Eugene Litman
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
Harry Litman settled in Braddock in 1910 and started the Brandywine Distributing Company, a master distributor for Duquesne Brewery. The family later left Braddock but stayed connected to the Jewish community there and to Congregation Ahavath Achim.
Harry and his wife Sarah Litman had five children, Archie, Lenny, Eugene, David and Ruth. Archie Litman was a local boxing promoter. Lenny Litman operated nightclubs, including the Copa, during the 1940s and 1950s. He partnered with Jason Shapiro and Gabe Rubin in running the Penn Theater, which is now Heinz Hall. Eugene Litman went into real-estate and developed numerous properties throughout the eastern suburbs.
Together, the brothers owned the Pittsburgh Rens in the American Basketball League in the 1960s. In the 1980s, Eugene Litman joined a group of investors to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates and stayed with the organization after new ownership joined in the 1990s.
