
During the Nazi rise to power in the 1930s, Pittsburgh Jews mobilized to raise money to aid refugees, some of whom were brought to Pittsburgh and supported by the Jewish community. The Friendship Club was founded in 1936 by German-Jewish refugees as a support group which welcomed those who continued to arrive. Events like this Hanukkah celebration helped these refugees ease into American life following their liberation from Nazi rule. At a moment when there are more refugees and displaced persons than at any time since World War II, the Friendship Club's work to "welcome the stranger" remains an inspiration to many in the Jewish world today.
Contest: Help name the RJA eNewsletter! 


The RJA eNewsletter needs a name! 

Help us name our publication and you could win a History Center gift certificate. Successful entries may make reference to Jewish history and culture, Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania, and/or the Rauh itself.

Enter as many times as you like. The winner will be announced in a future edition of the RJA eNewsletter. Good luck - B'Hatzlacha!

Send
entries and questions to dmschlitt@heinzhistorycenter.org.