December 24, 2023

Vol. 4, No. 52



Restaurants:

Jack's Mid-Town Bar

Jewish Encyclopedia:

Shaare Zion Congregation

Family Clubs:

The Lib-Bar Cousins Club



Calendar:

Jan. 14: Chuck Weinstein

Feb. 4: Nolan Altman

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

Restaurants:

Jack's Mid-Town Bar

Black and white photograph showing first-floor kitchen of Jack’s Mid-Town Bar and Restaurant at 701-703 Fifth Ave.—1957. Seen are stove, sink, butcher-block table with loaf of French bread, smaller table with teacups, and assorted pots and pans.

—from Lower Hill Redevelopment Area Property Inventories

City of Pittsburgh Archives

For our last restaurant of the year, the restaurant is only part of the story.

Jack Finesman started Jack’s Midtown Bar and Restaurant at 701 Fifth Ave. in the late 1940s. It was still operating in the mid-1950s, when the Urban Redevelopment Authority began surveying the lower Hill District and lower Fifth Avenue. The survey was an early step in a process that culminated in widespread demolitions throughout the late 1950s and the eventual construction of the Civic Arena. To prepare for that initiative, the URA photographed thousands of properties in the irregular quadrilateral of land bounded by Fifth Avenue, Sixth Avenue, Bedford Avenue, and Crawford Street. 

The City of Pittsburgh Archives recently digitized these photographs and added them to its new digital repository. The "Lower Hill Redevelopment Area Property Inventories, c. 1955-1960" collection provides a broad and detailed look at the lower Hill District and lower Fifth Avenue between 1955 and 1960, just before the demolitions began. Included in the collection are hundreds of properties with significance to local Jewish history. 

While the collection primarily features exterior photographs, it includes a number of interiors—and not only the “front of house.” For some properties, the URA surveyors were given access to back offices, storerooms, work floors, and even to the residential properties on the upper floors of these buildings. 

Such is the case with Jack’s. In addition to exteriors, the file contains photographs of its basement, dining area, kitchen, and upstairs apartments. 

As we’ve seen throughout this yearlong review of Jewish-owned restaurants, it is rare to have any photographs of the daily life at these old restaurants, let alone such a comprehensive survey of a property and its operations.

We’ll conclude this series next week with a reflection on restaurants. The following week we’ll announce our 2024 community collecting initiative. 

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:

Shaare Zion Congregation

Selection from "The Zionist Bulletin," describing growth of "Sharei Zion Congregation," which later adopted the spelling Shaare Zion—May 1915..

—from J/ B/ Bernstein Papers [MSS 1190]

Shaare Zion Congregation was a religious Zionist congregation based in the Hill District. It emerged from High Holiday services organized by young Zionist groups in late 1914, held at the Zionist Institute on Centre Avenue. By the following spring, the congregation counted more than 40 members. Initially, all donations raised by the group were given to the Jewish National Fund. 

Shaare Zion obtained a charter in August 1919 to “maintain a place of worship and to teach, study and uphold the Hebraic religion together with the principles of Zionism.” Names on the charter include Rev. Jacob H. Helfer, Simon Danilowitz, David Philips, Benjamin Helfer, Max Amdursky, Thomas Marmins, Meyer Kramer, Jacob Friedland, Morris A. Berman, Frank A. Amdursky, Abe Rosenberg, William Shear, Philip Caplan, Jacob Leff, Hyman Katz, Julius Wisoko/Wesoky, Louis Wisoko/Wiscoko, Joseph Kirnel, P. Wolfe, and Isadore Pearlman. Shaare Zion Congregation was active at least through the 1920s.

Family Clubs:

Lib-Bar Cousins Club

Newspaper notices for the first and fifth annual Lib-Bar Cousins Club Passover Seder held at Temple Sinai with Rabbi Aaron Ilson—March 21, 1958/April 4, 1962.

—Jewish Criterion/Jewish Chronicle

Pittsburgh Jewish Newspaper Project

Ida MILLER Bremen had at least three siblings: Dorothy HOFFMAN, Joseph Miller, and Rose KAMONS. With her husband Joseph BREMEN, she had at least three children: Theodore Bremen, Benjamin Bremen, and Sylvia BRAUN.

Dorothy Hoffman had at least three children: Lawrence Hoffman, Bertrand Hoffman, and Lillian LOCKHART. Joseph and Jennie Miller had at least five children: Mollie BALTROTSKY, Bertha LEVY, Anne WALCOFF, Benjamin Miller, and Charles Miller. Rose and Joseph Kamons had at least four children: Bryna Kamons, Sylvia KARDON, Theodore Kamons, and Isabelle Miller.     

Jack and Sadie ORINSTEIN had at least three children: Alvin Orenstein, Lois SOLOMON, and Adelaide SALES/GERSON. Sadie EDELSTEIN Orenstein had at least four siblings: Lillian BAILEY, Sylvia STERN, George and Ben Edenstein. Sylvia Stern’s descendents married into the WARD and MARCUS families.

This large family started the Lib-Bar Cousins Club as early as December 1954, according to newspaper notices. The latest club notice was published April 1976. Known surnames in the club include: Baltrotsky, Braun, Breman, Hoffman, Kamons, Kardon,Lockhart, Marcus, Miller, Novick, Orenstein, Orinstein, Sales, Sayles, Schugar, Stern, and Solomon. The club had members from Pittsburgh, as well as Indiana, Monessen, and the Kiski Valley. Known meeting places include: Leechburg, Pa. (Theodore Bremen residence); Mack Memorial Park, Indiana, Pa.; 5308 Pocusset St. (Irwin Lockhart residence); Penn-Shady Hotel; the Twin Coaches restaurant; the Hebrew Institute; the Holiday House; the Jay Baltrotsky residence; Holiday Room on Forbes Avenue; Hartwood Drive (Robert Solomon residence); the Cypress Room at Weinstein’s Restaurant in Squirrel Hill; Stouffers Gaslight Room at 128 N. Craig St. in Oakland; and the Pittsburgh Playhouse. For at least 10 years, the Lib-Bar Cousins Club held a Passover Seder at Temple Sinai with Rabbi Aaron Ilson.

The Rauh Jewish Archives holds an oral history with Joe Bremen, detailing some of the history of the extended family and the family club. 

January 14:

JGS Pittsburgh Presents:

Choosing a Genealogy Software

Chuck Weinstein will walk you through the criteria for selecting software to record and track your software, along with reviews of the features and benefits of the most popular software packages currently on the market.

The program is on Sunday, Jan. 14, 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. 

"Choosing a Genealogy Software" 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.

Chuck Weinstein has been tracing his family history for more than 30 years. A past-president of the JGS of Long Island, Chuck has also been active with JewishGen for over 28 years. In that time, he has served as a Moderator for the JewishGen Discussion Group, Director of KehilaLinks, and is now the Towns Director of the JewishGen Research Division. His family tree goes back to the 15th century and he has helped numerous researchers break through the brick wall in their own family trees. He was Co-chair of the 2016 IAJGS Conference in Seattle, and wasLead Chair of the 2023 IAJGS Conference in London.

February 4:

JGS Pittsburgh Presents:

Patronymic Naming and Cemetery Research

Headstone inscriptions provide one of the most important tools for researching Jewish genealogical history: patronymic naming, or names derived from paternal ancestors. This presentation will familiarize attendees with the evolution of family surnames and the practice of patronymic naming. Recognizing the components of patronymic naming, participants will learn how to take advantage of these clues to link their family through generations. Nolan Altman will review an actual case study using headstone inscriptions and will show participants online resources to help find headstone information.



Altman will also show examples of headstones and explain what you’re likely to find if you take a trip to the cemetery. He will explain the meaning of symbols that you will find on stones. Even if you can’t read Hebrew, you can understand the inscriptions. He will also show many examples of inscription trends, some odd inscriptions, and errors in inscriptions…even well-known ones. With a presentation on cemetery records, you wouldn’t expect to leave laughing, but he guarranties you will.

The program is on Sunday, Feb. 14, 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. 

"Patronymic Naming and Cemetery Research" 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.

Nolan Altman was bit by the “genealogy bug” when he was inspired to write his family history in 1996 in memory of his mother. After making use of the valuable information on JewishGen, he volunteered to do data entry on various projects. In time, he was asked to become the Coordinator for JewishGen’s Holocaust Database and subsequently the Coordinator for the JOWBR (JewishGen’s Online Worldwide Burial Registry) project. Nolan works with volunteers from around the world helping to grow both databases for the benefit of family members and researchers. Nolan currently holds the position of JewishGen’s Director for Data Acquisition and focuses on growing the JOWBR, Holocaust and Memorial Plaques databases. In 2021, JOWBR won the IAJGS Outstanding Project Award.

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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