Celebrating B'nai Mitzvot During the Pandemic
Do you know a young person who became a b'nai mitzvah over the past year?

As part of our effort to document the impact of the pandemic on the local Jewish community, the Rauh Jewish Archives is asking the community to contribute materials from local b'nai mitzvot celebrations in 2020 and 2021.

We are looking for invitations, speeches, Zoom recordings, and anything else that reflects the changes and accommodations made over the past year.

For more information about this project, or to contribute materials, please contact Eric Lidji at rjarchives@heinzhistorycenter.org or 412-454-6406.
Trophies!
In the early 1960s, the Y-IKC created the Latterman Trophy. It was presented by brothers Earl and Bernard Latterman, in memory of their father, Samuel E. Latterman. It was given each year to the best Y-IKC club in Squirrel Hill.

The competition worked on a point system. Throughout the year, clubs could earn points for various successes. The club with the most points at the end of the year won the Latterman Trophy. The first Latterman Trophy awardees, in June 1963, were the sorority D.E.B.S. and the fraternity Sigma Kappa.


[IMAGE: A triptych of photographs from the June 5, 1970 Y Weekly showing the 1969-1970 teen awards ceremony at the Y-IKC, including the presentation of the Latterman Trophy.]
Throughout the 1960s, the Y-IKC expanded the awards ceremony.

The Sadie Reznick Memorial Trophy was created around 1966 to honor the best club in the East End. Other trophies honored individual achievements by local Jewish teens.

These teen awards encouraged clubs to be productive. The award system incentivized certain activities. When you read through the Y Weekly, you find that clubs received points for some events, but not for others.

Although the rules changed from year to year, clubs generally earned points for athletic victories, performances, and charitable activities, and also for helping out around the Y-IKC.


[IMAGE: A photograph of the Latterman Trophy from the Sept. 25, 1964 Y Weekly.]
The competition was voluntary.

To be eligible, each club was required to submit an application listing its accomplishments for the year. Some clubs declined the opportunity. The teen columnists often issued calls for clubs to participate in the awards.

Throughout the 1960s, the Y-IKC struggled to become more inclusive, while still encouraging a sense of friendly rivalry between the clubs.

For example, in 1969, the Latterman Trophy rules were changed. In addition to receiving points for performance in sports, arts, and charity, clubs were awarded points for healthy and effective operations.

[IMAGE: A column by Howie Fineman and Howie Gordon from the Y Weekly, Dec. 25, 1964, making the case for clubs to participate in the Latterman Trophy.]
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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[IMAGE: Marian Schreiber and employees at the Schreiber Trucking Company, c.1943—Schreiber Family Papers and Photographs, MSS 846.]
The Rauh Jewish History Program & 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.
Plan a Visit

Senator John Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, Pa. 15222
412-454-6000

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.