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Jewish Artists:
Edward Goodman
Jewish Encyclopedia:
American Society for Technion—Women's
A Patchwork Life:
Purim
Calendar:
March 25: Americans and the Holocaust
March 26: Barbara Trellis exhibit
March 27: Lessons from the Tree of Life
April 3: Songs of Resiliance
April 10: "Teach Them to Your Children"
Jewish Genealogy Society:
April 6 and 20: Gil Bardige
Community:
URA photographs
SHHS archives
JCBA "Road-Trip"
Research Tools:
Newspapers, Cemeteries,
Memorial Plaques, Books,
Population Figures, Synagogues, Newsletter Archive,
Shul Records America
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Jewish Artists:
Edward Goodman
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Black and white photograph of Edward Goodman painting a plein air portrait of polar bear at the Pittsburgh Zoo while three local children watch.
Pittsburgh Press (June 21, 1931)
Newspapers.com
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The Jewish immigrants who became working artists in Pittsburgh before World War II generally showed some aptitude and were subsequently encouraged to pursue their art by local institutions. Only a few of these Jewish immigrants actually arrived in the United States having had some artistic training.
Edward Goodman (c1908-????) began his art education as a youth in his native Russia, studying at the Art League of Moscow under Jacob Epstein and Marc Chagall. After coming to Pittsburgh in the mid-1920s, he studied under Samuel Rosenberg, William Shulgold, and Frank Vittor at the Isaac Seder Educational Center of the Young Men's & Women's Hebrew Association.
Goodman joined the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh in the late 1920s and began exhibiting around the city, including shows at the Gulf Building, the Bessemer Gallery, the Irene Kaufmann Settlement, and other venues. He made a living working as a huckster during the day and working nights as a bus boy in restaurants, painting in spare moments between these jobs. He joined the Works Progress Administration in 1937 through the Museum Extension Project and later the Federal Art Project. He was forced to leave the program in 1939 when it was discovered that he had not yet received his final citizenship papers, but he appears to have rejoined the following year.
Based on reviews and the few known examples of his work, Goodman painted in various styles, including still life, landscapes, social realism, and modernism.
Goodman was a portrait painter in Detroit by 1948 but maintained contacts in Pittsburgh, as seen by a 1966 sale of his work at the home of Herbert Cohen.
| | As part of our yearlong initiative to highlight Jewish artists in Pittsburgh, we’ve created a new entry for “Artists” on the Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania. The entry includes links to profiles of 16 local Jewish artists, including all of the artists profiled in this newsletter so far this year, as well as several artists who have collections at the Rauh Jewish Archives. We will continue to update and expand this entry in the weeks and months to come. | | All year, the Rauh Jewish Archives is highlighting stories of Jewish artists in Western Pennsylvania before World War II. 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:
Women’s Division of the American Society for Technion
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Black and white photograph of officers of the Women’s Division of the American Society for Technion, including (left to right) Barbara Samet, Maita Levine, Dora —, Bicky Goldzer, Alex Greenberg, and Jose Chigier.
American Society for Technion Women’s Division [MSS 281]
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The national Women’s Division of the American Society for Technion was founded in the early 1950s as an auxiliary to the American Society for Technion. The American Society for Technion had been founded in 1940 to support the Technion, also known as the Israel Institute of Technology.
The Pittsburgh chapter of the Women’s Division of the American Society for Technion began as early as 1953. The group generally held a spring auction and a fall donor luncheon to raise funds to support specific Technion projects.
| | The Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania brings together numerous online resources into a clearinghouse for conducting research about Jewish history in this region. As we migrate information to this new website, we’ll be announcing new entries and resources in this section of the newsletter. | | |
Louise Silk: A Patchwork Life
Purim
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The fifth chapter of the Book of Esther begins with a literary quirk.
Translated literally, the text reads, “On the third day, Esther clothed herself in royalty.” Not royal garments, but royalty itself. The Talmud interprets this odd phrase spiritually. As she prepared to enter the court of King Achashverosh to advocate for the Jewish people, Esther was clothed in the divine spirit.
Starting from this idea, Olivia Devorah Tucker closed out our Gut Yontif holiday series with wide-ranging talk that sought to “define the divine spirit through art.” Drawing on a vast and dazzling array of Jewish texts, illustrated with contemporary Jewish art, Tucker followed a path from the divine spirit, to the spirit of prophecy, to the mysteries of artistic inspiration. The talk took place in the actual gallery of “A Patchwork Life,” before the Witness Quilt, and included an engaged conversation with diverse audience that included people in their 20s and their 90s. The talk ended with a "somatic exercise" where everyone in attendance was able to wear pieces of fiber art—to be clothed in royalty.
At a crucial moment in her artistic career, Louise determined that one of the motivating impulses of her art was to show that “anything can be a spiritual practice.” For her, it meant that the intention behind the act of creation was not only more important than the finished work but actually determined the nature and the quality of the finished work. Olivia advanced that idea by building up to the somatic exercise with a course of deep Jewish learning.
The “Gut Yontif!” series was made possible thanks to a generous grant from the SteelTree Fund of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
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April 3:
Songs of Resilience
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Musicians from across Allegheny County and beyond will explore the rich tapestry of Jewish music—both traditional and contemporary—in a concert of hope and remembrance. The evening seeks to unite our community in reflection and resilience as we honor the memory of those lost on October 27, 2018. Through the enduring beauty of Jewish song and spoken word, we seek to light the path forward, fostering healing and strength.
Participating Vocalists:
- Rabbi Cantor Jeffrey Myers — Tree of Life Congregation
- Cantor Kalix Jacobson — Temple Emanuel of South Hills
- Cantor David Reinwald — Temple Sinai
- Cantor Michal Gray-Schaffer — Cantor Emerita at B’nai Abraham of Butler County
- Cantor Laura Berman — Parkway Jewish Center
- Cantor Ronald Eichaker — Cantor Emeritus at United Hebrew Congregation in St. Louis, MO
This FREE program will take place at the Heinz History Center from 7 to 9 p.m.
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March 27-April 25:
Lessons from the Tree of Life
| | Created in partnership with the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center, this exhibition at the University Club on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh features a curated selection of items gifted to the Pittsburgh Jewish community in the aftermath of the attack. It challenges visitors to reflect on the impact of antisemitism in America and seeks to inspire action to build a future rooted in resilience and understanding. | | |
through April 27:
Americans and the Holocaust
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through April 21:
Barbara Trellis: The Story Behind Her Designs
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A self-made textile designer and artist, Barbara Trellis (1930-2024) graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University), where she majored in Clothing and Design. Barbara's passion for needlepoint inspired her to launch a mid-life career teaching the craft to others. She ultimately became an ecclesiastical designer and was tapped to design and produce many large-scale installations for major Pittsburgh religious institutions. She carefully selected and led teams of volunteer stitchers from these organizations to execute her elaborate designs.
For Rodef Shalom, projects included Torah covers, altar chairs, banners depicting the Ten Commandments, and a wall hanging of the Torah portion from Leviticus. In addition, independently, she designed and constructed a silk appliqued chuppah. Her final contribution was a large, dramatic appliqued kidskin Menorah. In addition, Trellis designed Torah covers for Beth Shalom, Torah covers and a chuppah for Beth El, a curtain and valance for the ark and lectern coverings for Poale Zedek, and an ark covering for Beth Israel in McKeesport. She designed a series of communion kneelers for the United Methodist Church in Mt. Lebanon.
This free exhibit will be on display in the Rodef Shalom Congregation Jewish Museum (4905 Fifth Ave.) from March 21 through April 21, 2025 with an opening event on Wednesday, March 26 at 6 p.m.
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April 10:
"Teach Them To Your Children"
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Since the times of the Talmud, Jewish education has been a communal responsibility. How has Western Pennsylvania met this challenge?
In a fast-paced and engaging monthly series “Teach Them To Your Children,” Rauh Jewish Archives Director Eric Lidji will cover 150 years of Jewish educational initiatives in Western Pennsylvania, showing how our community has perpetuated Jewish knowledge from generation to generation.
This series will take place monthly in the Community Day School library (2743 Beechwood Blvd.) on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m.
Jan. 9—The 19th Century
Feb. 6—The 1900s
Mar. 6—The 1910s
The series continues April 10 with a review of local Jewish educational initiatives between 1920 and 1930 including the Southwestern District of Pennsylvania Jewish Religious Schools program, the Bureau of Jewish Education, and the first religious schools in Squirrel Hill.
The schedule for the rest of the year includes:
May 8—The 1930s
June 12—The 1940s
July 10—The 1950s
Aug. 14—The 1960s
Sept. 11—The 1970s
Oct. 9—The 1980s
Nov. 13—The 1990s
Dec. 11—The Future
"Teach Them To Your Children" is presented by Community Day School, Hillel
Academy of Pittsburgh, and Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh.
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Did you get your autosomal DNA results from any or all of the 4 testing companies? Do you, have tens of thousands of matches that they tell you are close relatives, only to find that they don’t share a surname or town in common? Confused? Frustrated? You are not alone.
So, take a deep breath and join us in understanding your results; how to prioritize them, and reduce the thousands of matches to numbers you can research and find keys to expanding your family tree.
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This presentation is for beginners and others who are just stuck or don’t know what to do next. Maybe you need a restart? Learn about the effects of endogamy and how to compensate for them.
Join the thousands of genealogists who have been successful with Gil’s methodologies. He will share an expanded version of his processes and techniques to prioritize matches, to get organized and feel like you can accomplish something and know what to do next. His speaking style is high energy (you won’t be bored) and he loves to take questions at the conclusion. In the end, you will be able to say, “Now I understand, I get it, I know what to do.”
For more information, contact the Jewish Genealogy Society at president@pghjgs.org.
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Did you enjoy Gil Bardige’s previous talk…Part 1? We hope that you tried his methodologies and techniques. Well, it is now time for the Next Steps. This intermediate to advanced level presentation is primarily for people working with Jewish ancestry who have completed Gil’s Part 1 and have run into
new brick walls or want to expand their search parameters productively.
Gil will provide you with actionable processes that you can use in your genealogy research, including new criteria and dealing with the exceptions. Through case studies and examples, he explains Pileup Areas, Segment Triangulation and for those of you who have tested at Ancestry, Gil has added, how he used Pro Tools (Shared matches & ThruLines) to find 7 DNA matches that he would have missed without these techniques and added nearly 4 dozen new documented relatives to his tree.
Tested at MyHeritage? Learn some key shortcuts to help you sort through the unknown matches in a quicker more productive process while making use of the key tools that only My Heritage provides.
He is a firm believer that you can use DNA results as a tool in your genealogical research as it generates clues that can help people confirm/deny relationships. His speaking style is high energy (you won’t be bored) and he loves to take questions at the conclusion. People have said of his presentations, “Thank you, Gil, I am no longer confused!”
Gil Bardige was born & raised in Chicago and currently lives in the Columbus Ohio area. A graduate of the New York Institute of Technology, Gil retired in 2019 after a long career in air conditioning and refrigerationmost recently as a National Business Development Leader for Trane Technologies. At the “instruction” of his mother, Gil began his genealogy adventure in 1979 with 54 people in his tree.
Today his family tree including Mishpocha, is over 3200 people tracing 4 branches back to his 5th great grandfathers born about 1740. His family arrived in Chicago in the early 20th century. For nearly 18 years Gil has expanded his knowledge base to Genetic Genealogy, testing at each of the four
major DNA companies, and currently manages three y-DNA projects at Family Tree DNA as a Volunteer Administrator. He loves to help people manage their expectations and begin to remove confusion from the DNA results whether it’s, Y-DNA, mtDNA, or Autosomal DNA. He had spoken at dozens of local events, international webinars and conferences, including at last 8 IAJGS Conferences. Gil has found nearly four dozen previously unknown cousins through DNA.
Gil is the Chair of the Genealogy Committee of the Columbus Jewish Historical Society (JGS). He co-hosts live Genetic Genealogy Q&A sessions at JGS Illinois and JGS Toronto. Gil developed and hosts the monthly Kvell & Kvetch genealogy Q&A in Columbus. Gil has managed the Mentoring Program for IAJGS and cohosts the Apple Users and Jewish Genealogy Facebook page and monthly virtual BOF (Birds of a Feather) meeting.
| | 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 Cemetery & Burial Association
"Road Trip: The Jewish Cemeteries of Western Pennsylvania"
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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.
| | Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project | | 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. | | | | | 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. | | | | | 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. | |
[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 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. | | | | |
