Y Canteen seder
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
The Y Canteen Lounge was a recreational center for World War II servicemen stationed in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It opened in April 1943 at the Young Men’s and Women’s Hebrew Association on Bellefield Street and was accessible to all servicemen in uniform.[1]“‘Y’ Canteen Proves Hit With Soldiers,” Y Weekly, April 2, 1943 (online).
At its height, the Y Canteen fed some 750 people each Saturday evening and Sunday morning. A group of about 30 young women volunteered as “hostesses” for four-hour shifts, working the kitchen and performing basic chores. They mended uniforms, shopped for necessities, and even occasionally wrote letters home on behalf of servicemen. The lounge also had a juke-box and regularly hosted dances.[2]Rosenblatt, Edith. “YM&WHA Proves Old Way to Heart Adage True to Service Men,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Aug. 30, 1943 (online—Newspapers.com). In gratitude for the service, the YM&WHA received plaques from several area military installations. Company A of the ASTU of the University of Pittsburgh awarded a bronze plaque to YM&WHA President Hyman Rogal in September 1944.
The Y Canteen was a project of the YM&WHA and the Pittsburgh Army and Navy Committee of the Jewish Welfare Board under the chairmanship of Harry Schaffer. The Y Canteen operation was downsized in early 1945, following the closure of all university military units in the Oakland area, and the lounge was later converted into the new Hospitality Center.[3]“Schaffer Pays Tribute To Canteen Volunteers,” Y Weekly, January 5, 1945 (online).
References
| ↑1 | “‘Y’ Canteen Proves Hit With Soldiers,” Y Weekly, April 2, 1943 (online). |
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| ↑2 | Rosenblatt, Edith. “YM&WHA Proves Old Way to Heart Adage True to Service Men,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Aug. 30, 1943 (online—Newspapers.com). |
| ↑3 | “Schaffer Pays Tribute To Canteen Volunteers,” Y Weekly, January 5, 1945 (online). |
