December 31, 2023

Vol. 4, No. 53



Restaurants:

Reflections

Jewish Encyclopedia:

Zion Literary Society

Neighborhoods:

West End



Calendar:

Jan. 14: Chuck Weinstein

Jan. 15: "The Sofer"

Feb. 4: Nolan Altman

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

Restaurants:

Reflections

Black and white photograph of 636 Penn Avenue looking south near McKains Hat Store and the Roosevelt Hotel. Also seen are the Temple Restaurant and Loew's Theater—August 17, 1947.

—from Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection 

University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections 

[715.4776963.CP] (online—Historic Pittsburgh)

We’re wrapping up our yearlong review of local Jewish-owned restaurants. 

The idea for this series emerged from a single artifact—a promotional matchbook from Robert’s Restaurant downtown. On the matchbook showed a symbol: the word "Kosher," in Hebrew, inside a Star of David. And yet, advertisements for the restaurant featured a menu that stretched the traditional boundaries of kosher by including both meat and milk dishes.

What did that Kosher symbol mean to the restaurant? What did it mean to regular customers? What did it mean to the people who wouldn’t eat there?

These questions were hard to answer, owing to a lack of records. The only documentation in our archive was a few ads—a clue here, a clue there.

Whenever people reminisce about their city in earlier days, they often recall eating. Restaurants, bakeries, butcher shops, and groceries feature prominently in recollections of the past—and are often spoken about in reverential terms. Nothing tastes better than a sandwich in your memory.

And yet, relatively few records survive for these restaurants. 

And so we decided to spend a year looking at the way Jews had participated in the local restaurant industry. The goal was to gather basic data: names, addresses, years of operation, menus, and maybe even some good stories.

We started by searching local newspapers for “Jewish restaurant,” “Jewish-style restaurant,” “kosher restaurant,” “kosher-style restaurant,” and “strictly kosher.” The result was a list with more than 500 restaurants. Over this past year, we profiled approximately 50 of these restaurants, pulling together whatever documentation existed. Here are three reflections on that world.

[LEFT] Advertisement for Reichbaum’s restaurant at 1321 Fifth Ave. Announces new ownership (A. Rapoport) and new management (Jack Golden). Includes menu and prices—June 13, 1924. [RIGHT] Advertisement for M/ “Buck” Gefsky’s restaurant at 1321 Fifth Ave. Announces addition of “Mitzie” from the Concordia Club kitchen— May 7, 1926.

—from Jewish Criterion

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

It was dynamic. 

Behind the scenes was persistent motion. Buildings cycled through ownership, as new businesses built on the investments of their predecessors. Think of the many restaurants at 1321 Fifth Ave., 2201 Murray Ave., or 307 Beverly Rd.

Partnerships began, expanded, contracted, dissolved, and reformed. Staff jumped from restaurant to restaurant. Families branched across the city.

Today, starting a restaurant feels specialized, reserved for those with true skill or passion. A century ago, it may have been an opportunity among opportunities, like a mom and pop grocery. Many entered the field with limited experience. Some succeeded through dogged work. Some failed despite it. 

Understanding more about this commercial dynamism would provide deeper insights into the ways an immigrant community adapted to a new country.

Advertisement announcing opening of Myers Restaurant at 614 Penn Ave., previously at 912 Fifth Ave. Includes note from Dina Myers, thanking customers for their patronage—November 4, 1921.

—from Jewish Criterion

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

It was filled with women

Few local industries experienced higher-profile participation from Jewish women. An incomplete list includes Rebecca Bart, Hannah Klein, Reva Kushner, Dina Myers, Anne Port, Rose Reck, Anna Richest, and Ethel Stark. 

Between the 1920s and 1950s, these Jewish women and many others ran kitchens, oversaw businesses operations, and were even promoted by name in local advertisements. In several cases, these women were simultaneously working as caterers for local Jewish organizations—sometimes as volunteers.

Understanding more about this phenomenon would provide deeper insights into the often-overlooked role of Jewish women in the American economy.

It changed with its clientele.

The Jewish restaurants of the early 20th century catered to the eating habits of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Menus had dishes from Russia, Hungary, and Romania, prepared with an acknowledgement of kashrut. Passover was observed with a special menu or with a vacation.

As that Jewish clientele eased into American life, these restaurants evolved, adapting their menus accordingly. There was a persistent

a tension between the religious and cultural sides of Jewish dining.

The same tension was occurring all over the country, of course, but more work is needed to understand how these trends developed in Western Pennsylvania and where our community may have differed.

Advertisement for a Passover Seder at Weinstein's restaurant at 1940 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill—March 4, 1955.

—from Jewish Criterion

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

We hope you enjoyed this series, and we hope you will continue to provide the archive with documentation of local Jewish restaurants of the past.

In the next issue, we’ll announce the 2024 community collecting initiative.

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:

Zion Literary Society

Black and white photograph of members of the Zion Literary Society holding a club pennant outside of the Heinz plant—June 20, 1914.

—from J. B. Bernstein Papers [MSS 1190]

The Zion Literary Society was a Zionist youth organization active before World War I. An organization by that name was holding events at the Tree of Life Congregation synagogue downtown as early 1903. Documentation of its activities ends in 1906. Leaders of this initial iteration included J. Seligsohn, M. H. Alter, M. Zabarence, J. Marcusky, J. Marcus and Benjamin Litcher.

A second Zion Literary Society was formed on June 9, 1912 and was associated with the Zionist Council of Pittsburgh. Leaders included J. B. Bernstein, Samuel Caplan, Julius Levenson, Isadore Swiss and Harry Levitt. A notice from late October 1915 notes efforts by Julius Levenson to organize a “new Zion Literary Society” composed of high school boys. The Herzl Literary Society, founded in 1915, claimed to have been a successor to the Zion Literary Society.

Neighborhoods:

West End

Black and white photograph of construction on streetcar tracks and Baker Bros. Bread Company, all located on Steuben Street—August 26, 1924.

—Pittsburgh City Photographer Collection [715.242711.CP]

University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections

West End is a neighborhood along the mouth of Saw Mill Run, filling a valley through Mount Washington. The West End also describes the surrounding neighborhoods, including West End, Elliott, Ridgemont, and Sheraden. 

Of all the broad sections of Pittsburgh, the West End always had the smallest Jewish presence. Few even bothered to count it. The Hebrew Institute often ignored the West End in its biennial survey of Jewish student population figures in Pittsburgh, a survey that generally covered every other corner of the city.

And yet, the West End maintained communal institutions before World War II.

The few Jewish families living in the West End neighborhoods formed the West End Religious School in 1914 under the auspices of the Southwestern District of Pennsylvania Jewish Religious Schools program. These families also formed the West End Social Club, which hosted picnics, dances, and other gatherings. Both the school and the social club remained active until at least early 1921. 

After a period of dormancy, the Southwestern District reorganized the West End Religious School in 1928 through the newly formed West End Mothers’ Club. Along with the school and the Mothers' Club, the West End community created a series of youth clubs, including the Torch Bearers and the Young Israel Club. The Torch Bearers was a pilot project organized by the Southwestern District to encourage the involvement of Jewish youth in religious affairs after confirmation. This second iteration of the West End Religious School ended in the early 1930s, as the local Jewish population declined.

The available documentation does not mention a synagogue or even standalone religious services in the West End, and several of the leading Jewish families patronized synagogues in the city center for major life cycle events. 

A citywide population survey conducted in 1938 counted at least 21 Jewish families in the West End (8), Elliott (9), and Ridgemont (4). By the next survey in 1963, there were essentially no Jewish families counted in the West End.

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.

opening January 15:

Rodef Shalom Congregation Presents:

"The Sofer: A Tribute To My Zayde"

The Sofer is a multi-generational narrative about Pittsburgh artist Rosabel Rosalind's relationship with Zayde, her grandfather, a retired Orthodox rabbi with whom she lived for the first twelve years of her life. (He spent part of his career in Western Pennsylvania, leading Beth Samuel Jewish Center in Ambridge.) Fragmented by time and memory, the story recounts details from the years Zayde and Rosalind lived as roommates, interspersed with historical reimaginings and stark cultural observations that span past and present. 

The book follows Zayde and Rosalind, as she came of age in a Conservative Jewish household and as she continues to come to terms with her Jewishness. The Sofer is about the haunting of memory, history, and tradition in the face of a resurgence of anti-Semitism, through an intimate and inherited perspective. 

The original manuscript of The Sofer is 185 pages and is entirely hand-painted with beet juice, citing Zayde's affinity for Manischewitz brand borscht and the complexities of diasporic Jewishness. Sofer, translates to a Jewish scribe of ancient texts, and it is also Rosalind's maternal name; her Zayde’s last name. Thus she transcribed the familial, ancestral, and historical, using an untraditional hand-made ink, per scribal ritual, with a combination of painting and comic techniques and specific Sofer lettering of Rosalind's design.

February 4:

JGS Pittsburgh Presents:

Patronymic Naming and Cemetery Research

Headstone inscriptions provide one of the most important tools for researching Jewish genealogical history: patronymic naming, or names derived from paternal ancestors. This presentation will familiarize attendees with the evolution of family surnames and the practice of patronymic naming. Recognizing the components of patronymic naming, participants will learn how to take advantage of these clues to link their family through generations. Nolan Altman will review an actual case study using headstone inscriptions and will show participants online resources to help find headstone information.



Altman will also show examples of headstones and explain what you’re likely to find if you take a trip to the cemetery. He will explain the meaning of symbols that you will find on stones. Even if you can’t read Hebrew, you can understand the inscriptions. He will also show many examples of inscription trends, some odd inscriptions, and errors in inscriptions…even well-known ones. With a presentation on cemetery records, you wouldn’t expect to leave laughing, but he guarranties you will.

The program is on Sunday, Feb. 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. 

"Patronymic Naming and Cemetery Research" 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.

Nolan Altman was bit by the “genealogy bug” when he was inspired to write his family history in 1996 in memory of his mother. After making use of the valuable information on JewishGen, he volunteered to do data entry on various projects. In time, he was asked to become the Coordinator for JewishGen’s Holocaust Database and subsequently the Coordinator for the JOWBR (JewishGen’s Online Worldwide Burial Registry) project. Nolan works with volunteers from around the world helping to grow both databases for the benefit of family members and researchers. Nolan currently holds the position of JewishGen’s Director for Data Acquisition and focuses on growing the JOWBR, Holocaust and Memorial Plaques databases. In 2021, JOWBR won the IAJGS Outstanding Project Award.

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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