People sitting at tables reading books. The University of Minnesota Hillel Society was founded in 1940, with Rabbi Milgrom as its first director. By 1941 the membership of over 500 enjoyed a full agenda of programs including classes, discussion groups, debate, drama and social activities. The lack of a permanent home was an issue as early as 1943, and the U. J. F. C. sanctioned a fund drive in 1945. A permanent building (the current one) was purchased in 1956. Even without a home, activities included a model Seder, Friday night services and dinners, and activities, such as vocational guidance, for returning veteran students. The Seder in the photograph was held during the early 1940s at the Tau Delta Phi house, a fraternity originally founded by Jews in New York in 1914.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Loretta (Lucky) Bellman escaped Nazi Germany in 1939 and settled in New York, where her father started a successful furniture business. Butch Levy met and fell in love with Lucky, marrying her in 1944. Peter Bellman, Lucky's brother, had been sent to Britain on a children's transport in 1938, and was finally reunited with the family in America 1939. He enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1941, and died in the Battle of the Bulge. Peter, Lucky and Butch are shown together on a leave during the war.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
A duplicate portrait photograph of Nellie Weiss Bondy in her wedding dress. Nellie Weiss married Louis Bondy in 1886: the event is reputed to have been the first Jewish wedding in Duluth.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Photograph showing the front exterior of the Neighborhood House, which was the first settlement house in St. Paul serving the Jewish community. It was founded in 1897 by the women of Temple Mt. Zion as a place for newly arrived Eastern European immigrants to receive social and medical services.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Photograph of a woman using a measuring tape to measure the length of a skirt on Ida Blehart. Neighborhood House was founded by the Hebrew Ladies Benevolent Society. Neighborhood House was founded primarily to provide recreational, educational and social activities to residents of the West Side neighborhood. It maintained an active recreational program for girls in the neighborhood, teaching sewing, cooking and other domestic arts.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Photograph showing members of the National Jewish Workers Alliance Home standing in front of the meeting hall, which appears to be a personal home. N. J. W. A. was the Americanized name for the Farband. This is the second part of a two part photograph. See also mhs06636.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Photograph showing members of the National Jewish Workers Alliance Home standing in front of the meeting hall, which appears to be a personal home. N. J. W. A. was the Americanized name for the Farband. This is the second part of a two part photograph. See also mhs06636.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Groups of women sit at tables during a Mount Sinai Auxiliary luncheon. The Auxiliary was both a fund-raising arm of Mt. Sinai Hospital and a leadership training ground for some of the women that spearheaded fundraising events. The Auxiliary's work pushed Jewish community visibility further into the general public awareness.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Sophie Wirth Camp provided immigrant Jewish children with summer recreational opportunities and a chance to leave the city behind. The same opportunity was available to their mothers, who were periodically invited to join campers for a day on White Bear Lake. The camp served the St. Paul Jewish community. Minneapolis summer campers went to different camps.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Three women stand at a table with a large model house displayed on it. The Oak Park Home Auxiliary raised money for the Oak Park Home, also known as the Jewish Sheltering Home for Children. The Home was a beneficiary of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, but funds for operations were always tight and fundraising was an ongoing concern.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Photograph of men and women sitting at a long table set with coffee cup and water glasses. The Gymal Doled Club was a Minneapolis "town club"--an alternative to a "country club"--that provided opportunities for socializing without the attendant golf and status issues. Town clubs were secular in nature, organized to "develop…Jewish ideals and American patriotism." The Minneapolis-based club flourished long after its St. Paul counterpart disappeared. The staying power of Minneapolis clubs was due in part to aggressive anti-Semitism in Minneapolis, where Jews were excluded from many social and civic organizations. "Gymal" and "Doled" are the third and fourth letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
A bird's eye view of people attending the Funtennial which was Hadassah's largest fundraising event. Essentially, Funtennial was a large-scale community carnival, with arcade-type games, a queen contest, door prizes, dancing and booths with food and crafts. Hundreds volunteered for the event, and for a decade between 1949 and 1959, thousands attended. Significant funds were raised, all of which went to Israel projects
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Bird's eye view of the Minneapolis Funtennial organized by Minneapolis Hadassah. One of the actions Hadassah supported was Youth Aliyah. Youth Aliyah began as a rescue and relief operation for children of Holocaust victims. These children were brought to Palestine during and after the war and settled in residential care. Over the decades, Youth Aliyah has provided services and homes for children and families from the soviet Union, Ethiopia and North Africa.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Photograph showing members of the Minneapolis Board of B'nai Brith Women posed outdoors. B'nai Brith Women was an international charitable organization founded in 1909 to give women a voice in B'nai Brith.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Portrait photograph of some men affiliated with Central Community House. Central Community House and its West Side counterpart, Neighborhood House, were created to assist immigrants newly arrived to the community. Although the settlement house roots were in the Jewish community, the curriculum and activities offered emphasized Americanization and secularization. The group of young Jewish men in the photo may be members of Coming Men of America, a fraternal order with Masonic roots who met at the House.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Portrait photograph of members of the Workmen's Circle, which was created in the late 1800s by Jewish immigrants as a mutual aid society. The Circle was secular, practical and leftist, and many members were involved in support for Palestine.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Portrait photograph showing members of the Minneapolis Workmen's Circle. Workman's Circle members were non-religious, politically active Jews, many of whom were Socialists. They espoused a classless society, favored the use of Yiddish for cultural expression, and created a variety of services for members, including medical and insurance benefits.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
In addition to activities for children, the St. Paul JCC undertook programming for the increasing number of seniors at the end of the war. These seniors are part of the Golden Circle Group, which provided a place for older adults to socialize and learn together.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
The Atlas Club was one of several Jewish social clubs in the Twin Cities operating during the early 1900s to the 1920s. The clubs were a response to the fact that "downtown" social clubs such as the Athletic Clubs would not admit Jews. The Atlas Club was absorbed into Gymea Doled in 1919. Unfortunately, there is no additional information on Rhoda and Harry Hirsch, the "World's Greatest Entertainers."
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Front exterior view of the Jewish Sheltering Home, also known as the Oak Park Home. Founded as a safe harbor for Jewish children unable to live with their families, the Minneapolis Jewish community paid for the structure and all of the care offered by staff. Children at the home attended nearby public schools and the Talmud Torah. Most stays at the Home were of relatively short duration.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
The Jewish Mothers Club was organized through the Central Community Center in St. Paul. It provided an opportunity for Jewish women, many of them immigrants, to socialize together.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
The Jewish Home for the Aged was established in St. Paul in 1908 as a care facility for the elderly poor. The building in the picture was the second home, opening in 1923. It provided room and care for indigent Jewish elders from throughout the state.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
This photo may reflect a gathering of boys from several different groups, suggested by the different numbers on the sleeves of several of the scouts. Many of the troops that Jewish boys and girls belonged to were synagogue-sponsored. That allowed for the adaptation of scouting themes and activities to incorporate Jewish values.
Contributing Institution:
University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives