August 4, 2024

Vol. 5, No. 31



The Early 1970s:

Israel Nationality Room

Jewish Encyclopedia:

Jewish Education Resource Center

Article:

Dr. Ida Cohen Selavan Schwarcz

Register Now:

A Patchwork Life Stitching Circle

Exhibits:

A Woman's Place

Calendar:

Today: JGS Presents: Family Stories



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:

Israel Nationality Room

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette photograph of Israel Room Chairman Joseph Katz studying a diorama of the proposed Israel Room, held by Mr. and Mrs. Hanan Cidor of Israel—Nov. 10, 1972.

—Busis Family Papers [MSS 1059]

The dedication of the Israel Heritage Room at the University of Pittsburgh in 1987 was the culmination of three efforts over nearly 60 years to incorporate Jewish history into the Nationality Rooms at the Cathedral of Learning. 

The first effort began with the creation of the Nationality Rooms program in the late 1920s. The Pittsburgh Conference of Jewish Women’s Organizations campaigned in 1929 for including a “Jewish Room.” The group tried to make the case that the Jewish people met the criteria of a nation. A separate group within the local community argued that the Jewish people were a religion and didn’t belong within a program telling the story of the world’s nations.

The creation of the State of Israel in 1948 altered that debate. The University of Pittsburgh approached philanthropist Charles Rosenbloom about creating an Israel Room. After some investigation, Rosenbloom balked at the cost.

Black and white photograph of the diorama of the proposed Israel Room—Nov. 9, 1972.

—Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Acting Chancellor David Kurtzman—the first Jewish chancellor of the University—revived the idea in 1966. He asked Rosenbloom and Lillian Friedberg to look into establishing an Israel Room on the first floor of the Cathedral of Learning.

Rosenbloom commissioned Israeli architect Elder Sharon in October 1967 to prepare a design but was unsatisfied with the results. Rosenbloom instead formed two committees: the Pittsburgh Committee of the Israel Nationality Room in December 1967 and a corresponding Israel Committee of the Israel Nationality Room in January 1969 under the leadership of former Israel Ambassador to Holland Hanan Cidor. These two committees launched a design competition for an Israel Room from late 1970 through early 1972.

A winning design by Israeli sculptor Israel Hadany was announced locally in November 1972, under the chairmanship of Joseph Katz. The design emphasized the rebirth of Israel. “The Israel Room presented a different problem [than] those rooms of other countries which have had a very well established tradition of statehood in recent times,” Ambassador Cidor told the Jewish Chronicle at the time. “…Israel[‘s] continuity of national tradition was interrupted and replaced by cultural and religious traditions, which, to represent in a nationality room is a problem no other country had to face.”

Advertisement for the Israel Heritage Classroom building fund, including illustration of the proposed room. Signed by chairman Joseph Katz—April 2, 1987.

—Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Soon after the announcement came skepticism. Katz requested a second opinion from famed architect Louis Kahn. According to a summary of the meeting, Kahn “roundly criticized” the design. The project was again paused.

A change in Nationality Room policy in 1975 was more accommodating toward “previously independent nations,” such as Armenia and Ukraine. The changes also allowed the local Black community to pursue an African Heritage Room. The current Israel Heritage Room was developed under this framework, combining both provisions, to depict “a cultural heritage stemming from a particular geographic area,” as described by one university official.

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 historic materials documenting Jewish life in this region, contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.

Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania:

Solomon Schechter Day School

Black and white photograph of educators with the Jewish Education Resource Center—c1985.

—Jewish Chronicle Records [MSS 906]

The Jewish Education Resource Center was a central repository of educational materials, communication, and professional development for Jewish educators.

The United Jewish Federation’s Committee on Jewish Education formed the Jewish Education Resource Center in 1984 in connection with the new Jewish Educator’s Council, a professional group comprising principals and heads of school throughout Western Pennsylvania. The Jewish Education Resource Center was located on the second floor of the B’nai Zion Congregation synagogue at 6404 Forbes Ave. It had a video library, audiotapes, educational software, teacher-made games and projects, and materials on Israel.

The Jewish Education Resource Center was created as a three-year pilot program and was incorporated into the existing United Jewish Federation Capital Campaign after 1987. The Jewish Education Resource Center joined the Jewish Education Institute in 1991 and evolved into the Jewish Teacher Resource Center. It joined the Agency for Jewish Learning in the early 2000s.

Article:

Ida (Chaya Sara) Cohen Selavan Schwarcz, z”l

In a December 1969 oral history with Herman Gordon, Ida Selavan of the local NCJW section asks a simple question about the day-to-day social life of Jews in the Hill District in the 1920s and 1930s: “Were there any local meeting places like restaurants or cafes or halls where the gang would meet?”

“Yeah,” Gordon says, “Weinstein’s Restaurant up on Center Avenue.”

“Ah!” Selavan exclaims. “That’s what I was waiting for!”

The way Selavan says, “Ah” is a historical document on its own.

Aug. 18:

The Patchwork Life Stitching Circle

[LEFT] Color photograph showing a pair of hands framing a patch from The Witness Quilt reading, “Do a mitzvah.” [RIGHT] Patchwork Life Stitching Circle sewing kit.

On Sunday, September 1, the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center will open a new exhibition titled, “Louise Silk: A Patchwork Life,” a retrospective of the 50-year career of local quilter and fiber artist Louise Silk.  

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a new work called “The Witness Quilt,” a collection of 1,152 folk wisdoms embroidered onto recycled fabric from Silk’s personal fabric collection. Throughout the run of the exhibit, Silk will work in the gallery space with volunteer community stitchers to expand the Witness Quilt. Once complete, the patches will be given away to museum visitors. 

On Sunday, August 18 from 1-4 p.m., Silk will host a special training session at the Detre Library & Archives of the Heinz History Center for anyone who would like to participate. No expertise or materials are required, just a desire to join a community of stitchers who will assist with this special project.  

All participants will receive a special sewing kit created by Silk and will leave with an embroidery project already underway. If you are unable to attend the workshop but would still like to participate, please contact the archive.

NOW OPEN:

A Woman's Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh

“How Mrs. Enoch Rauh ushered in the year 1913 — on Dec. 31st 1912.”

—from Richard E. Rauh Papers [MSS 301]

From pioneering investigative journalism to leading their country to Olympic gold, Western Pennsylvania women have made an immeasurable impact in America, but too often, their stories have been overlooked.

The Heinz History Center is taking an unprecedented deep dive into the lives of these fierce and unflappable women who helped change the world inside a major new exhibition, A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh.

Take an interactive, thematic journey through Western Pennsylvania women’s history from the early 1800s to modern day that will showcase the stories of entrepreneurs and activists, artists and athletes, scientists and inventors, and changemakers and barrier breakers. Through more than 250 artifacts, immersive experiences, and striking archival images, A Woman’s Place will reveal how women have made Pittsburgh and the world a better place.  

Sept. 15

JGS Pittsburgh Presents:

Restitution and Remembrance:

Finding a Thousand Heirs

Some 20 years ago, over 9,000 books looted by the infamous Nazi officer Julius Streicher were handed over to the Jewish community in Nuernberg and are now held by the Stadtbibliothek there. The owners of more than 2,000 of them could be identified. An ongoing research project coordinated by Leibl Rosenberg in Nuernberg to identify descendants has resulted in the return of over 1,000 of them. Hundreds are still in the library collection awaiting return.

Karen enlisted assistance from the Leo Baeck Institute’s staff and volunteers, as well as volunteers from the Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Center at the Museum of Jewish Heritage and a college intern, to review the list of books with heirs yet unidentified, and within a few weeks, the descendants of over a dozen original owners of the book had been located and notified. In this talk, Karen will discuss new case studies and demonstrate the research techniques she and the volunteers undertook to find the heirs.

The program is Sunday, September 15 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. 

“Restitution and Remembrance: Finding a Thousand Heirs” with Karen Franklin is a collaboration between the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh and the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center. Please register online. The program is free for JGS-Pittsburgh members and $5 for the general public. To become a member of the JGS-Pittsburgh and receive a free membership code for this program, please visit its website.

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

Karen S. Franklin, a leader in the fields of Jewish genealogy and Jewish museums, has been Director of Family Research at the Leo Baeck Institute for over twenty years and is Consulting Director of the Peter and Mary Kalikow Jewish Genealogy Center at the Museum of Jewish Heritage: A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. She has served as president of the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies, chair of the Council of American Jewish Museums, chair of the Memorial Museums Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), and co-chair of the Board of Governors of JewishGen.org. Karen received the service citation of the International Council of Museums-US in 2012 for her work in Holocaust-era Looted Art, and the IAJGS Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.

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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