The Victory Club/E. J. Meyer Club
One day in March 1928, two 13-year-old boys were sitting around the Hill District, wondering what to do. "Too damp to be outside playing and too imbued with the restless energy of youth to become absorbed in some classical romance... they moped around half hoping a kind member of the household would pay their way to the picture show," as they later recalled. "Suddenly one of the boys exclaimed, 'I know what!! Let's start a club.'"

The boys were Irving Clovsky and Sam Bodell. They gathered their friends and approached Harry "Doc" Ratner of the Irene Kaufmann Settlement House for guidance. He said they needed a name. They chose "The Victory Club."

[IMAGE: A ribbon worn by the captain of the Victory Club, in the traditional red and black colors of the club, undated—Irving Clovsky Papers, 2020.0069.]
The Victory Club initially focused on the three big activities for local Jewish clubs: dramatics, athletics, and debate. One of its biggest successes was a production of "Attorney for the Defense." By 1930, it had become one of the premier boys' clubs at the Irene Kaufmann Settlement House, winning "Honor Club" of the year. The boys celebrated by having club sweaters made.

[IMAGES: A cover of the program for "Attorney for the Defense" and a c.1930 photograph of the Victory Club boys wearing their new club sweaters—Irving Clovsky Papers, 2020.0069. A clipping from the Oct. 24, 1930 Jewish Criterion, reporting on plans to purchase sweaters for the Victory Club.]
But even in those early days, the Victory Club showed signs of broader interests. As pre-teens, the Club had voted to donate its dues to the needy, and it continued to pursue charitable activities throughout its existence.

Around 1934 and 1935, the Victory Club changed its name to the E. J. Meyer Club in memory of a friend who had died a few years earlier at the age of 18.

As the E. J. Meyer Club, the now 20-year-old boys continued their athletic and cultural pursuits. But they also took note of the times—a worsening depression at home and the growing threat of war abroad. "At this time the group began to actively concern itself with world events," the boys recalled in 1938.

Now skilled at Club life, older members of the Club began mentoring younger Clubs in the Hill District, teaching the basics of parliamentary procedure. Clovsky mentored the Pirate Club, and Bodell oversaw the Wolverine Club.

[IMAGES: The Nov. 5, 1935 issue of the E. J. Meyer Club newsletter, announcing its new name; club namesake Edward J. Meyer, from the 10th anniversary program of the club, 1938—Irving Clovsky Papers, 2020.0069]
The E. J. Meyer Club also drew attention to major issues of the day.

Their largest effort was a public forum in April 1937, where political leaders and housing advocates discussed rising rents in the Hill.

The E. J. Meyer Club credited the forum with launching a movement across Pittsburgh to lower rents.

[IMAGES: A notice from the April 16, 1937 issue of the Jewish Criterion, announcing an upcoming rent form sponsored by the E. J. Meyer Club.]
The E. J. Meyer Club shifted its center of operations to Oakland around 1938 and moved to the Y. It soon joined the Senior Club Council, which oversaw inter-club activities at the Y. The Council had been reorganized a few years earlier to reduce inter-club rivalries and encourage cooperation.

But by then, the boys were working men, married men, and young fathers. They had less and less time to dedicate to Club events.

The E. J. Meyer Club fades from the historic record in 1939 and reappears only for reunion events throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s.

In the next issue of the newsletter, we'll look at the Pollyanna Club and the Redael Club, leading girls' clubs.

[IMAGES: The cover of the program for the 10th anniversary celebration of the E. J. Meyer Club in 1938—Irving Clovsky Papers, 2020.0069]
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. 
JGS-Pittsburgh Presents: Roger Lustig
The Germany where your Jewish ancestors lived is not the Germany of today. Its boundaries have changed several times. Before its unification in 1871, Germany was more of a concept than a state, composed of dozens of kingdoms, duchies, and principalities large and small. Each area had its own laws and attitudes toward Jews. To do research in this historic “Germany” one must know which places belonged to which state at a given time, the legal status of Jews in each place, and the records that were kept in those places. Germany has an enormous wealth of records pertaining to Jews, especially after 1800, but there are no simple, global rules for using them.  
 
In Jewish Genealogy in the Germanies, Roger Lustig will work backward from today’s Germany to the early 19th century, focusing on key historical events, their impact on Jewish life, and the way records were kept.

The program is on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 1 p.m. It is free for JGS-Pittsburgh members and $5 for the general public. Please register online.
Roger Lustig is a genealogical researcher based in Princeton, N.J. Since 2002, he has specialized in the Jewish families of Prussian Poland, especially Upper Silesia and West Prussia. He has done research in archives in the United States, Germany, and Poland.

As research coordinator for GerSIG (German Special Interest Group) he is developing databases, including NALDEX (Name-Adoption List index), Württemberg Family Registers, and the Hessen-Gatermann database. He has also contributed over 25,000 Prussian records to the JRI-Poland database.

This program was made possible through the generous support of the William M. Lowenstein Genealogical Research Endowment Fund.
A Path to Postmodern: The Abrams House
As part of Docomomo US Regional Spotlight on Modernism Series, RJA Director Eric Lidji provides an overview of Jewish contributions to modern and post-modern architecture in Pittsburgh, particularly the Abrams House.

[IMAGES: The Robert-Venturi-designed Abrams House under construction on Woodland Road, c. 1981—Betty and Irving Abrams Papers, 2018.0269]
Spread the Word!
If you like this newsletter, why not forward it to a friend? We want to share the story of local Jewish history with as many friends and neighbors as possible.
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.