Linda Scholff may have retired but she is anything but retiring!
-Linda presented a talk on Jewish-Catholic relations in St. Paul at the Minnesota History Center as part of their Vatican Splendors exhibit programming.
-Spoke to a group of St. Olaf College religious class students visiting the Twin Cities to find out more about the Jewish community.
David Harris (Rimon), Vic Rosenthal (JCA) and Linda Schloff spoke about Jewish community, history and values during a presentation to St. Olaf students.
-Provided context for the Minnesota Jewish Theater Company production of Chutzpa a go-go as a speaker in their Doorways education program
-Spoke to Congregation Or Emet.
-Presented a talk at the regional Women’s League for Conservative Judaism attended by women from Midwest United Sates, Mexico and Canada.
-Is developing an exhibit for Temple of Aaron’s 100th. Advising on the contents of a time capsule for the Sholom East Campus.
JHSUM was a community partner with Jewish War
Veterans Post 354, West 7th Community Center and Walter Schwarz (our very own Ritchie Boy) to present a showing of the award winning WWII documentary Ritchie Boys, depicting a group of US soldiers, many of them formerly refugees from Nazi occupied Europe who were trained to interrogate prisoners of war. For more information on this film visit www.ritchieboys.com/EN/home.html
Walter Schwarz
JHSUM has joined with other local and county
historical societies to urge legislators to consider the invaluable support revenue from the State “Legacy Tax” amendment could bring to preserving our local heritage and history. To learn more about the Clean Water. Land, and Legacy Amendment tax which would be split between outdoor heritage, parks and trails, and clean water, arts and culture go to www.minnesotahistorymuseums.org/legacyact2.pdf
Our Mystery has been Solved!
Thank you for your help in identifying this photo. This Michael Berkowitz, Rosilyn Stillman, and Eileen Berkowitz (Silver) in front of Lehman’s Grocery on James and Plymouth.
JHSUM has gone Hollywood. We provided local expertise for the production crew of A Serious Man, the Coen,Brothers feature film which will be shot in the Twin Cities in October 2008. Our staff has worked with a legal research firm verifying that characters in the film are in fact fictional and not based on any actual persons. We also helped location scouts, production assistants, and set and costume designers to achieve that quintessential St. Louis Park in the 1960’s look.
141 individuals donated 384 items to JHSUM in 2008-2009. While we primarily took in paper and photographic materials, we also processed clothing, linens, scrapbooks, DVDs, commemorative books and self-and commercially published books.
Over 200 research questions were answered this year including requests for genealogy-related dates, names and congregational affiliations. We also worked with scholarly researchers involved in academic projects, including a book on the genesis of the Synagogue Youth Organization in the 1950’s.We assisted Terry Shoptaugh,archivist and teacher at Minnesota State University, Moorhead with his research for a book on Herman Stern’s rescue of 125 German relatives during World War II. And we consulted with clergy and preservationists on paintings in the former Tifereth B’nai Jacob in Minneapolis.
The Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Jewish Community Relations Council, Minnesota Jewish Theater Company, Sabes JCC, St. Paul JCC’s Camp Butwin, United Jewish Fund and Council and the Sheltering Home Chronicles all requested scans of JHSUM materials used in anniversary observances and displays. Several of these requests were substantial. We also provided content for publications including the Forward newspaper; Ed Afn, a New York based Yiddish publishing service; the City of St. Louis Park’s annual calendar and the St. Paul Almanac.
We are collaborating with Brian Tochterman who is teaching a University of Minnesota course, Public History, examining the history of the North Side. Some of the community partners we'll be working with include North High School and the Urban League.
(Reprinted from Spring 2008 Generations )
This JHSUM photo from the late 1890s or early 1900s of Harry Silberstein, driver, near the scrap metal shop yard of Paper Calmenson in St. Paul was included in the recent PBS documentary The Jewish Americans (if you blinked you might have missed it!). Twin Cities Public Television reported the highest viewership in the country for this program.
More than 300 people attended “Kosher Merlot and Chocolate Truffles—A New Menu for American Judaism,” a lecture and discussion featuring Jonathan Sarna, eminent Brandeis University professor of American Jewish History. Linda Schloff introduced the speaker. The event was co-sponsored by JHSUM, Sabes JCC, Darchei Noam Congregation and the Jewish Singles Collaborative.
JHSUM staff member and Lowenthal Papers project archivist Susan Hoffman spoke at the March 14 event commemorating the release of the Max Lowenthal Papers at the University of Minnesota Archives. The celebration took place at the Elmer L. Andersen Library, where Lowenthal’s son, geographer David Lowenthal, gave the keynote address.
Linda Schloff has been busy with speaking engagements this year —to the Yiddish Vinkl group in January, at Or Emet Congregation in February, and at an Adath Jeshurun chavurah event in March. In May, she will moderate a panel of World War II veterans at the Minnesota History Center, and in June she will speak to Ameriprise employees as part of their diversity series.
JHSUM is one of only 16 Minnesota recipients of the Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books, DVDs, and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The Bookshelf resources will help ensure that JHSUM’s collections receive the best possible care for future generations.
Susan Hoffman, Katherine Tane and Jamie Heilicher receive Bookshelf materials from Mary Chute, the deputy director of the Office of Library Services at the Institute of Museum and Library Services (second from left).
Bernice Cowl Gordon
(pictured below with JHSUM Executive Director Katherine Tane) was one of 10 honored with the 2007 Virginia McKnight Binger Awards in Human Service given by the McKnight Foundation in November. The awards honor Minnesota residents who give their time to improve the lives of people in their communities. At age 91, Bernice is a model of outstanding volunteer service with many community organizations including JHSUM. She established both the Dr. Moses and Bernice Cowl Gordon Journal Endowment Fund of the JHUSM and a tuition fund which enables new Russian immigrants to attend preschool and extracurricular programs. Mazal tov, Bernice!
Sharron Steinfeldt, one of the JHSUM founders, a former president and current board member, will be presented with the prestigious Amos Deinard Award for Distinguished Leadership at the Minneapolis Jewish Federation Annual Meeting being held August 15. We are proud of Sharron’s association with JHSUM especially as we are only one of many organizations in which she has played a significant role.
For the Unfolding Time art exhibit at the Sabes JCC in March
, JHSUM supplied an immigrant’s packed suitcase, a “mystery” bundle of processions, and a questionnaire designed as a luggage tag for children and adults to fill out about what they might pack to start a life in a new place.
JHSUM Board Member Beth
Kaplan, University of Minnesota archivist and co-director of the University Digital Conservancy, was named a Society of American Archivists Fellow in recognition of her many contributions to the profession.
Something “Mysterious” going on….
Do you have a Jewish historical “mystery” that you want investigated? The PBS television series “History Detectives” is looking for good stories to research. Read more about the type of “mystery” to submit by clicking here…
One member sent us his mystery. Can you help solve it?
My uncle Stanley Grodnik passed away about 20 years ago. He claimed Dinkytown was named after his father Louis Grodnik. If you look at the building where Gray's Drug used to be on 14th Avenue you will see a building named the Grodnik Building. You can see the name in the stone arch on the 14th Ave side. I think the building was built in the 1920s or 1930s. I believe Grodnik means "little village" in Russian. Ergo Dinkytown.
JHSUM got a quick education in heating and cooling this summer as the Barry Family Campus HVAC renovation caused a lack of air conditioning during the hottest days of June. Staff employed several tactics to cool the archives room including buckets of ice (shown above), fans and special window treatments.
Heroic Pursuit of History
Four of JHSUM's key players continued to serve the cause of Jewish historical preservation despite suffering temporary setbacks this winter/spring. Pictured L to R: Susan Hoffman, archivist (broken leg), Linda Schloff, Director of Collections, Exhibits and Publications (broken wrist and toe), communications consultant Kathryn Klibanoff (broken knee) and volunteer Judy Sherman (spine injury). We wish them all speedy recoveries!
JHSUM took first place in appearance with
our submission for Knollwood Place's 60th Anniversary celebration of the
Bundt Cake. See our winning submission below:
Katherine, our blue ribbon baker
(L-R) Fannie Schanfield with Dotty Dalquist, widow of President and founder of Nordicware, Dave Dalquist.
(Reprinted from Fall 2006 Generations )
The JHSUM received a grant from the United Jewish Fund and Council of St. Paul to interview veterans of World War II who fought in the Soviet armed forces.Board member Sasha Rodnyansky is helping recruit Russian-speaking interviewers and translators. We are excited about broadening our oral history initiative to this important segment of the Jewish population, and we thank the UJFC for their support.
The results of the 150 Years of Chutzpah Contest are in! Click here to read about Jewish Minnesotans who have made a big impact here and beyond.
A wealth of information about the Adath Jeshurun window in our office can be accessed on our web site, www.jhsum.org. Click here to learn about the artwork, the original donor, and successful efforts to preserve the windows after they were removed from the old synagogue site.
Staff members Katherine Tane and Susan Hoffman conducted a History Hijinks Camp at the Sabes JCC in July, teaching kids about local Jewish history. The kids loved it and we can't wait to collaborate again!
Mount Zion Congregation, as part of its 150th celebration year, conducted a bike tour of St. Paul Jewish sites on July 23rd using materials and photos developed by JHSUM. Linda Schloff accompanied the tour and earned high praise for her insightful commentary.
