Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
The Tree of Life Sisterhood was founded in 1899 as the Tree of Life Ladies Auxiliary. It is believed to be the sisterhood at a Jewish congregation in Western Pennsylvania.
The newly appointed Tree of Life Congregation spiritual leader Rabbi Michael Fried approached Anna Goldstein in 1898 with idea of starting a women’s group within the congregation. Prior to the formation of the Ladies Auxiliary, many women in the congregation had been involved in the communitywide Hebrew Ladies Aid Society and its successor the United Hebrew Relief Association.[1]The Hebrew Ladies Aid Society was founded in 1855 and merged with the male-led Hebrew Benevolent Society in 1880 to create the United Hebrew Relief Association. The Hebrew Ladies Aid Society retained … Continue reading The Ladies Auxiliary wrote its first by-laws in 1912.[2]“Review of History,” Marian Heller Records on Tree of Life Sisterhood [MSS 1238], Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center.
The Tree of Life Ladies Auxiliary supported Tree of Life Congregation by overseeing fundraising project and organizing social events. Its first fundraising event at the Duquesne Gardens in 1901 raised $1,000 for the congregation. The Ladies Auxiliary sponsored formal balls, organized Purim shows, and held annual donor events. In 1927, the Ladies Auxiliary held a Purim show at the Young Men and Women’s Hebrew Association in which over 100 children participated, and $3,000 was raised.[2] The Ladies Auxiliary provided decorations for the synagogue, including its bima (dais) and sukkah. The Ladies Auxiliary installed the first kitchen at the Tree of Life synagogue on Craft Avenue in Oakland in the 1920s, some 20 years after the congregation dedicated the building. In 1937, the Ladies Auxiliary held its first Gift Luncheon, which later became known as the annual Donor Luncheon.[3] During WWII, it concentrated on war relief, knitting and sewing for the red cross, selling stamps and war bonds.
As the congregation prepared to move to a new synagogue on Wilkins Avenue in Squirrel Hill in 1952, the sisterhood contributed material for a time capsule placed in the cornerstone of the new building.[4] The basement of the new building was eventually remodeled as the Mildred G. Reichman Sisterhood Room. The sisterhood published a kosher cookbook in 1971 titled “Kosher Kalories,” selling 2,380 copies. It redecorated the Sisterhood room and the Bride’s room and furnished a gift shop in the 1990s.[5]
Presidents of the Tree of Life Sisterhood include Bessie Levy Jackson (1889-1904), Rachel Lipman Haas (1904-1910; 1921-1925), Kittie Abrams Ginsburg (1911-1912), Helen Livingston Amshel (1912-1914; 1915-1916; 1920-1921), Mrs. Adolph Klein (1915-1915), Mrs. Morris Krieger (1916-1919), Anna Goldberg (1923-1930); Mildred Goldstein Reichman (1930-1934; 1949-1953), Stella Pervin (1934-1939), Rose Walters Lavine (1935-1938), Rose Segall Edelstein (1938-1943; 1946-1949), Sarah Bastacky (1943-1949), Mae Wald (1953-1956), Mollie Kartub (1956-1958), Hilda R. Kreimer (1958-1960), Dorothy Salkowitz (1960-1962), Jean Grossman (1962-1964), Gertrude Horovitz (1964-1966), Marcia Hoffman (1966-1968), Nettie Silverman (1968-1970), Marian Reichman Heller (1970-1973; 1979-1980; 1994-1996; 2002-2003), Ida Glassner (1973-1976), Irene Miller Levkoy (1976-1977), Natalie Friedman Slesinger (1977-1979), Myra Stone (1980-1982), Shirley Farbman (1982-1985), Barbara Shiffman Samet (1985-1987; 2001-2002), Marcia M. Stewart (1987-1990), Dorothy Lando (1990-1992), Carole Darling (1992-1994), Rehda R. Saxe (1996-1999), Sophie G. Wanetik (1999-2001), Marcia M. Stewart (2001-2011; 2001-2014), Mickie Diamond (2014-2016).
Bibliography
Rauh Jewish Archives
Collections
- Tree of Life Sisterhood Records, 1911-1934 [MFF 2011] (catalog record).
- Tree of Life Sisterhood materials, from Jewish Chronicle Records [MSS 906] (catalog record).
- Tree of Life Sisterhood Centennial program, 1999 [MFF 4848] (catalog record).
- By laws, Ladies Auxiliary of the Tree of Life Congregation, Pittsburgh, Pa., 1912 [2002.0167] (catalog record).
- Tree of Life Congregation (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Records [MSS 1292] (catalog record).
- Marian Heller Records on Tree of Life Sisterhood [MSS 1238]
- Mildred Gould Reichman oral history and transcript [2002.0263] (catalog record).
- Linda Schugar Papers and Photographs and “A Tree Keeps Thriving” video [2019.0231]
- Rita Gould Papers and Photographs [MSS 1275] (catalog record).
- Hilda Rubin Kreimer obituary file (catalog record).
- Pittsburgh Conference of Jewish Women’s Organizations Jewish Nationality Room correspondence [2015.0021] (catalog record).
- The Jewish Chronicle Records [MSS 906] (catalog record).
Documents and Objects
- Tree of Life Golden Anniversary 1864-1914 (online—Historic Pittsburgh).
- Tree of Life 70th anniversary 1864-1834 (online—Historic Pittsburgh).
- Tree of Life Centennial Yearbook 1864-1964 (online—Historic Pittsburgh).
- Messenger (Tree of Life Congregation/Tree of Life Or L’Simcha) (catalog record).
- Pittsburgh Jewish Community Book (1921) (online—Historic Pittsburgh).
- Pittsburgh Jewish Community Book (1924) (catalog record).
- Steel city Jews in prosperity, depression and war: a history of Pittsburgh and its Jewish community, 1915-1950 (catalog record).
University of Pittsburgh Archives & Special Collections
Oral histories
- Hilda Kreimer oral history, 1999, from National Council of Jewish Women-Pittsburgh Section Records [ais196440.248] (online—Historic Pittsburgh).
Exhibit History
- Author: Catelyn Cocuzzi
- Created: July 1, 2024
- Current: July 1, 2024
References
| ↑1 | The Hebrew Ladies Aid Society was founded in 1855 and merged with the male-led Hebrew Benevolent Society in 1880 to create the United Hebrew Relief Association. The Hebrew Ladies Aid Society retained some autonomy following the merger. |
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| ↑2 | “Review of History,” Marian Heller Records on Tree of Life Sisterhood [MSS 1238], Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center. |