July 14, 2024

Vol. 5, No. 28



The Early 1970s:

Youth Mobe

Jewish Encyclopedia:

Talmudical College and Mesivta

Jewish Encyclopedia:

Announcing: Sisterhoods

Tree of Life Sisterhood

Save the Date:

A Patchwork Life Stitching Circle

Exhibits:

A Woman's Place

Calendar:

Aug. 4: JGS Presents: Family Stories



Community:

URA photographs

SHHS archives

"How We Got Here"

JCBA "Road-Trip"

Research Tools:

Newspapers, Cemeteries,

Memorial Plaques, Books,

Population Figures, Synagogues, Newsletter Archive,

Shul Records America

The Early 1970s:

Youth Mobilization for Soviet Jewry

Black and white photograph of students with Youth Mobilization for Soviet Jewry protesting at a performance of the Moiseyev Dance Company of Russia at the Syria Mosque—Sept. 22, 1972.

—Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Records [MSS 287]

“Operation Wedding,” also known as the “Dymshits–Kuznetsov affair” or the “First Leningrad Trial,” was a turning point in the effort to save Soviet Jewry. 

On June 15, 1970, a group of Soviet refuseniks attempted to escape Russia using an empty civilian plane. They were caught, leading to a highly publicized trial that brought global attention to Jewish dissidents in the Soviet Union.

To maintain this attention, a World Day for Soviet Jewry rally was planned for Sept. 20, 1970 at the opening of the United Nations General Assembly and other locations around the world. By chance, the Moiseyev Dance Company of Russia was scheduled to perform at the Syria Mosque in Oakland on Sept. 22.

Black and white photograph of students with Youth Mobilization for Soviet Jewry and community members protesting at a performance of the Moiseyev Dance Company of Russia at the Syria Mosque—Sept. 22, 1972.

—Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Throughout the late 1960s, Jewish youth groups led local efforts to draw attention to the cause of Soviet Jewry. These groups had been meeting informally since early 1967 and formed the Pittsburgh Youth Council for Soviet Jewry in late 1967 or early 1968 to better coordinate efforts. This led to the formation in late 1969 of the Jewish Youth Council of Greater Pittsburgh, under the auspices of the United Jewish Federation. The Youth Council was intended to coordinate all Jewish youth efforts, not limited to Soviet Jewry.

Under the presidency of Shanen Rose Rachel Bloom, the Jewish Youth Council organized the 3rd annual Youth Salute to Israel Parade in May 1970, bringing some 1,200 young people to march through Squirrel Hill on a rainy Sunday.

The event proved that Jewish youth would turn out for a cause. With the arrival of the Moiseyev Dance Company in Pittsburgh that September, the Jewish Youth Council and the local B’nai B’rith Hillel formed Youth Mobilization for Soviet Jewry, which became affectionately known by the kids as “Youth Mobe.”

As described in an editorial in the Jewish Chronicle, led by Bloom’s father Al Bloom: “The biggest, best organized, most enthusiastic and, at the same time, the most serious student protest demonstration ever seen in this community took place Tuesday night on behalf of oppressed Soviet Jewry. Upwards of 200 college and high school youths took to the sidewalks in front of Syria Mosque before the performance of the Soviet Moiseyev Dance Company. They marched, danced, sang, blew shofar, passed out both elegant and strong literature which welcomed the famed Moiseyev Dancers, came out strong for culture—but, in effect, asked: ‘How about some of the same for Soviet Jewry.’”

All year, the Rauh Jewish Archives is highlighting stories of Jewish life in Western Pennsylvania in the early 1970s. If you would like to donate a material from this time period, or any historic materials documenting Jewish life in this region, contact the archive or call 412-454-6406.

Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania:

Talmudical College and Mesivta

Photograph of Rabbi Yitzchak Alster leading a class of the Talmudical College of Pittsburgh at the Shaare Zedeck Congregation synagogue—June 27, 1968.

—Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

The Talmudical College and Mesivta (also known as Yeshiva Gedola d’Pittsburgh) was an institution of Jewish learning focused on Talmud study.

The Talmudical College opened September 1967 to provide university level courses in traditional Talmud study. The school later added a Mesivta for high school students. The school was led by Rosh Yeshiva (Dean) Rabbi Yitzchak Alster and Nassi Hakavod (Honorary Dean) Rabbi Isaac Hutner. The school used the facilities of Shaare Zedeck Congregation in Squirrel Hill.

The Talmudical College and Mesivta closed around 1975. It was succeeded as a institute of higher Jewish learning in 1976 by the Kollel Bais Yitzchok Institute for Advanced Torah Studies, now known as Kollel Jewish Learning Center.

Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania:

Tree of Life Sisterhood

Black and white photograph of Tree of Life Sisterhood founding member, Anna Goldstein—undated.

Rita Gould Papers [MSS 1275]

Women have always played a central role in Jewish family life. Their role in synagogue affairs is a more recent development. Into the early 20th century, most synagogues here and elsewhere were run entirely by men. 

Implementing change wasn’t always easy. In an article for the Jewish Criterion in 1923, Annie Jacobs Davis described the efforts to expand the role of women at B’nai Israel Congregation in East End: “This was no easy matter to bring about, for in those early days it was not known that women could or should help in congregational labors.”

In those days, Jewish congregational boards were led entirely by men. They made day-to-day decisions, and they kept the historical records that are now preserved in the archive. 

Around the turn of the 20th century, though, Jewish women throughout Western Pennsylvania began organizing groups within their congregations.

These groups were originally known as “Ladies Auxiliaries,” a term that implied a supplementary role to the central work of the congregation. Over time, the work of these "auxiliaries" proved to be essential. They handled fundraising, education, social affairs, and many other congregational tasks. They gradually became known as Sisterhoods, a term that implies unity and affection.

Sisterhoods kept their own records, which now fill the archive. These records offer an alternate perspective of each congregation and the wider community.

Starting this week, we’re launching a new monthly series on Sisterhoods throughout Western Pennsylvania, researched and written by archivist Catelyn Cocuzzi. We’ll look at the history of different area Sisterhoods and consider a larger question: How does a congregational history differ when it’s told through the perspective of a Sisterhood, rather than its a board of directors?

The Tree of Life Sisterhood is believed to be the first Jewish Sisterhood in Western Pennsylvania. Through the decades, it has composed several histories of itself. The basic details of the story have always stayed the same: Rabbi Michael Fried encouraged Anna Goldstein to start a ladies’ auxiliary to involve women in the life of the congregation.

But in each history the spirit of the times also comes through.

For example, a history from the late 1940s includes the line: “…And to keep the sisterhood ladies in trim there will even be classes in gym…” It was an exciting time. The Sisterhood celebrated its Golden Anniversary in 1949 and was helping prepare for the move from Craft Avenue in Oakland to a new synagogue planned for Squirrel Hill. The large new synagogue would include a sanctuary, religious classrooms, and even a gymnasium. There would be something for everyone. The line about keeping women of the congregation “in trim” was a cheeky way of acknowledging the expansiveness and versatility of the new space, but it also implied the need to maintain the ideal body type of the time.

Color photograph of Tree of Life Sisterhood members (left to right) Hilda Kreimer, incoming President Myra Stone, installing Officer Mollie Kartub, outgoing President Marian Heller, and Dorothy Weiner—1980.

—Marian Heller Records on Tree of Life Sisterhood [MSS 1238]

Fast forward 25 years and the history feels quite different.

The Tree of Life Sisterhood produced its 75th anniversary history in 1974, as the Women’s Movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s was pushing for reproductive rights, workplace equality, and legal equality. The 1974 history includes lines like, “In the last 75 years, women have progressed in all phases of society…” and “We’ve come a long way. Sisterhood members are now members of the governing body of the congregation.”



Over the next decade, Tree of Life became increasingly egalitarian. Women were offered bat mitzvah ceremonies, were called to the Torah, and were counted in a minyan (quorum for prayer). Hilda Kreimer became the first female president of the congregation in 1982. Even with advances for women at the highest congregational level, Tree of Life Sisterhood remained an important place for women to gather and to contribute as a distinct unit.

—Catelyn Cocuzzi

Aug. 18:

The Patchwork Life Stitching Circle

[LEFT] Color photograph showing a pair of hands framing a patch from The Witness Quilt reading, “Do a mitzvah.” [RIGHT] Patchwork Life Stitching Circle sewing kit.

On Sunday, September 1, the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center will open a new exhibition titled, “Louise Silk: A Patchwork Life,” a retrospective of the 50-year career of local quilter and fiber artist Louise Silk.  

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a new work called “The Witness Quilt,” a collection of 1,152 folk wisdoms embroidered onto recycled fabric from Silk’s personal fabric collection. Throughout the run of the exhibit, Silk will work in the gallery space with volunteer community stitchers to expand the Witness Quilt. Once complete, the patches will be given away to museum visitors. 

On Sunday, August 18 from 1-4 p.m., Silk will host a special training session at the Detre Library & Archives of the Heinz History Center for anyone who would like to participate. No expertise or materials are required, just a desire to join a community of stitchers who will assist with this special project.  

All participants will receive a special sewing kit created by Silk and will leave with an embroidery project already underway. If you are unable to attend the workshop but would still like to participate, please contact the archive.

NOW OPEN:

A Woman's Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh

“How Mrs. Enoch Rauh ushered in the year 1913 — on Dec. 31st 1912.”

—from Richard E. Rauh Papers [MSS 301]

From pioneering investigative journalism to leading their country to Olympic gold, Western Pennsylvania women have made an immeasurable impact in America, but too often, their stories have been overlooked.

The Heinz History Center is taking an unprecedented deep dive into the lives of these fierce and unflappable women who helped change the world inside a major new exhibition, A Woman’s Place: How Women Shaped Pittsburgh.

Take an interactive, thematic journey through Western Pennsylvania women’s history from the early 1800s to modern day that will showcase the stories of entrepreneurs and activists, artists and athletes, scientists and inventors, and changemakers and barrier breakers. Through more than 250 artifacts, immersive experiences, and striking archival images, A Woman’s Place will reveal how women have made Pittsburgh and the world a better place.  

Aug. 4

JGS Pittsburgh Presents:

From Documents to Sentences to Stories:

Rebuilding Family Stories

Turning your genealogy research discoveries into meaningful stories can be challenging. Follow the re-creation of one family’s story using hands-on, step-by-step, try-this-now story-building strategies. Turn a single record discovery into a simple paragraph, then a paragraph into a story by looking for the “plot” and other interesting elements that make up the most interesting stories.

Teaser: in the story you’ll follow, one of the heroes is a dog, Sunny's son’s favorite “ancestor.”

The program is Sunday, August 4 from 1-3 p.m. ET. 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. 

“From Documents to Sentences to Stories: Rebuilding Family Stories” with Sunny Morton is a collaboration between the Jewish Genealogy Society of Pittsburgh and the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center. Please register online. The program is free for JGS-Pittsburgh members and $5 for the general public. To become a member of the JGS-Pittsburgh and receive a free membership code for this program, please visit its website.

This program is possible through the generous support of the William M. Lowenstein Genealogical Research Endowment Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation.

Sunny Jane Morton is a Contributing Editor at Family Tree Magazine and Director of Content at YourDNAGuide.com, where she teaches storytelling strategies and puts them into practice. She is author of Story of My Life: A Workbook for Preserving Your Legacy, now in its 2nd edition, and co-author of the NGS award-winning book, How to Find Your Family History in U.S. Church Records. She is past Editor of Ohio Genealogy News.

Community

Urban Redevelopment Authority Archives

The City of Pittsburgh Archives has launched a new digital archive containing thousands of photographs and documents spanning more than two centuries. Of particular interest to local Jewish history is a collection of more than 2,000 photographs of properties in the lower Hill District taken by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in the late 1950s prior to demolitions in the area. 

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. 

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.

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