In this issue...
Westmoreland Country Club

Z'chor

Mindfulness in Elul
Westmoreland Country Club
Westmoreland Country Club, June 27, 1907
—from Aaronel deRoy Gruber Papers and Photographs, MSS 335
Westmoreland Country Club was incorporated in 1900, but our story starts a few years bit later. The Export, Pa. golf course was sold in 1904 to a "group of Jewish golf pioneers," according to a history in a 50th anniversary booklet.

The founders and early members of the club were largely associated with Rodef Shalom Congregation. In that respect, Westmoreland Country Club was the rural recreational equivalent of the Concordia Club in the city.
Scene from the Westmoreland Country Club 50-Year Ball, November 6, 1954
—from Aaronel deRoy Gruber Papers and Photographs, MSS 335
But unlike the Concordia Club, little exists to document Westmoreland Country Club. Early records were destroyed in a fire on New Year's Day 1950.

What survives comes from individual families. The Aaronel deRoy Gruber Papers and Photographs (MSS 335), for example, contains several early photographs of the clubhouse, as well as programs from special occasions.

Also surviving is the Pittsburgh Jewish Community Book (1921), which contains what is likely the oldest surviving membership list for the club.

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. 
Z'chor
In honor the fifth anniversary of its relaunch and first anniversary of its new website, the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh is offering free access to the August issue of its monthly newsletter Z'chor.

The monthly newsletter is typically only available to JGS members.

The issue includes an essay by Sarah Angrist, a look at the Beth Abraham Cemetery Association records, a new column about local Family Clubs, and updates on the revival of the Western Pennsylvania Jewish Cemetery Project and the brand new Western Pennsylvania Yahrzeit Plaques Project.

To learn more about the JGS Pittsburgh, visit its website.
A death record from the Beth Abraham Cemetery Association Records, MSS 333.
Today—Rosh Chodesh Elul
Cornerstone laying ceremony for the Irene Kaufmann Center at the corner of Fobres and Murray, 1958—from Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh Photographs, MSP 389.
The Hebrew month of Elul is traditionally a time of spiritual reflection before the High Holidays arrive in the fall. In keeping with its mission to provide communal opportunities for reflection, support and connection, the 10.27 Healing Partnership is organizing a free afternoon of learning today, August 8, from 2:30 to 5 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 5505 Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill.

Presenters include Sara Stock Mayo, Cantor Julie Newman, Rabbi Doris Dyen, Rabbi Moshe Mayir Vogel, and Robert and Stephanie Miller. Rauh Jewish Archives Director Eric Lidji will lead a discussion on Deuteronomy 27:1-8, which describes one of the earliest public monuments in Jewish history.

For more information, please contact Ranisa Davidson at the 10.27 Healing Partnership at 412-339-5424 or rdavidson@1027healingpartnership.org.
Tell your friends!
[IMAGE: Marian Schreiber and employees at the Schreiber Trucking Company, c.1943—from Schreiber Family Papers and Photographs, MSS 846.]

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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.
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.