Rauh Jewish Archives anniversary
14th Ward Democratic Club
JGS Presents: Jess Weible
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The Rauh Jewish Archives turns 33 |
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(Left to right) Corinne Azen Krause, Bess Topolsky, Selma Berkman and Allen Berkman in November 1988, posing with the first object donated to the Rauh Jewish Archives: a banner from Workmans Circle Branch 45. Topolsky was the long-time secretary of the branch. |
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The Rauh Jewish Archives was established on November 1, 1988. Over the past 33 years, the Archive has amassed more than 1,000 collections documenting all aspects of the Jewish experience in Western Pennsylvania.
In these collections, you can discover nearly two centuries of Jewish life across this region. These experiences are diverse. They are religious, spiritual, secular, philanthropic, communal, familial, educational, economic, political, cultural and artistic. They occur in enclaves, in big and small neighborhoods, in cities, towns and suburbs across the entirety of Western Pennsylvania.
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The Archive has always worked hard to make these collections accessible to the public. We assist hundreds of researchers each year, and tens of thousands of people access digitized versions of our materials through online offerings.
Soon we will be launching a new project to make these collections easier to discover and to use. It's called "The Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania." It brings together our two existing websites—A Tradition of Giving from 2012 and Generation to Generation from 2016—into a single clearinghouse for researching the Jewish history of Western Pennsylvania. It will include exhibits, documents, photographs, and recordings, as well as datasets, maps, research tools, and links to resources all over the world.
Starting next year, we will build this encyclopedia in real time. Week-by-week, we will merge the two websites, creating new resources and expanding existing ones. We will share details of our progress through this newsletter, alongside an expanded selection of the stories we've been sharing this year.
If you know someone who loves Jewish history, please forward this email to them. If you've received this email, please click on the link below to subscribe.
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The 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club |
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Celeste Berhend, Bicky Goldzer and Joyce Itkin, undated
—from Bicky and Louis Goldzer Papers, 2012.0154
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For the past few weeks, we've been looking at Jewish political clubs. Well, not "Jewish political clubs," exactly, but political clubs with Jewish members.
The first was the Allegheny County Political Club. It was active in the 1910s, during the peak years of Jewish migration between Eastern Europe and North America. The Club fervently insisted it was not a "Jewish political club," although it acknowledged that 95 percent of its membership was Jewish.
The second was the East Liberty Jewish Voters League, which was active in the early 1930s. The League was explicitly Jewish, but its mission was broad: to encourage voter turnout among Jewish residents in the East End and to advocate for civic improvement projects of benefit to the entire neighborhood.
Now we look at the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club. It was formed in 1964, bringing together progressive Democrats in the neighborhoods currently known as Squirrel Hill, Regent Square, Point Breeze, North Point Breeze, Park Place, Swisshelm Park and Duck Hollow. It was never a "Jewish club." It never marketed itself as a Jewish club. It never restricted its membership to Jewish voters. And it certainly never limited its endorsements to Jewish candidates.
Throughout its history, and especially in its early years, the activities of the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club often carried a Jewish ambiance.
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14th Ward Democratic Club newsletter advertising a barbeque with "kosher hot dogs," 1966—from 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club Papers, 1992.0230 |
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Two examples:
A label on the photograph seen above reads: "Jewish political leaders planning a 14th Ward Dem Club fundraiser!" A newsletter from 1966 (seen at left) advertises an upcoming barbeque for future Gov. Milton Shapp, including: "Kosher Hot Dogs."
But unlike the Allegheny County Political Club or the East Liberty Jewish Voters League, there was little to no vocal opposition to the 14th Ward Independent Democratic Club within the local Jewish press at the time of its founding. Perhaps that's because Charles Joseph was no longer publishing. Or perhaps it is because the club was ward-based. Or perhaps the times had changed.
All this year, the Rauh Jewish Archives is highlighting stories of Jewish club life in Western Pennsylvania. If you would like to donate records of a local Jewish club, or just chat about clubs, contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.
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Nov. 14: JGS Pittsburgh Presents: Jess Weible |
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On assignment for a small-town newspaper in rural Pennsylvania, rookie reporter Jessica Weible meets Joan Swigart, a creative fireball and “pioneer in print.” As the two women forge a relationship based on their passion for storytelling, Joan reveals a mystery that she had discovered years ago, but had never solved—a pile of dead letters found in an abandoned general store, just before it was torn down. Joan gives Jessica the letters, each stamped and dated over a hundred years ago, and encourages Jessica to investigate the untold stories of the people and places contained in each one.
What begins as yet another assignment for the reporter, a young millennial who relies happily on email and texting as the primary means of communication, develops into a heartfelt mission to tell the story of the people and places in the letters. Weible's book, “Dead Letters: Delivering Unopened Mail from a Pennsylvania Ghost Town," describes the unexpected twists and turns that her journey takes through the quiet lumber towns of Pennsylvania, the early American settlements in Massachusetts, the bustling crowds at Ellis Island, the violent strikes at the Passaic textile mills, and beyond. Among the letters is one in Yiddish, revealing a web of local Jewish stories. Attendees in person will get a chance to see the actual letters.
This is a hybrid program. Attendees can participate either online or in-person at the Heinz History Center. In-person attendance will be limited to the first 20 people who register. Social distancing and masking will be required. Depending on public health conditions at the time of the program, the program may revert to all-virtual format, with updated instructions sent to all registrants.
This program is possible through the support of the William M. Lowenstein Genealogical Research Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation.
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Jess Weible is a freelance writer and reporter. Her writing has been featured in the Huffington Post and various local news outlets. Her column featuring writers of the Pennsylvania Wilds appears every month in the Brookville Mirror. Jess’s poetry has been published in the Apeiron Review and the Tobeco Journal. Her fiction appears in the Bridge Literary Arts Journal. She is also a founding editor for The Watershed Journal, an inclusive, regional literary magazine for the western Pennsylvania wilds. Jess leads two writing groups, the Writer’s Block Party and the Rebecca M. Arthur’s Young Writers. She lives with her husband and two boys in Brookville, Pennsylvania.
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[IMAGE: Marian Schreiber and employees at the Schreiber Trucking Company, c.1943—from Schreiber Family Papers and Photographs, MSS 846.]
If you like this newsletter, why not forward it to a friend? We want to share the story of Western Pennsylvania Jewish history with as many people as possible.
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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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