USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > The early Jewish community of Boston's North End; a sociologically oriented study of an Eastern European Jewish immigrant community in an American big-city neighborhood between 1870 and 1900 > Part 5
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36. Banks were not always the large establishments the word today suggests. One North End "banker" for example sold delicatessen on the side on the premises of the "bank."
37. See note 15.
38. Robert A. Woods, The City Wilderness (Boston, 1898), p. 205, writes about the South End during this period: "Other Jewish associations hold religious services either in their own rooms or in halls hired for the purpose on the Jewish New Year and the Passover, if not oftener."
39. This Chevra Shas turned out to be one of the rather durable cultural institutions established in the North End. Repeatedly reorganized and expanded into a city-wide organization, it still meets every week for a Talmudic lecture given by Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik, an international authority on Talmud
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and Jewish philosophy. Today, however, lectures are in English and a large part of the participating group consists of second and third generation Jews. See Appendix 1.
40. See Handlin, Adventure in Freedom, p. 118; Zevi Scharfstein, History of Jewish Education in Modern Times (Hebrew; New York, 1947) Vol. 2, 177 ff.
40A. Miller Solomon, op. cit., p. 18.
41. See Scharfstein, op. cit., pp. 181-182.
42. For the adverse impression the cheder made on the Jewish child who compared it with his well-ordered public school, see, Hutching Hapgood, The Spirit of the Ghetto (New York, 1902), p. 23 ff.
43. See Albert I. Gordon, Jews in Transition, p. 126.
44. Herberg, op. cit., pp. 21-22, points out that a rapid "depro- letarianization" process set in immediately after the start of the short-term "proletarianization" of the Jewish masses following immigration. Thus, learning had some specific practical ad- vantages which the immigrants were quick to recognize.
45. Handlin, Adventure in Freedom, p. 117.
46. Hansen, Marcus L., The Problem of the Third Generation Im- migrant, Augustana Historical Society (Rock Island, Ill., 1937), quoted by Herberg, op. cit., pp. 30 and 203; cf. p. 257.
47. "The assimilative forces which the dominant society exerts upon the ethnic groups are exerted primarily upon the child so that he, rather than the parent, becomes the transmitting agent of social change." Warner, W. Lloyd, Structure of American Life (Edinburgh, 1952), p. 126, quoted by Herberg, p. 37.
48. For the story of an 18th century Jewish resident in the North End see Lee M. Friedman, "Mr. Hays Speaks Out", Menorah Journal, Vol. XXVII, p. 77.
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49. A slower pace in acculturation during this period was a re- sult of this congestion: "At the North End the immigrant has remained foreign because isolation is possible there. His asso- ciates are his own countrymen. He does not become American for the simple reason that the North End is not American." Robert A. Woods, The City Wilderness (Boston, 1898), p. 38.
50. Another interviewee sums up the view prevalent among most immigrants: "To father it meant a place for hard work where you could get ahead quickly. It meant the possibility for progress, for a future, and for a career for his children."
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glossary
Eastern European (Lithuanian) colloquial forms and pronuncia- tion were followed in transcription.
AMHORETZ - A person ignor- ant in Jewish lore.
APIKOIRES - Disbeliever, "heretic."
BAAL KERIEH - Torah reader. BALAGOLE - Driver of horse drawn carriage.
BAR-MITZVAH - Jewish male who reached "adulthood" by be- coming 13 years old. Also: the celebration accompanying this event.
BILUIST - A member of the Bilu- movement which advocated emi- gration from Europe to the Land of Israel.
CHADORIM - See cheder.
CHASSIDIM - Followers of the Chassidic movement founded in the 18th century by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov.
CHAZN - Cantor.
CHEDER - A religious elemen- tary school, usually privately con- ducted. Plural: chadorim.
CHEVRAH - A society. CHUMESH - A book of the Pentateuch.
CHUPE - Wedding canopy. GEMORE - Talmud.
IVRE - Hebrew Reading. KAPOTE - Long black coat worn by Jews in Eastern Europe. KAZATZKI - Fast Russian folk- dance.
KITL - White gown worn on High Holidays.
KOL NIDRE - First section of the Yom Kippur Eve service.
KREMER - Small storekeeper. LANDSLEIT - See landsmann.
LANDSMANN- Countryman; emigrant from the same town. Plural: landsleit.
LANDSMANNSCHAFT - Or- ganization of landsleit.
LITVAK - Lithuanian Jew.
MAFTIR - Person who reads the Prophetic portion after the con- clusion of the Torah-reading.
MELAMED - Teacher. Plural : melamdim.
MINYAN - Quorum of ten adult Jewish males necessary for public religious service. Also : a religious service.
MOIHEL - Ritual circumciser.
REBBE - Teacher.
REBBE-GELT - Tuition. RUSSISHE - Russian.
SFORIM - [Hebrew] books.
SHABES - Sabbath.
SHAMES - Beadle, sexton.
SHTETL - East European small town.
SHOICHET - Ritual slaughterer. SHUL - Synagogue.
SIDDUR - Prayer book.
SIDRAH - Weekly Bible Portion TALMID CHOCHOM - A per- son learned in Jewish lore.
TSHOLENT - A well known Sabbath dish.
UNTERFIRERS - Ushers who lead the groom and the bride to the wedding canopy.
YESHIVA - A school for Tal-
mudic learning on a secondary or a higher level. In the United States also a Hebrew-English day school.
YOM KIPPUR - Day of Atonement.
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appendices
A contemporary document and two newspaper arti- cles are found in the three appendices on the following pages.
The first of these is the preamble to the by-laws of the Chevra Shas Hakelalith (General Talmudical Society) of Greater Boston. This organization grew out of the North End Chevra Shas when the latter was joined by groups of Talmud-students in other neighborhoods and established a city-wide Talmudical society. (See above Note 39). The Hebrew text reproduced and translated on the following pages is found in the society's ornate Pinkes (register) which was begun in 1913. In that year a scribe wrote the text by hand on the opening page of the Pinkes in beautiful square Hebrew characters, probably copying from the original docu- ment which was dated in the spring of 1882. It is not clear why the important paragraph before the last was copied in a manner differing from the rest of the text. The document closes with nineteen signatures, but it is not certain that all were affixed immediately at the time of the writing of the preamble .*
*The author is indebted to Rabbis Leo Abelow and Moses J. Cohen for permission to reproduce this preamble.
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The document tells us much about what these North End talmudists thought of the situation of the Jew in the new country : their ideal to combine learning with business or a craft, their fear of material pursuits inter- fering with a healthy religious life and their determina- tion to improve the prospects of Judaism in this country through increased learning.
The two articles from the Jewish Advocate were written by devoted North Enders who were deeply in- terested in the epic of their local community. They are reprinted here as an illustration for the methods, the in- terests and the types of data which are characteristic of early historiographic efforts made by faithful members of many local Jewish communities.
The critical historian can usually take advantage of the data assembled in such writings if he is aware of the profound emotional commitment of their authors. A deep adoration for the "pioneer Jews," pride in their accomplishments, and particularly in the successes of their well-Americanized descendants, gratitude to the country which made all this possible, interest in family relationships and in the appealing aspects of individual and community life are some of the basic attitudes in these writings. In the process of scientific historiog- raphy such materials must be evaluated with an under- standing of the underlying attitudinal factors.
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בעהית
יפה תלמוד תורה עם דרך ארץ 'שיגיעת שניהם משכחת עון' וכל תורה שאין עמה מלאכה סופה בטלה (אבות בֹ משנה ב) אנחנו הח״מ כאשר נתאספנו יחד לטכס עצה ולהבּיט בעין חודרת על מצב היהדות ההרוסה בּארצות הברית בכלל ובעירינו באסטאן בפרט ' וכאשר ראו ראינו כי אמנם ימצאו עוד יהודים נאמנים לה ולתורתו אשר המה מן השרידים המזהירים פה ושם לעבוד עבודת הקודש המסורה למו מימי עולם ומשנים קדמוניות, אך לדאבון לבּנו בודדים הם במועדם וכל אחד ואחד לדרכו פונה לרגל המלאכה ומלחמת החיים העמוסה עליהם אשר עכ֗ כלנו כאיש אחד חברים הסכמנו בּדעה אחת ליסד חברה שס ללמוד בכל יום בחבורה גפת, למען החזק במעוז התורה ולחדש כנשר תחית האומה. וכל איש יהודי בּאשר הוא יהודי אחוז בחבלי בוז וקלסה בּין העמים אשר הוא שוכן בתוכם. יתעורר להתאחד בּקבוץ ובדעה אחת לבּלי הרפות ידינו מהמפעל הנשגב הזה, ובכל מאמצי כּחנו נשתדל לקבוע שעה אחת מהשעות המתרגשות עלינו, וזכות התורה יעמוד לנו ולזרעינו אחרינו להיות בתורת ה״חפצנו להגדיל תורה ולהאדירה. כּי זה הוא היסוד ואבן פנה לאושר בּית ישראל לימים יוצרו, והבוחר בשערי ציון: שערים המצוינים בהלכה: יברך את מפעלינו הטוב, ויזכנו ללמוד את התורה מוסדות החברה יהי" עפי התקנות המבוארות הלאה ועז באנו מעושר ואושר, אמן עהה היום יום אפֹ אמר תרמֹבׁ לפְק
ואלו האנשים אשר נקבו בשמות אשר התנדבו לבם לקרבה אל המלאכה מלאכת הקודש
אהרן בֹרֹ הילל אראנסאן
מרדכי ברֹ שלמה קראנענבּערג ברוך בר גבריאל גארדאן
גבריאל משה בר ברוך גארדאן
אברהם בהרב רֹ דוד
מנחם מענדיל בֹרֹ שאול אפרים בר יהושע הכהן אריה ליב בֹרֹ יוסף יוזפא אליעזר בהרב ר מאיר חיים גודינסקי שמואל ווילֹאָנער
יצחק אליעזר קאהען
שלמה שאפירא
שרגא איסר בהרבר יוסף אליעזר בֹר שמואל
יהודה בר יהושע הכהן
יוסף בר יצחק ריטצמאנד מיכל בר דוב סלוצקי יעקב אריה בר יצחק אריה צבי גאלדבערג
I
Translation of Hebrew Document, Page 84
With the Help of God, Blessed Be He:
"An excellent thing is the study of the Torah com- bined with some worldly occupation, for the labor de- manded by them both makes sin forgotten. All study of the Torah without work must in the end be futile." (Ethics of the Fathers [Chapter] 2, Mishnah 2.)
When we, the undersigned, assembled to take counsel and to observe with a penetrating eye the ruined condi- tion of Judaism1 in the United States in general and in our city of Boston in particular; and when we saw that one can indeed still find Jews faithful to the Lord and to his Torah - [people] who belong to the shining rem- nant [still extant] here and there - to carry out the holy work transmitted to them as a tradition from days of old and from former years; [and when we saw that] these [men] are, however, to the sorrow of our hearts, isolated in their stations and each one turns his own way accord- ing to [the limitations imposed by his] work and the bat- tle of life which burdens [him]; we therefore agreed with one mind united as one man, to establish a Talmudical society to study the Talmud and its commentaries2
1. Lit. "the condition of ruined Judaism".
2. The expression rendered as "the Talmud and its commentaries" con- sists of the initial letters for Gemara, the commentary of Rashi, and Tosaphot.
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every day in company in order to take hold of the pro- tection of the Torah and to renew, as the eagle, the re- vival of the nation. And every Jewish man - being a Jew caught up in the cords of contempt and scorn among the peoples in whose midst he dwells - shall bestir himself to join [us] in one group and with one mind so that they do not weaken our hands in this lofty enterprise. And we shall attempt with the full exertion of our power to set aside one hour of the [free] hours that we may have and the merit of Torah shall stand by us and by our descendants after us that our delight shall be in the Law of the Lord, to magnify the Torah and to glorify it. For this is the foundation and the cornerstone of the happiness of the house of Israel for days to come. He who has chosen the Gates of Zion, [which our sages interpreted as] "the assemblies distinguished by the study of the laws of Jewish life"- He shall grant us the privilege to study Torah amidst prosperity and happi- ness.
The institutions of the society shall [function] accord- ing to the by-laws detailed further on. To this we affixed our signature this Sunday of the weekly reading Emor 5642.3
These men who are mentioned by name are the ones whose heart made them willing to come to do the work - a work of holiness.
AARON, the son of Hillel, ARONSON MORDECAI, the son of Solomon, KRONBERG BARUCH, the son of Gabriel, GORDON GABRIEL Moses, the son of Baruch, GORDON ELIEZAR, the son of Rabbi Meir Hayim, GODINSKY ISAAC ELIEZER KOHEN
3. The practice of dating documents by the day of the week and name of the Biblical portion to be read on the following Sabbath was wide- spread in Eastern Europe. The date corresponds to the 11th of Iyyar, April 30, 1882.
SOLOMON SHAPIRO SHRAGA ISSAR, the son of Rabbi Joseph ELIEZER, the son of Samuel JUDAH, the son of Joshua HA-KOHEN ABRAHAM, the son of David MENAHEM MENDL, the son of Saul EPHRAIM, the son of Joshua, HA-KOHEN ARYEH LEIB, the son of Joseph, YOZPHA SAMUEL WILLONER JOSEPH, the son of Isaac, RICHMOND MICHAL, the son of Dov, SLUTSKY JACOB ARYEH, the son of Isaac ARYEH ZEVI GOLDBERG
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II Why a History of the North End ?* by Aaron Pinkney and Dr. Joseph I. Gorfinkle
"I had developed a burning desire to tell the story of the generation which cut its roots in the old home, crossed the ocean into a strange land and brought up its children to make their contribution to a free world. This would be the epitaph I should write upon the graves of those who had struggled heroi- cally to open the gates of opportunity to me and to my children" . .. From Prof. Morris R. Cohen's "A Dreamer's Autobiogra- phy."
Carlyle in his great classic, "Heroes and Hero Wor- ship," states that history is made up of the biographies of great men. These men are the "salt of the earth," and a succession of accounts of their lives, their achieve- ments and their influence upon their contemporaries, constitute the annals of the records of mankind.
History, however, as Professor Oscar Handlin of Har- vard states, is not to be confined to the achievements only of "the respectably heroic individuals," so a history of the Jews of America should include "the struggle of the great mass of humble men and women who tried to carry across the ocean a tradition embodied in a way of life."
*Reprinted with permission from The Jewish Advocate, Passover Issue, 5710, Thursday, March 30, 1950.
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Of late there is to be noted an awareness of the im- portance, in an account of Jewish life in America, of the Jewish communities as a whole, and not only of the scattered so-called great Jews of America.
What your and my grandfather and father accom- plished is worthy of being noted and constitutes a matter of pride for us. Our parents and grandparents braved the stormy Atlantic, coming here with only their bare hands and ten fingers, yet see what they and their children have accomplished in a very, very short time! The success story of the Jewish immigrants is truly amazing.
Actuated by thoughts along these lines a group of men recently launched a movement to cast into perma- nent form the story of "The Jewish Pioneers of the North End of Boston and their Descendants."
The first step in this project was taken two months ago when a group of men and women, descendants of North End Jewish immigrants, met at the home of Samuel Pinanski and most enthusiastically laid plans for the achievement of this objective. Those present were : Samuel Pinanski, chairman; Col. Bernard Gorfinkle, secretary ; Mrs. Samuel Pinanski, Mrs. Jessie Berenson Barber, Aaron Pinkney, Dr. Joseph Brin, Ben G. Shapiro, Jack Krokyn, Max Levenson, Solomon Berenson, Harold Goldberg, Herman Dana, George Lourie, Edward S. Cantor and Ernest Dietz.
Mr. Pinanski was appointed chairman of a em- porary committee ; Colonel Bernard L. Gorfinkle, secre- tary; and Aaron Pinkney and Dr. Joseph I. Gorfinkle, historians. Since the meeting many prominent persons have assured the committee they will join the under- taking.
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The Jewish Advocate advised the committee that in its publication will appear, at frequent intervals, "Stories of the Jews of North End."
The committee well realizes that there are some whose Americanism consists of denuding themselves of the culture and experiences of their ancestors, and others who have little desire for spending time or money in finding out about their antecedents.
Again, as is pointed out by C. R. Sherman in a Sym- posium recently conducted by YIVO on "Jewish Social Research in America," many of our organizations try with might and main to belittle Jewish otherness and make grotesque efforts to demonstrate what Jews are "not." They are "not" a race, "not" international bankers, "not" communities, do "not" control the press, do "not" own American industry, do "not" have much economic power in America and their political influence is "not" too great.
The North End project will serve to demonstrate as regards at least one small section of Jewry, what the Jews "have been," and "are," and what they have "done" and are "doing." The influence of the pioneer Jews of the North End of Boston and their descendants has not been confined to Boston and New England alone, but has had na- tional and even international importance.
The need for such research and publication has been voiced by a number of competent authorities.
Lee M. Friedman, president of the American Jewish Historical Society, in a recent article entitled "The Sig- nificance of American Jewish History" calls for "the proper and truthful presentation and evaluation of the role which the Jew has played in the American scene, the study of his participation in shaping America, his con-
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tribution to and share in the social, economic, political and intellectual life as an American and the tracing of his influence in shaping present conditions." This is our task and at the same time to present "the true picture of the struggle for group survival to preserve for American Jews their Judaism and Jewishness as an added enrich- ment of individual life."
Dr. A. S. Rosenbach, recent president of the Amer- ican Jewish Historical Society, writes about the dream to be fulfilled of producing a history of the Jews in America from the discovery to the present day. He says, apropos of such a project that is now being undertaken : "Not only must we collect material in a systematic man- ner of the past, but it is necessary to marshal the records of our own time, of our own day, which will be invalu- able in the years to come and will prove just as interest- ing to the reader of the future as the exploration, the colonial or the revolutionary period is to us today."
It is indisputable that there exists a need for the sys- tematic and objective study of Jewish life in America. The "Pioneer Project" will concern itself with the past one hundred years of the development of North End Jewry and its outgrowths, which may be divided into four periods.
First period, 1850-1880: The early Jewish pioneers first settled in the North End. Some of them removed to the West End, East Boston and Chelsea, being the first settlers in these places, but the North End remained their synagogal, fraternal and social center.
Second period, 1880-1900: During these years the North End was at its peak of Jewish population, which grew greatly and rapidly, because of the influx of new immigrants. The original settlers began moving to
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Somerville, Malden, Lowell, Worcester, Nashua and Manchester, N. H., Providence, R. I., to other New England cities and towns and to other parts of the country. This period was marked by the establishment of charitable, educational and fraternal organizations for the general community. Until 1890 the North End re- mained the center of the surrounding communities. Commerical enterprises developed rapidly during this period. The early pioneer settlers began giving way to the second generation.
Third period, 1900-1925 : The leaders of the pioneer families who had come from the North End to the above mentioned centers established there all the com- munal activities. Shortly before the turn of the century, from these communities there began another trend of their residents to the lower Roxbury section, near Worcester Square, and what is now the Dudley Street Terminal. In 1900 a number of the early pioneer families of the North End located in the Blue Hill Avenue, Grove Hall, section of Roxbury, which subsequently de- veloped into the largest Jewish settlement in New England, later extending into Dorchester, Mattapan and now reaching into Milton.
About 1925, many original North Enders continued their trek into Brookline and Newton, with similar re- sults as to community leadership. Beginning in this period and extending to 1950 there came the great de- velopment of the establishment of all the leading institutions, hospitals, homes for the aged and religious, charitable and educational agencies in which North Enders participated prominently. There was a continual growth of commercial enterprises.
The youth of the third and fourth generations of the
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pioneer settlers completed their educational careers, entering professional and business life, marrying and raising families of the fifth and sixth generations of North Enders.
Fourth Period, 1925-1950: During this last period, which brings us to the close of a century of important Jewish development beginning in the old North End section of Boston, and where at the present time there is not one Jewish family residing, we find many de- scendants of this Jewry prominent in every walk of life, not only in Boston and in New England, but through- out the country. In the arts and sciences, in literature and the professions, in drama, music and commercial enterprises, they have made outstanding contributions and achieved great successes. They are among leaders in all communal endeavors and their names and careers are recorded in many "Who's Who" publications.
Moreover, now is the time to set down these achieve- ments. With the cessation of immigration in 1914, the Jewish communities have attained a great deal of stabil- ity so that it is not a difficult task to chronicle the neces- sary facts. There has been no destruction of data as in Europe and basic records are easily found at hand.
It remains only for the "North Enders" to devote time, money and some energy to perpetuate the deeds of the past which will be an inspiration and an incen- tive to our contemporaries and our children to continue on the same high plane of civic, cultural, religious and philanthropic endeavor, so that their descendants may rise up in turn and call them blessed.
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III Do You Know of the Old North End ?* By AARON PINKNEY
MOSES MICHAEL HAYS, a Grand Master of Masons of Massachusetts during Colonial days, and his family were the first Jews to live in the North End. Their residence was at Hanover Street. Hays introduced the Scottish Rite of Masonry in this country. Paul Revere was Deputy under him. Hays' nephews, Judah and Abraham Touro, in their younger days lived with him.
ONE OF THE FIRST POLISH JEWS to settle in Boston, one hundred years ago, was Joseph Wyzanski. From the Wyzanski family, their relatives and landsleit came most of the pioneer Jewish settlers in the North End.
ABOUT THE YEAR 1880 the North End Jews began to displace the German Jews as the dominating element in Boston. Today their children and grandchildren can be found among the leaders in all community activities.
FROM THE PIONEER NORTH END FAMILIES came the following leaders of Temples and Congregations : Tem- ple Ohabei Shalom, now in its 107th year, Henry Penn, president. Temple Israel, the following trustees : Max E.
*Reprinted, with permission, from the Jewish Advocate, September 22, 1949.
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Wyzanski, Judge Abraham E. Pinanski, Abraham C. Webber, John S. Slater, Sidney R. Rabb. Temple Mish- kan Tefila, Joseph Wyzanski was one of the first presi- dents when this temple was at Ash Street, Abraham Bloom, honorary president, Meyer H. Slobodkin, vice- president. At Congregation Kehillath Israel, Brookline, the founders were North Enders. At one time Joseph Rudnick was president; Simon Hirshberg, vice-presi- dent; Selig Lipsky, treasurer; Harry Edelsteine, trustee. Joseph Rabinovitz, treasurer for 25 years, now suc- ceeded by his brother, Jacob Rabinovitz. Hyman M. Hillson was first president of Temple B'nai B'rith, Somerville. Judge Abraham E. Pinanski is director of Congregation Adath Jeshurun, Roxbury, which his father founded along with Louis Shain, a recent presi- dent of this Congregation. At the Congregation in Miami, Florida, Harry Magid was one of the first presidents.
NORTH ENDERS were leaders in establishing the Beth Israel and Jewish Memorial Hospitals, Benoth Israel Sheltering Home, Home for Aged, Children's Home, Immigrant Aid Society, Free Loan Society, Free Burial Society, Moeth Hitem, Greater Boston Fuel and Aid Society and other beneficial societies.
THREE OF THE FIVE PRESIDENTS of the Beth Israel Hospital, [Boston,] were North Enders: Abraham Ginzberg, David Watchmaker and Casper Grosberg. David Gould is president of the Jewish Memorial Hospital. Dr. Maurice Gerstein and Dr. Simon Rich- mond were Physicians-in-Chief of this hospital and Dr. Harry Linenthal, for many years Physician-in-Chief at the Beth Israel Hospital, and Dr. Samuel A. Levine,
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world renowned heart specialist who recently was the second American ever to be invited to deliver the an- nual St. Cyres lecture before the Royal Society of Medicine, at London, England, are North Enders.
LOUIS KRONBERG, world renowned artist; Bernard Berenson, renowned art critic; Prof. Horace Kallen; Prof. Bernard Richards; Rabbi Joseph I. Gorfinkle, all renowned authors, are North Enders.
WILLIAM I. WYMAN (Isaac Wyzanski) was born at Stillman Street, North End, graduated from M.I.T. as a naval architect, reconditioned Admiral Dewey's battle- ship during the Spanish American War; later entered the U. S. Patent Department and was mentioned in an article in the Saturday Evening Post as the great au- thority of that department.
HARRY D. WHITE, Assistant Secretary of the U. S. Treasury, Professor of Economics at Harvard, author of the Bretton Woods World Monetary Plan, President Roosevelt's and Henry Morgenthau's advisor on fi- nances, was a North Ender.
THE HON. JUSTICES, the late David A. Lourie, Abra- ham E. Pinanski, Lewis Goldberg, of the Massachusetts Superior Court; Philip Rubenstein, Israel Ruby and Niman Kolodny of Massachusetts Courts; and Max L. Pinanski of Maine Bench, are North Enders.
HON. ARTHUR REINHART (Reinherz), recently elected a State Senator of New Hampshire, first Jew to hold that office in that state, is from one of the pioneer Jewish families of the North End.
THE LATE HON. ABRAHAM C. RATSHESKY, a United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, and his father,
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Asher, who was the first Jew to build commercial build- ings on Hanover Street, North End, 1875-82, conducted their large retail clothing business there until they went into banking.
RETAIL CLOTHING MERCHANTS Leopold Morse, Simon Vorenberg, Nathan Waxman, Simon Bernard, Bernard M. Wolf, and in other men's lines the Her- mansons, Isaacsons, Wingerskys and Raphaels all had their retail stores in the North End.
ISAAC PINKOFSKY was the first Jew to be elected to the Chelsea, [Mass.,] City Council, 1887-88. His parents were among the first Jews to settle in East Boston and Chelsea in the early '70s and '80s and were from the North End.
THE FIRST MILITARY COMPANY made up entirely of Jewish men, became part of the Massachusetts Militia during the Spanish-American war. They were all North Enders. It was organized by Samuel H. Borofsky, who was its Captain. Abraham Moss was a Civil War veteran. Col. Bernard L. Gorfinkle won marked distinction in the first World War. Joseph Wilner (Wyzanski) served in the Spanish-American, First and Second World Wars.
NORTH ENDERS FOUNDED two of the first Zionist organizations in this country. In 1891 the B'nai Zion Educational Society and the Chova Zion. Jacob Asko- with and his son Dr. Charles Askowith designed the Zion Flag, which for the first time was carried in a public parade in 1892 in Boston. Isaac Harris, a member, was one of the first delegates to the first Zionist Congress at Bazle, Switzerland. The famous Jewish poet, Imber, au- thor of Hatikvah, made his headquarters at the B'nai Zion Hall in the North End when in Boston.
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SAMUEL KRONBERG, a noted singer, music teacher and grand opera producer, who managed the famous singer, Madam Tetrizina and Composer Mascagni in his tour in this country, was one of the pioneers of the North End and was the first president of the Benoth Israel Sheltering Home.
BARNARD GINSBERG was one of the earliest pioneers of the North End. He was a brother-in-law by his first wife of Samuel and Louis Kronberg, whose daughter by his second wife is the wife of Jesse Laskey, of moving picture fame.
MORRIS GEST, famous theatrical producer, came to Boston with a tag pinned to his coat addressed to Freedman Brothers, Salem Street, where he received his first employment in their peddlers' supply store.
THE FAMOUS ACTRESS, Sophie Tucker, as a child, and her parents lived at 22 Salem Street and went to the Cushman School at Parmenter Street. Her first appear- ance as an actress was at the Howard Atheneum, North End.
A LARGE NUMBER OF NORTH ENDERS have made outstanding successes in commercial enterprises. To mention a few: the Rabinovitz (Rabb) family in large chain grocery [retailing,] their father and grandfather who, in 1891, opened a grocery store at Salem and Prince Streets, in the North End. Samuel Magid started his novelty jewelry business at Cross Street, North End, moved to Providence, R. I., became one of the leading manufacturers of novelty jewelry in the country and was one of the first Jews to build a hotel at Miami Beach, Florida. The Tichnor Brothers, leading
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postcard manufacturers, started their business near Cross Street. Tichnor Bros. and Samuel Magid were mentioned in The Saturday Evening Post special articles dealing with their [enterprises.] The Sandlers, shoe manufacturers, [established a] retail store at Cross Street which has been owned by this family since 1892. Barron, Anderson Company, leaders in overcoat manufactur- ing; the Agoos, Kaplan, Goldman, Gordon families in leather; the Axelrod family in fabrics; the Alberts, Sonnabend, Fish and Goldstein families in jewelry [all have their roots in the North End.]
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