The Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania

The Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania is a descriptive record of Jewish history in Western Pennsylvania. Using archival materials found in the collections of the Rauh Jewish Archives, as well as links to other repositories and resources, this online encyclopedia provides basic information about hundreds of Jewish people, families, congregations, organizations, charities, businesses, and events going back to 1755.

The Rauh Jewish Archives was founded on November 1, 1988 to collect and preserve documentation of the Jewish experience in Western Pennsylvania and to make those materials widely available to the general public.

How To Navigate this Website

 

  • Entries

    Browse hundreds of entries about Jewish people, families, organizations, businesses, and events in Western Pennsylvania, dating back to the earliest Jewish settlement in the area.

  • An older Jewish man in a shirt and tie observes a younger man with glasses painting on a vertical surface indoors; chairs behind them. *AI generated alt text

    Resources

    Discover tools and techniques for getting started on research projects about the Jewish history of Western Pennsylvania—everything from academic papers to family history.

  • About

    Learn about the history of the The Jewish Encyclopedia of Western Pennsylvania and the work of the Rauh Jewish Archives and the Senator John Heinz History Center.