Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Jewish Community Photo-Books




                 We have been selling and promoting the various Jewish interest titles from Arcadia Publishing for a few years. Arcadia publishes narrowly focused books on specific communities and institutions. Their publications are not the best scholarship (apologies to Simon Bronner, Fred Isaac and others I know to be fine scholars). However, they are generally either the only books on their subjects or the single largest collection of photographic images on their subject. These are popular books with readers. (They're fun.) For Jewish libraries we recommend strong coverage. The most exciting of the new titles to me are Institute for Advanced Study, Jewish Pioneers of the Black Hills Gold Rush, and Jews of Weequahic, but that's just one man's opinion. We have updated this list as of February, 2014. Commentary is primarily the publishers copy. My own remarks are added in and tend to be noticeably terser.

               The list below includes new titles and newly reprinted titles. It was originally divided into two parts. The second part - Community histories with significant Jewish aspects - includes titles that would be appropriate for individuals and libraries with a very in depth interest in the specific communities or institutions or an interest in complete coverage of Jewish history and geography has now been separated into a separate post that can be found here.  (These books are paper-bound, range in length from 128-154 pages, and are almost entirely b/w photo-books.)

                We offer a 20% discount off of the retail prices listed below and reasonable shipping costs. These items may or may not be listed on our website on any given day. If you are interested in ordering please either call 415-831-3228 or email boychik@hollanderbooks.com. 

Communities Histories.

Abrams, Jeanne E. Jewish Denver 1859-1960. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2007. ISBN: 978-0-7385-4829-6. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. In 1859, during the Pike’s Peak gold rush, at least 12 Jews joined the great migration to Colorado in search of gold and a brighter future. The unpredictability of mining and a growing demand for supplies encouraged many of these Jewish settlers to establish small businesses in Denver and in towns and mining camps across the state. By the early 1870s, Jewish benevolent societies and a congregation were established. Denver’s dry, mild climate attracted patients with tuberculosis, and two Jewish sanatoriums were opened in the city around the beginning of the 20th century. Many of the predominantly Eastern European Jews who came in search of better health made Denver their home, thus augmenting the early Jewish population significantly. Today Jewish life flourishes in Colorado, and Jewish citizens continue to play a vital role in its culture and development.  (54843)      $19.99

Adler, Richard and Ruth. Jewish Ann Arbor. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2006. Second Printing. ISBN: 0-7385-4021-8. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos, leaders, bibliography. Softbound. The earliest Jewish settlers arrived in Michigan during the mid-18th century. Primarily traders associated with the burgeoning fur industry, few of these entrepreneurs remained permanently. During the early 1840s, the five Weil brothers, farmers and tanners from Germany, became the first prominent Jewish settlers in Washtenaw County. By the end of that decade, a Jewish cemetery was established on what is now the site of the Horace Rackham Building on the University of Michigan campus. Though the Weil family eventually moved west, the cemetery remained as a marker for what was then a miniscule Jewish presence. In the early 20th century, Osias Zwerdling and the Lansky family arrived. In addition to reestablishing a Jewish presence in Ann Arbor, they helped form what became Beth Israel Congregation. Growth of the Ann Arbor Jewish community coincided with the evolution of the university, as well as the city.  (36162)      $19.95

Baulsir, Linda and Miller, Irwin. The Jewish Communities of Greater Stamford. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2002. ISBN: 978-0-7385-1144-3. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. The Jewish Communities of Greater Stamford presents a broad historical view of the Jewish people of Stamford, Darien, Greenwich, and New Canaan, Connecticut, and Pound Ridge, New York. The book goes back to the era just prior to the American Revolution, when lone Jewish families settled among the Connecticut Yankees to engage in trade, manufacturing, and commerce. The earliest settlers-such as Nehemiah Marks, who was living and doing business in Stamford as early as 1720-opened stores and other commercial enterprises. By the mid-1800s, city dwellers began coming to the region for summer vacations. After 1880, settlers arrived via the peddlers' routes and, after accumulating a little capital, stayed to open shops and establish themselves socially and politically. The greatest influx came in the 1890s and early 1900s, when many Jews arrived from the Pale of Settlements, eastern and central Europe, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Romania, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire.  (69357)      $21.99

Brock, Eric J. The Jewish Community of Shreveport. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2002. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-1488-8. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. he Jewish presence in northwest Louisiana actually predates the establishment of Shreveport in 1836. From the very beginning, Jews have been part of the city's civic, social, and mercantile life. Pioneer settlers began holding services in private homes in the 1840s, and by 1858 the community was sufficiently large enough to consecrate a Jewish cemetery and the first Jewish benevolent association, a forerunner of today's North Louisiana Jewish Federation. In 1859, the first congregation was founded. In The Jewish Community of Shreveport the rich history of this influential and vibrant citizenry is chronicled by well-known Louisiana historian Eric J. Brock, archivist of Shreveport's B'nai Zion Temple. Nearly 18 decades of Jewish life in Shreveport are depicted in over 200 vintage images, many of which are previously unpublished. Both of the city's synagogues, B'nai Zion and Agudath Achim, are represented, as are many of the rabbis, business leaders, political leaders (including three mayors), and laypeople from the community's long history.  (29721)      $21.99

Bronner, Simon J. Greater Harrisburg's Jewish Community. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2010. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-7313-7. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. The Jewish community of Greater Harrisburg became established after 1825, mostly by German immigrants who took up peddling and clothing trades. They were attracted inland from East Coast cities to Harrisburg, the growing upriver hub of trade that became Pennsylvania's state capital in 1812. The community grew to 600 residents by the end of the 19th century and drew attention for a level of civic engagement well beyond that of comparably sized settlements. Immigration from eastern Europe in the early 20th century contributed to a tenfold increase of the Jewish population and a changing ethnic and commercial profile. In the years that followed, the community added an impressive range of institutions and continued to have a reputation for activism. Emerging as the hub of Jewish life in central Pennsylvania, the community produced internationally renowned figures in Jewish affairs, business, and arts. Bronner himself is one of those people. He is a prominent Jewish ethnologist with a special appreciation for Jewish material culture.  (56200)      $21.99

Cutler, Irving. Jewish Chicago: A Pictorial History. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2000. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-0130-7. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. For many years Chicago had the third largest Jewish population of any city in the world. Through the medium of historic photographs, this book captures the remarkable evolution of the Jewish people of Chicago, from their immigrant beginnings in the 1840s to their present-day communities. It is a story of the cultural, religious, economic, and everyday life of Chicago’s Jews. These pages bring to life the people, events, neighborhoods, and institutions that helped shape and transform today’s Jewish community. The photos and maps, culled from the author’s and other collections, paint a vivid and informative picture of Chicago Jewry. In addition to recalling the early immigrant German and later Eastern European Jews, this book delves into Jewish neighborhoods including the West Side, South Side, North Side, suburban communities, and Maxwell Street, a neighborhood which produced such prominent Jews as musician Benny Goodman, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, Admiral Hyman Rickover, community organizer Saul Alinsky, and CBS founder William Paley. Chicago Jews have also made contributions to the city and the nation in the arts, commerce and industry, government service, entertainment, and labor, including seven Nobel prize winners. The images show Jews as peddlers and sweatshop workers as well as successful business entrepreneurs and professionals.  (54556)      $21.99

Cutler, Irving. Chicago's Jewish West Side. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2009. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-6015-1. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout, bibliography. Softbound. For nearly half a century, the greater Lawndale area was the vibrant, spirited center of Jewish life in Chicago. It contained almost 40 percent of the city's entire Jewish population with over 70 synagogues and numerous active Jewish organizations and institutions, such as the Jewish People's Institute, the Hebrew Theological College, and Mount Sinai Hospital. Its residents included "King of Swing" Benny Goodman, Israeli prime minister Golda Meir, journalists Irv Kupcinet and Meyer Levin, federal judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz, civil rights attorney Elmer Gertz, Eli's Cheesecake founder Eli Shulman, and comedian Shelley Berman. Many of the selected images come from the author's extensive collection. This book will bring back memories for those who lived there and retell the story of Jewish life on the West Side for those who did not. No matter where the scattered Jews of Chicago live now, many can trace their roots to this "Jerusalem of Chicago."  (54555)      $21.99

Davis, Barbara Sheklin and Rabin, Susan B. Jewish Community of Syracuse. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7385-7658-9. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. While New York City became home for most of the Jewish immigrants who crossed the Atlantic, others journeyed farther, seeking freedom and fortune. The city of Syracuse, easily reached by the Erie Canal, became the next port of call for some. It offered opportunities, open roads, and a small but ever-growing Jewish community. This history traces the development of the Jewish community of the Salt City from its beginnings in the early 18th century, when a handful of peddlers gathered weekly to share a Shabbat meal, to a much larger community that numbered 11,000–12,000 at its peak a century later. The Syracuse Jewish community is a microcosm of the history of Jews in America and is both distinctive and iconic in nature.  (69359)      $21.99

Dorman, Lee. Nashville's Jewish Community. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2010. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-6680-1. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout, selected bibliography. Softbound. Nashville's Jewish community traces its beginning to 1795 with the birth of Sarah Myers, the first Jewish child born here. Her parents, Benjamin and Hannah Hays Myers, were both from prominent pre-Revolutionary War families in New England and stayed in Nashville just one year before moving to Virginia. The next few settlers--Simon Pollock, a doctor, in 1843; the Frankland family in 1845; Andrew Smolniker and Dr. H. Fischel, a dentist, in 1848; and E. J. Lyons in 1849--stayed only a few years before moving on to Memphis, New Orleans, or elsewhere. The first to stay and achieve prominence was Isaac Gershon (later changed to Garritsen), who in 1849 opened his home on South Summer Street for High Holy Day services and in 1851 formed the Hebrew Benevolent Burial Association, purchasing land that still serves as Nashville's Jewish cemetery. The first Jewish congregation, Mogen David, followed in 1854. The Jewish population of Nashville, which began with five families and eight young men in 1852, today numbers about 7,500.  (54845)

Eshel, Shuli and Schatz, Roger. Jewish Maxwell Street Stories. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2004. ISBN: 978-0-7385-3240-0. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. Very Good.  (36164)      $21.99

Forgosh, Linda B. Jews of Morris County. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2006. First Edition. ISBN: 0-7385-4565-1. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. Jewish settlers began arriving in Morris County as far back as the Civil War. These early Jews settled in Morristown, a market town; Dover, a mining town located on the Morris Canal; and the farming towns of Pine Brook and Mount Freedom. When each of these communities had 10 adult males, the minimum number for religious services, they established Hebrew schools, synagogues, and congregational cemeteries and made Morris County their home. Morristown and Dover Jews were prosperous merchants with heavily populated Jewish business districts located on Speedwell Avenue and Blackwell Street. Stories of live chickens hanging in the kosher butcher's window and fish swimming in glass pools reflect this bygone era. Nearby Pine Brook and Mount Freedom Jews, not able to make a living as farmers, opened summer boarding houses and grew thriving full-service kosher hotels that rivaled New York's Catskill resorts.  (54841)     $19.99

Forgosh, Linda B. Jews of Weequahic. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2008. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-5763-2. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. Known as Newark’s “Jewish Frontier,” Weequahic was home to 35,000 Jewish residents from the 1930s to the 1960s. Homes built on farm lots, known as Lyons Farms, attracted the city’s upwardly mobile Jewish families. Weequahic High School still remains at the heart of the community, drawing generations of alumni for annual reunions and events. Pulitzer Prize–winning author Philip Roth, a Weequahic High School graduate, found inspiration in the community, documenting its intricacies in his work. The high school still houses a mural, The Enlightenment of Man, painted by New Deal painter Michael Lenson. This mural is regarded as one of the most important pieces of public art in the state. Jews of Weequahic captures the life of this vibrant community that has become one of Newark’s legendary neighborhoods. Since carrying this title I have been amazed at the number of Jews came out of this high school. They are everywhere.  (54857)     $21.99

Foster, Geraldine S.; Horvitz, Eleanor F. and Cohen Judith Weiss. Jews of Rhode Island 1658-1958. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 1998. ISBN: 978-0-7385-9015-8. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. Despite their small numbers, the Jews of Rhode Island can claim two governors and many lawyers, physicians, scientists, manufacturers, businessmen, artists, and educators in state history.  (69361) $21.95

Frey, Valerie and Kole, Kaye. The Jewish Community of Savannah. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2002, 2005. Second Printing. ISBN: 0-7385-1449-7. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos, index. Softbound. Only five months after Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe established the new colony of Georgia in 1733, pioneering Jewish settlers arrived at her shores. They landed in Savannah, where over the next several centuries they built a thriving community within one of the South's most revered cities. Savannah's Jewish citizenry, while a well-defined entity on its own, is also steeped in the rich, overall heritage of the area, contributing to every facet of civic, business, and cultural life. The Jewish Community of Savannah celebrates, in word and image, the colorful history of one of the nation's oldest established Jewish communities. Vintage photographs culled from the Savannah Jewish Archives, housed in the Georgia Historical Society, reveal what life was like in days gone by. Early twentieth-century scenes depict Savannah Jews not only in times of steadfast worship and engaged in earnest business efforts, but also in lighter moments of celebration and recreation. The three local congregations are all represented in this collection, including those practicing Reform Judaism (Congregation Mickve Israel), Orthodox Judaism (Congregation B'nai B'rith Jacob), and Conservative Judaism (Congregation Agudath Achim.)  (36161)      $21.99

Garfinkle, Martin. The Jewish Community of Washington, D.C. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 0-7385-4156-7. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos, glossary. Softbound. The Jewish community of Washington, D.C., located in the political nexus of the United States, has often enjoyed attention from people of every level of influence, including the president of the United States. On May 3, 1925, Calvin Coolidge attended the cornerstone laying ceremony of the Washington Jewish Community Center. Herbert Hoover, as a former president, was vocal in his denunciation of Nazi Germany’s treatment of the Jews. His voice garnered the support of many United States senators in 1943, including two from Maryland and one from Virginia. Ronald Reagan sent his personal regards to the Ohev Shalom Talmud Torah Congregation on their 100th anniversary celebration on April 10, 1986. Introduction by Dr. Adam Garfinkle. Foreword by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington (36158)      $21.99

Hintz, Martin. Jewish Milwaukee. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-3972-0. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout, bibliography. Softbound. The Jewish community has a distinguished heritage in Milwaukee, and Jewish emigres were an integral part of the pioneer fabric of the area. The 1840s saw the first large influx of Jews to Wisconsin, primarily to urban Milwaukee. They quickly became leaders in business, politics, and the arts. Milwaukee’s Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshurun, founded in 1856, was one of the state’s first congregations and is still going strong. Over the years, social clubs, arts associations, women’s benevolent societies, and political organizations were formed. Milwaukee’s distinguished residents have included Victor Louis Berger, who was America’s first Socialist congressman, and Golda Meir, who became prime minister of Israel. Today Sen. Herb Kohl, owner of the Milwaukee Bucks basketball team, is proud of his city ties.  (56567)      $21.99

Ioannides, Mara W. Choen and Gholson, M. Rachel. Jews of Springfield in the Ozarks. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 978-0-7385-9094-3. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. Jews arrived to the bustling town of Springfield shortly after its founding in 1838, only five years after the birth of the state of Missouri. The first Jews to live in Springfield were Victor and Bertha Sommers with her brother Ferdinand Bakrow. They opened Victor Sommers & Co., a dry goods store in 1860. The Jewish community grew as merchants brought their families, tying Springfield to other towns along the Mississippi River through marriages. The first congregation was founded in 1893 by the German Reform Jews. In 1918, the Eastern European Jews founded their Orthodox congregation. In the 1940s, the two merged. Unlike other small Jewish communities that have slowly perished because of their children's migration to larger Jewish communities where they could use their education, this Jewish community in the Ozarks continues to thrive because of the universities and hospitals in the region.  (69363)      $21.99

Isaac, Frederick. Jews of Oakland and Berkeley. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2009. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-7033-4. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers with wear to the spine, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. From the time the Jewish people of Oakland first settled in that city, they have developed their own institutions and style. Starting with the purchase of land for a cemetery in the 1860s, they created a robust and unique lifestyle. Throughout the 20th century, Jews in Berkeley have contributed both cultural and intellectual elements that resonate through American Jewish life. Building on the work of the founders and expanding from a local society to a regional population, the Jews of the East Bay continue to serve as a model for Jewish life through their innovative programs and commitment to service. Frederick Isaac is the archivist of Temple Sinai, the oldest synagogue in the East Bay, and the author of a history of the Reform movement. In Jews of Oakland and Berkeley he has used archival material from the Judah Magnes Museum in Berkeley, as well as images from numerous institutions and private collections to illustrate both the community’s impressive past and its vibrant present.   (54560) $21.95
   
Japanese American National Museum. Los Angeles's Boyle Heights. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-3015-4. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout, selected bibliography. Softbound. Boyle Heights was one of the earliest residential areas outside of Los Angeles’s original pueblo. From the 1920s through the 1950s, it was the city’s most ethnically heterogeneous neighborhood with residents coming from such far-flung places as Mexico, Japan, England, Germany, Russia, and Armenia, as well as from the eastern, southern, and southwestern United States. Over the years, Boyle Heights has continued to be a focal point for new immigration. After long neglect Jewish Angelenos have finally gotten around to repairing the Breed Street shul and taking pride in the nearly lost Jewish cuisine of the neighborhood.  (54846)      $21.99

Lachoff, Irwin and Kahn, Catherine C. The Jewish Community of New Orleans. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 0-7385-1835-2. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. New Orleans is not a typical Southern city. The Jews who have settled in New Orleans from 1757 to the present have had a very different experience than others in the South. New Orleans was a wide-open frontier that attracted gamblers, sailors, con artists, planters, and merchants. Most early Jewish immigrants were bachelors who took Catholic wives, if they married at all. The first congregation, Gates of Mercy, was founded in 1827, and by 1860, four congregations represented Sephardic, French and German, and Polish Jewry. The reform movement, the largest denomination today, took hold after the Civil War with the founding of Temple Sinai. Small as it is in proportion to the population of New Orleans, the Jewish community has made contributions that far exceed their numbers in cultural, educational, and philanthropic gifts to the city. Hurricane Katrina had a tremendous effect on the Jewish community of New Orleans driving many of the old line population off to Florida, Georgia, Texas and the distant north. In the period of recovery many young Jews new to New Orleans have made new or temporary homes there. With any luck the New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars might be playing there tonight.  (36160)

Lewin, Rhoda. Jewish Community of North Minneapolis. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2001. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-0817-7. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. The stories of the Jewish community of North Minneapolis are an important part of the rich and diverse mosaic of North Minneapolis history. By 1936, there were more than 16,000 Jew in Minneapolis, and 70 percent of them lived on the North Side. The Jewish Community of North Minneapolis presents an intriguing record of the earliest beginnings of Jewish communities in the city. Through the medium of historic photographs, this book captures the cultural, economic, political, and social history of this community, from the late 1800s to the present day. The Jews in North Minneapolis enjoyed a busy social and cultural life with their landsmanschaften, and shopped together at the kosher butcher shops and fish markets, grocery stores and bakeries, clothing stores, barber shops, restaurants, and other small businesses that had sprung up along Sixth Avenue North and then Plymouth Avenue.  (69358)      $21.99

Meyers, Allen. The Jewish Community Around North Broad Street. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2002. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-1017-0. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. The cradle of Jewish life in Philadelphia began with the establishment of the first synagogue, Mikveh Israel, in 1740. With the influx of many German Jews in the 1840s, the community expanded above Spring Garden Street into the Northern Liberties neighborhood. Urban settlement of Philadelphia's Jewish population during the last quarter of the nineteenth century shifted to North Broad Street when the economy improved for the city's residents after the Civil War. North Broad Street soon boasted two elegantly designed synagogues and the newly relocated Jewish Hospital from West Philadelphia. The Jewish Community around North Broad Street weaves the tale of the Jewish community in this part of Philadelphia through a collection of rare and stunning images. The construction of the North Broad Street subway in the 1920s and the row house Jewish community known as Logan are parts of this story. The development of business districts led to a more cohesive north and northwest Jewish community that allowed for satellite Jewish enclaves to flourish, complete with their own synagogues, bakeries, kosher meat markets, and hundreds of other shops that served the general population. In the 1950s, new neighborhoods, such as Mount Airy and West Oak Lane, alleviated an acute housing shortage at a time when 110,000 Jews lived in north-central and northwest Philadelphia.   (54558)     $19.99

Meyers, Allen. Strawberry Mansion, The Jewish Community of North Philadelphia. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2000. Third Printing. ISBN: 0-7385-0234-0. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. A section of North Philadelphia, Strawberry Mansion is nestled high on the banks of the Schuylkill River, adjacent to the large expanses of Fairmount Park, with many wonderful venues such as Woodside Park. The area became the setting for America’s premiere Jewish Community in the 20th century, with over 50,000 inhabitants. Strawberry Mansion was the first Jewish suburb within an urban setting. Affectionately known as “the Mansion,” it was only a trolley car ride away from the South Philadelphia immigrant district. Jewish families migrated from one neighborhood to another as they advanced economically in American society during the early 1900s. By the mid-1950s, the decision to discontinue the once heavily traveled route #9 trolley car marked the decline and eventual demise of Strawberry Mansion as a Jewish enclave.  (49389)      $21.95

Meyers, Allen. The Jewish Community of West Philadelphia. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2001. ISBN: 978-0-7385-0854-2. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. The Jewish community of Philadelphia west of the Schuylkill River is a composite of seven distinct neighborhoods surrounding West Philadelphia proper. These include Fortieth and Girard, Parkside, Wynnefield, Overbrook Park, Wynnefield Heights, Southwest Philly, and Island Road. A gathering of seventy-five thousand Jewish people in West Philadelphia during the twentieth century qualified the area known as "a city within a city" as a second settlement area. Excellent public transportation included the famed Market Street Elevated. The West Philadelphia Jews flourished and supported dozens of synagogues and bakeries, and more than one hundred kosher butcher shops at the neighborhood's height from the 1930s through the 1950s. Newly arrived immigrants embraced traditional Jewish values, which led them to encourage their offspring to acquire a secondary education in their own neighborhoods as a way of achieving assimilation into the community at large.  (69367)      $21.99

Meyers, Allen. Oxford Circle: The Jewish Community of Northeast Philadelphia. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2004. First Edition. ISBN: 0-7385-3621-0. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. The Jewish community of Northeast Philadelphia was created by the relocation of secondgeneration eastern European Jews from the neighborhoods of Strawberry Mansion and South, North, and West Philadelphia. Serving more than one hundred thousand Jewish residents at its height, Northeast Philadelphia consisted of ten distinctive neighborhoods, including Feltonville, Oxford Circle, Tacony, and Mayfair. During the twentieth century, thousands of Jewish families were attracted to the area by the houses built along Roosevelt Boulevard for soldiers returning home from World War II. Welsh Road catered to younger families, and wealthier families resided along Bustleton Avenue and Fox Chase and Verree Roads. Today, the influx of strictly orthodox Jewish residents has given rise to a third generation of Jewish life in Northeast Philadelphia.  (29709)     $19.99

Meyers, Allen with Nathans, Carl. The Jewish Community Under the Frankford El. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2003 . First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-1221-4. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. In the late nineteenth century, a wave of Jewish immigrants fled eastern Europe and settled in northeastern Philadelphia along the Delaware River in Kensington and its surrounding neighborhoods. Separate from the German-Jewish community of Philadelphia, the new immigrants created new Jewish settlements that eventually gave way to permanent residences and businesses along Frankford Avenue, Kensington Avenue, Richmond Street, Front Street, Torresdale Avenue, and beyond. Synagogues, bakeries, delicatessens, kosher butchers, and other Jewish establishments flourished for several decades until the area began to decline in the 1960s as a result of the postindustrial era.  (54554)     $19.99

Michalski, Henry and Mendelsohm, Donna for the Jewish Historical Society of Napa Valley. Napa Valley's Jewish Heritage. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2012. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-8898-8. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout, bibliography. Softbound. As the world rushed in to profit from California’s gold strike of 1848, many Jews joined the throng, not necessarily to mine but to sell merchandise to prospectors. Some settled in Napa Valley, a basin of rich agricultural land nestled between two mountain ridges. These pioneers conducted business, making significant contributions to the development of the Valley. Participating in cultural life, holding public office, and leading organizations, many also made fine wines, something perfected thousands of years ago as commanded in scripture. They continue to do so. The author's came to me trying to buy a book like this. None existed. I told them they would need to write it themselves. I guess somebody listens to me every now and then.  (69365)      $21.99

Packer, Robert A. Chicago's Forgotten Synagogues. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2007. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-0130-7. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. The disappearing history of Chicago’s Jewish past can be found in the religious architecture of its stately synagogues and communal buildings. Whether modest or majestic, wood or stone, the buildings reflected their members’ views on faith and their commitment to the neighborhoods where they lived in a time when individuals and the community were inseparable from their neighborhood synagogues, temples, and shuls. From Chicago’s oldest Jewish congregation, Kehilath Anshe Maariv Temple (Pilgrim Baptist), to Ohave Sholom (St. Basils Greek Orthodox), to Kehilath Anshe Maariv’s last independent building (Operation Push), come and explore Chicago’s forgotten synagogues and communal buildings.   (54557)     $19.99

Pierce, Alan S. and Herbster, for the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore. The Jewish Community of the North Shore. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2003 [2004]. Second Printing. ISBN: 0-7385-1329-6. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. The Jewish Community of the North Shore captures the vibrant history of Jewish immigration, entrepreneurship, and community life north of Boston. The first major influx of Jewish immigrants to the region came in the late nineteenth century as eastern Europeans fled oppression and persecution in search of a new life in the land of freedom and promise. Many Jews found work in the tanneries of Peabody, known worldwide as the Leather City, and in the shoe factories of Lynn, while others ran their own businesses, including kosher butcher shops, newspapers, and retail trade stores in Salem and Beverly. Culled from the impressive archives of the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore, this rare compilation pays tribute to the Jewish immigrants who settled north of Boston and their descendants who became prominent business, spiritual, and community leaders. We are still looking for a good history of Boston Jewry proper.  (54553)      $19.99

Pollak, Oliver R. Jewish Life in Omaha and Lincoln: A Photographic History. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2001. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-1927-2. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout, selected bibliography. Softbound. By the early 20th century there was a Jewish presence in over 30 Nebraska towns, some dating back to the 1850s. Today, the great majority of Jews live in Omaha, with a smaller community in the capital city of Lincoln. Synagogues, temples, community centers, and cemeteries mark the landscape. In the pages of Jewish Life in Omaha and Lincoln: A Photographic History, peoples' lives, events, neighborhoods, and institutions that helped shape and transform today's Jewish community are brought to life. This vibrant tapestry is captured in images ranging from a mid-19th century stereopticon to a recent aerial photograph. The over 230 images, culled from the collection of the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society, focus on immigration patterns that brought Jews into the region, from the opening of the West, to the Holocaust, to the arrival of Soviet Jews. Other images look at the changing face of synagogues and religious practices in the Midlands. Jewish-founded businesses that are mentioned in this book are landmarks in Omaha and throughout the Midwest, from the Nebraska Furniture Mart to Omaha Steaks International.  (54844)      $21.99

Preisler, Julian H. Jewish West Virginia. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2010. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-8606-9. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. West Virginia has a unique history of Jewish settlement dating back to 1849 when the first Jewish organization in the state, a Jewish burial society, was established by a small group of German Jewish immigrants in the city of Wheeling. From modest beginnings, Jews settled in towns and cities and established businesses and communal organizations. Since that time, the Jews of the Mountain State have been an integral part of the state's economic, cultural, and political life. Though always relatively small in size, West Virginia's Jewish population has been a strong advocate for the state and gained prominence in many areas. Readers will recognize images of well-known institutions such as Shoney's, Cohen's, Frankenberger's, Embee's, and others that bring back fond memories. Despite declines in Jewish population numbers, today's Jewish community remains active and involved in the life of the state. The recent water contamination of the river running through Charleston, West Virginia has brought some attention to rarely considered Jewish community there. There is a three volume history of Jewish West Virginia, but it is now fifty years old.   (56575)      $21.99

Rosenblum, Gene H. Jewish Pioneers of St. Paul, 1849-1874. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2001. ISBN: 0-7385-1862-X. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos, bibliography, annotations. Softbound. The roots of the Jewish community of St. Paul, MN, were established in 1849, with the arrival of two American-born brothers from Pennsylvania. From these early pioneers the community grew and spread. Through the medium of historic photographs and stories, this book captures the remarkable evolution of the Jewish people of St. Paul. It is a story of the cultural, religious, economic, and everyday life of St. Paul Jews. These pages bring to life the people, events, neighborhoods, and institutions that helped shape and transform today's Jewish community. These photographs, derived from the collections of the Minnesota Historical Society and the Ramsey County Historical Society, paint a poignant and vivid picture of Jewish life in St. Paul. In addition to recalling the establishment of Mt. Zion and Sons of Jacob, the first two major synagogues in St. Paul, this book displays the distinct impact that prominent Jews of the community, such as Abram Elfelt, Judge Isaac N. Cardozo, and Isador Rose, had on the shaping of St. Paul.  (36166) $21.95

Rosenblum, Gene H. The Lost Jewish Community of the West Side Flats 1882-1962. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2002. ISBN: 978-0-7385-1986-9. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos, list of peddlers, bibliography, notes. Softbound. Beginning in 1882, many Russian and Eastern-European Jews who fled to the United States settled in the "West Side Flats" in St. Paul, Minnesota. The area once stretched from the banks of the Mississippi River to the cliffs of the West Side Hills, about 320 acres in all, but has since fallen victim to the vagaries of the mighty river and the progress of "urban renewal." The Lost Jewish Community of the West Side Flats: 1882-1962 takes the reader on a pictorial tour down memory lane. The families, houses, businesses, streets, and synagogues-all vanished now-are brought back to life through vintage photographs from the archives of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the private collections of many former residents.   (55999)     $21.99

Rossen, Arlene Cohen and Rose, Beverly Magilevy. Jewish Life in Akron. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 0-7385-3968-6. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. In the mid-1800s, many Jewish families joined the western expansion and emigrated from Germany to Akron, a canal town that also had an inviting countryside. They sought economic security and religious freedom—a new start in a new town. But it was not an easy life. They organized their Jewish community into cultural and religious groups, and by the 20th century, their efforts attracted Central and Eastern European Jews with differing lifestyles. In 1929, the Akron Jewish Center opened and provided a place for all of the diverse Jewish groups in Akron to gather.  (36163)      $19.95

Sanweiss, Naomi. Jewish Albuquerque 1860-1960. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7385-7977-1. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout, bibliography, index. Softbound. Very Good. Albuquerque felt a strong if small Jewish presence from early on. The first TWO mayors of Albuquerque were Jewish. Albuquerque, founded by Spanish colonists in 1706, seems an unusual place for Jewish immigrants to settle. Yet long before New Mexico statehood in 1912, Jewish settlers had made their homes in the high desert town, located on the banks of the Rio Grande River. Initially, business opportunities lured German Jews to the Santa Fe Trail; during the expansive railroad days of the 1880s, Jewish citizens were poised to take on leadership roles in business, government, and community life. Henry Jaffa, a Jewish merchant and acquaintance of Wyatt Earp, served as Albuquerque’s first mayor. From launching businesses along Central Avenue, to establishing the Indian Trading Room at the famed Alvarado Hotel and founding trading posts, Route 66 tourist establishments, and the Sandia Tram, Jewish businesspeople partnered with their neighbors to boost Albuquerque’s already plentiful assets. Along the way, community members built Jewish organizations—a B’nai B’rith chapter, Congregation Albert, and Congregation B’nai Israel—that made their mark upon the larger Albuquerque community. Foreword by Dr. Noel Pugach. (69356)      $21.99

Sheintal, Kimberly. Jews of Sarasota-Manatee. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2013. ISBN: 978-0-7385-9067-7. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. In 1539, explorer Hernando de Soto landed near Sarasota, Florida, but centuries passed before the Sarasota-Manatee area saw many settlers. By the late 1840s, a few pioneers had arrived, but it was not until 1913 that the first Jewish person settled here. Other Jewish families followed, but no organization connected them until the Jewish Community Center of Sarasota was established in 1925. For early Jewish settlers, the biggest problem was isolation rather than discrimination. By the 1950s, when the region was experiencing a post-war population boom, some of Sarasota’s most prominent citizens were Jewish. They played an enormous role in creating Sarasota’s businesses, charitable organizations, and cultural assets, including the David Cohen Hall and the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. The Jewish Community Council, a precursor of the Jewish Federation, formed in 1959. Sarasota-Manatee now has 13 Jewish congregations and a thriving Jewish population. No jokes about Jewish manatees, please.  (69362)

Stanton, Ann Haber. Jewish Pioneers of the Black Hills Gold Rush. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7385-7781-4. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos, bibliography.  The very name Deadwood conjures up vivid Wild West images: saloons with swinging doors, brazen dance-hall girls, buckskin-clad Calamity Jane roaming the streets with her erstwhile paramour, Wild Bill Hickok. The setting is the lawless Dakota Territory of 1876 at the start of the Black Hills gold rush, a stampede for the golden pay dirt. One would hardly expect to find a Jewish pioneer grocer named Jacob Goldberg in this scene, yet Deadwood's story is incomplete without Goldberg. And Goldberg's story is incomplete without either Calamity Jane or Wild Bill. Not just Goldberg, but Finkelstein (also known as Franklin), Stern (also known as Star), Jacobs, Schwarzwald, Colman, Hattenbach, and many other Jews joined the throngs. The Jews provided much more than overalls, chamberpots, and the chambers in which to put them. They also became the mayors, legislators, and civic leaders who helped bring sense and stability to this unruly expanse.  (69360)      $21.99

Stiefel, Barry. The Jewish Community of Metro Detroit 1945-2005. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2006. First Edition. ISBN: 0-7385-4053-6. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. After the end of World War II, Americans across the United States began a mass migration from the urban centers to suburbia. Entire neighborhoods transplanted themselves. The Jewish Community of Metro Detroit: 1945 –2005 provides a pictorial history of the Detroit Jewish community’s transition from the city to the suburbs outside of Detroit. For the Jewish communities, life in the Detroit suburbs has been focused on family within a pluralism that embraces the spectrum of experience from the most religiously devout to the ethnically secular. Holidays, bar and bat mitzvahs, weddings, and funerals have marked the passage of time. Issues of social justice, homeland, and religion have divided and brought people together. The architecture of the structures the Detroit Jewish community has erected, such as Temple Beth El designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki, testifies to the community’s presence. (54852)

Tango, Jenny. The Jewish Community of Staten Island. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2004. ISBN: 0-7385-1134-8. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a small group of Jewish immigrants carved out their own vibrant community in Staten Island. Jewish settlers clustered around the Arietta Street, St. George, Bergen Point, and Perth Amboy ferries and built seven synagogues and a Jewish community center. Jewish dry goods, candy, hardware, and men’s furnishings stores sprung up along the major shopping areas of Jersey Street and Richmond Avenue. As the Jewish population grew, it expanded into new developments in Willowbrook, Eltingville, and Arden Heights and was able to support a Jewish elementary school. Introduction by Dr. Rabbi Gerald Susman (36159)      $19.95

Weiss, Arnine Cumsky and Miller-Lanning, Darlene. Jews of Scranton. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN: 0-7385-3715-2. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos. Softbound. For one hundred fifty years, the Jewish residents of Scranton have contributed to the vitality of the city. In the nineteenth century, Jews immigrated to Scranton from Germany and eastern Europe, and Russian resettlement families arrived during the twentieth century. As merchants and manufacturers, they sold diamonds and groceries and produced dental supplies and ginger ale. They achieved recognition as doctors, lawyers, publishers, financiers, soldiers, and sailors. Dignitaries and scholars, such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Elie Wiesel, have been their guests, and they have hosted personalities and pop stars, such as Miss America and the Mouseketeers. (56000)   $21.95

Zerin, Edward. Jewish San Francisco. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2006. ISBN: 0-7385-4683-6. Royal octavo, glossy paper covered boards, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. In San Francisco, the "instant city" of the gold rush days, Jews were pioneers among pioneers. Some came as immigrants directly from Europe, others as resettled adventurers from the East Coast, and still others as scions of southern Sephardic families. Out of this mixed multitude emerged a community with synagogues and institutions to care for the needy and the sick, along with a dignified social fabric. New immigrants following the Russian pogroms of 1883 were absorbed, and the ashen ruins from the 1906 earthquake were rebuilt. The city's cultural treasures and social needs were enriched, and the city's Jews were nurtured by civic commitments. Today's 70,000 San Francisco Jews, standing upon the shoulders of pioneering giants, continue to build and rebuild. Foreword by Dr. Marc. Dollinger.   (59799)      $21.99

    Zerivitz, Marcia Jo, Founding Executive Director, Jewish Museum of Florida. Jews of Greater Miami. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2009. First Edition. ISBN: 978-0-7385-6719-8. Royal octavo, glossy paper covers, 128 pp., b/w photos throughout. Softbound. Miami was among Florida’s last communities to develop a Jewish population. Since the late 1800s, the area that was once just a settlement of frontiersmen has grown to become the core of the nation’s third-largest Jewish community. Jews were prominent in business when Miami was chartered in 1896 and began settling in Miami Beach as early as 1913. Though faced with hardship and public discrimination, the immigrant group continued to expand its presence. Images of America: Jews of Greater Miami contains photographs from family albums that are part of the archives of the Jewish Museum of Florida. Each historic photograph tells a story and documents the area’s pioneer Jews, the diverse ways they contributed to the development of their community, and the doors they opened for the acceptance of all ethnicities.I am really not sure what to make of the cover photo. It reminds me of similar images with African-Americans which always feel to have racist undertones. The south is a very strange land to me.  (54564)      $21.99
  
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