October 1, 2023

Vol. 4, No. 40

Restaurants:

F&F Delicatessen

Jewish Encyclopedia:

Galitzianers

Neighborhoods:

Swissvale



Calendar:

Sept. 30-Oct. 8: Sukkot

Oct. 4-6: Galitzianer Days

Oct. 18: JGS Presents:

Jennifer Mendelshon

Community:

SHHS archives

"How We Got Here"

JCBA "Road-Trip"

Mystery portraits

Research Tools:

Newspapers, Cemeteries,

Memorial Plaques, Books,

Population Figures, Synagogues, Newsletter Archive,

Shul Records America

Restaurants:

F&F Delicatessen

Advertisement for F&F Delicatessen. Text reads, “Talk of the Town Are the Kosher Meats at the F&F (Kosher) Restaurant,” along with information about the location, phone number, and operating hours—May 11, 1945.

—from American Jewish Outlook

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Paul and Grete Freuthal were among the many Jews from Central Europe who settled in Western Pennsylvania in the 1930s, fleeing Nazi persecution. The Freuthals became leaders in the local Friendship Club and were active members of New Light Congregation. In the early 1990s, New Light Congregation even dedicated its Freuthal Social Hall in their honor.

In a 1976 oral history, Paul Freuthal recalled the challenges he faced in his early years in Pittsburgh. His wife Grete was a seamstress and quickly found work, but Paul encountered problem after problem. “For instance, I remember I once applied for a job in Bloomfield somewhere in a laundry, and the job was to count the dirty laundry which the truck brought in. I applied. ‘Are you a citizen?’ The first question. So I didn't get the job.” Then, in 1945, a man named Henry Feld asked Fruethal to partner on a new restaurant at 2113 Murray Ave. in Squirrel Hill. They called it F & F Delicatessen.

The business only lasted a few years. Recalling the sequence of events some 30 years later, in his oral history, Freuthal said, “And about after two years, my partner left and I bought him out. And then I was approached by the rabbis here to make it strictly kosher. And I agreed. And that was the beginning of my end because I lost almost all my money and I had to close in 49.”

Documentation from the time tells a slightly different sequence of events. 

An ad announcing the opening of F&F Delicatessen first appeared in the American Jewish Outlook in February 1945. A few weeks later, in mid-April, the Rabbinical Council of Pittsburgh and the local Vaad Hakashrus (Board of Kosher Supervision), placed a second ad, announcing they had formally certified F&F Delicatessen.

F&F appears to have been the first restaurant in Squirrel Hill certified by the Vaad Hakashrus (although not the first in the city, as we will see in a future issue of the newsletter.)

In his column in the March 16, 1945 edition of the American Jewish Outlook, editor Dr. Asher Isaacs provided some backstory.

Advertisement for F&F Delicatessen, taking the form of an open letter “To the Jewish Community of the Pittsburgh District." Announces that the Vaad Hakashrus and the Rabbinical Council of Pittsburgh had certified the facility as kosher. Includes menu—April 13, 1945. 

—from American Jewish Outlook

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Isaacs started by describing the Jewish flavor of the Murray Avenue business district in early 1945: “In a few blocks one passes 10 kosher butcher shops, 2 fish stores, several kosher poultry stores, 6 Jewish-owned bakery shops, more than 14 grocery and fruit stores catering almost entirely to Jewish trade, a Jewish book shop, a hardware store, some specialty shops, as well as some eating places which serve dishes made from Jewish recipes.”

Isaacs was a prominent lay-leader within the local Orthodox community, and he noted the “incongruity” he felt when Jewish customers patronized these Jewish-owned businesses on Saturday—the Sabbath. Feeling similarly, the Rabbinical Council of Pittsburgh undertook a campaign to encourage Jewish business owners on Murray Avenue to close from Friday night to Saturday night. The appeal worked. Over the first two weeks of March 1945, at least three-dozen Jewish-owned businesses voluntarily agreed to close on Saturday.

As part of this campaign, the Rabbinical Council of Pittsburgh also worked out an arrangement to create a new kosher restaurant, F&F Delicatessen. Under the agreement, the restaurant would close on the Sabbath, would serve kosher food exclusively, would separate meat and milk products, and would agree to employ a mashgiach (kosher supervisor) to monitor its operations.

From the available documentation, it’s unclear how long F&F Delicatessen remained Vaad-certified. Henry Feld left town around 1948. Fruethal kept going for a year or so, before selling the business and pursuing other opportunities. 

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:

Galitzianers

In preparation for Galitzianer Days (below), we’ve added a new entry to the Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania compiling known Galitzianer records from this region.

The entry includes a historical survey of local Galitzianer organizations, a bibliography of available archival records for researching Galitzianer ancestry, databases of the memberships of Machsikei Hadas Congregation and the Federation of Galician Jews in 1921, and an indexed copy of the Machsikei Hadas Congregation membership ledger covering the years 1913-1936.

Title page from the pinkas (ledger book) of the Chevra Tehillim of Machsikei Hadas Congregation. Hebrew reads, “Death will be destroyed forever. My Sovereign God will wipe the tears away From all faces.” [Isaiah 25:8]—undated. 

—from Machsikai Hadas Congregation Records [MSS 145]

Neighborhoods:

Swissvale

Black and white photograph showing Morris and Sophie Kingsbacher (far left) at their summer home on Braddock Avenue in the Wilkinsburg/Edgewood/Swissvale area of Allegheny County, along with their children (from left to right) Alvin, Florence, Gertrude and Erma, and Rabbi Lippman Mayer of Rodef Shalom (center). Includes handwritten caption in upper left corner—c.1902.

—from Frank Family Photographs [MSP 474]

If you follow Braddock Avenue all the way from Frankstown Road to the Rankin Bridge, you will pass through at least four former Jewish communities. From north to south, they are: Homewood, Wilkinsburg, Swissvale, and Rankin.

If you plot those four communities chronologically, from the date when documented communal activities began, you’ll discover that they developed from the edges toward the middle: first came Rankin (1908) and Homewood (1909), and then came Swissvale (1927) and Wilkinsburg (1936).

These dates reflect the larger pattern of development in the area. 

Rankin emerged in the late 19th century, as industrial operations along the Monongahela River attracted immigrant laborers to the borough. Homewood emerged as a residential community around the same time, as new transportation options greatly decreased the travel time between downtown and the eastern neighborhoods of Pittsburgh. Over the first two decades of the 20th century, development moved toward the middle, turning a once-rural section of the country into a series of largely residential boroughs.

The Jewish story of Swissvale begins in the late 19th century, when the borough became a popular summer destination for many wealthier Pittsburgh families, including several Jewish families. The photograph above shows the Kingsbacher family enjoying a relaxing day at its summer home on Braddock Avenue along with Rodef Shalom Congregation's Rabbi Lippman Mayer.

The caption places the location as “Wilkinsburg or Edgewood.”

Black and white photograph showing first donors luncheon of the Swissvale Jewish Women’s Club at the William Penn Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh—October 30, 1940.

—from Swissvale Jewish Women's Club photograph [2005.0023]

With the gradual development of the area along Braddock Avenue in the early 20th century, and motivated partly by the Union Switch and Signal plant, Swissvale transitioned from a pastoral suburb into a residential community.

A local Jewish population emerged after World War I. Families initially affiliated with congregations in nearby Braddock and Rankin and even joined families in those towns to form a Jewish Community Center in Braddock in 1926. In later years, some Swissvale families joined Beth Israel Congregation in Wilkinsburg.

The Jewish community of Swissvale never started a congregation, but it maintained three communal institutions: for women, for children, and for men.

In late 1927, Sarah Bastacky formed the Hebrew Ladies Aid Society of Swissvale, also known as the Jewish Women’s Club of Swissvale. Among its responsibilities, it oversaw the Swissvale Religious School under the auspices of the Southwestern District of Pennsylvania Jewish Religious Schools program. The Jewish Women’s Club of Swissvale was meeting into the late 1950s. 

A Swissvale Jewish Men’s Club emerged in the late 1930s. It led an unsuccessful drive in 1939 to build in synagogue in Swissvale. The club later evolved into B’nai B’rith Lodge 1757, which was officially installed in 1948. B’nai B’rith Lodge 1757 continued meeting into the mid-1960s.

Our new entry for Swissvale includes a history of the community, photographs of its Jewish club, a population survey, and a list of known family names.

Sept. 29-Oct. 8:

Sukkot

“How to Build a Sukka”—Sept. 20, 1979.

—from Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

The holiday of Sukkot commemorates the ancient nomadic experience of the Jewish people in the Wilderness. It is celebrated in part through the construction of temporary outdoor huts, also called sukkot. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Jewish Chronicle regularly included this helpful diagram, providing steps for the construction of a basic sukkah.

Sukkot began the evening on Sept. 29 and continues through the end of the holiday of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah on Oct. 8. The Rauh Jewish Archives will be open during the intermediate days of the holiday, Monday Oct. 2 through Friday, Oct. 6.

Oct. 4-6:

Galitzianer Days

Handmade clock from Machsikei Hadas Congregation, listing times for prayer.

Are you a Galitzianer?

Galicia was a historic region of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, stretching across present-day southeastern Poland and western Ukraine.

At the turn of the 20th century, tens of thousands of Jewish immigrants left Galicia for parts of America, including Western Pennsylvania. They established congregations, mutual aid societies, and cemeteries. 

For our first Special Interest Days, the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh and the Rauh Jewish Archives are hosting Galitzianer Days at the Heinz History Center on October 4-6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This free, drop-in event is a chance for anyone to learn more about their Galitzianer roots and to connect with others in the community.

Visit the reading room on the sixth floor of the Heinz History Center for:

• a display of rarely seen historic materials from local Galitzianer organizations;

• a take-home guide to the historic Galitzianer community locally;

• one-on-one research assistance with JGS-Pittsburgh experts;

• a chance to meet others locally who are researching Galitzianer ancestry.

This event is free but does not include admission to the Heinz History Center’s regular exhibits. For more information, please contact the archive.

Oct. 18:

JGS Pittsburgh Presents: Jennifer Mendelsohn

DNA has the potential to be an essential and exciting genealogical tool. But many Eastern European Jewish testers find their DNA results completely overwhelming and unnavigable. In her talk “No, You Don’t Really Have 7900 4th Cousins," Jennifer Mendelsohn will help those with Ashkenazi heritage learn how to make sense of their DNA results. She’ll cover the basics of DNA testing, including why our match lists are so large (hello, endogamy!), why all our matches seem to match each other (endogamy, again!), and how to spot the meaningful matches and separate them from the faux ones. Using real-life examples of DNA success, you’ll learn techniques that will help you work effectively with DNA to expand your Ashkenazi family tree.

The program is Wednesday, Oct. 18, from 7:30-9 p.m. 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. 

"No, You Don’t Really Have 7900 4th Cousins" 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.

Jennifer Mendelsohn is a sought-after genealogist who specializes in helping Eastern European Jewish families shattered by the Holocaust reclaim their history. Her journey began in 2013, when she reunited her husband’s grandmother—a Polish Holocaust survivor who had lost her entire immediate family and most of her extended family—with three living first cousins she had never known. Since then she has worked on scores of cases, solving complex family mysteries using a blend of traditional and genetic genealogy. Her sleuthing was featured in the 2019 bestseller “Inheritance” by Dani Shapiro. In 2022, she co-founded the DNA Reunion Project at the Center for Jewish History, which seeks to promote DNA testing as a tool for helping Holocaust survivors find family.

Mendelsohn is also known for the innovative use of genealogy as a tool for activism. She created the viral hashtag #resistancegenealogy, which uses genealogical and historical records to fight disinformation and honor America’s immigrant past. The project received international media attention, including being featured on CNN.com, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Yahoo News.

A native Long Islander now based in Baltimore, Mendelsohn serves on the board of the Jewish Genealogy Society of Maryland and is the administrator of Facebook’s Jewish Genetic Genealogy group, with over 10,000 members worldwide.

Prior to her work as a genealogist, Jennifer spent many years as a freelance journalist. Her work has appeared in countless publications including People, Slate, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, Time, and Tablet. In addition, she is the author of a children’s book and helped fashion guru Carson Kressley pen his New York Times best-selling mens’ style manual “Off the Cuff.”

Community

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. 

From Rodef Shalom Congregation

A mystery in primary colors

The Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle reports on an effort by Rodef Shalom Congregation to identify two people from a pair of mid-19th century portraits in the congregation's holdings. Do you recognize these two people?

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.