Revelations of a Remarkable Jewish History: Traveling Exhibitions that Recreate Greater MetroWest’s and New Jersey’s Greatest Memories of the 20th Century.
The Archives of the Jewish Historical Society of New Jersey contain historic documents, memorabilia, photographs and artifacts. To give life to the past, and to make certain it is neither lost nor forgotten, the Jewish Historical Society has opened the doors of its archives to bring history to the people. The traveling exhibitions are available to appear at public libraries and museums, colleges and universities, other historical societies, local synagogues, Jewish day schools, and governmental facilities.
The subject matter of the exhibitions reflect a culture and identity of people and institutions from all walks of life, including: Albert Einstein’s Greater MetroWest ties; Newark’s Beth Israel Hospital, where the first successful operation to implant a nuclear powered pacemaker earned world-wide attention; Morris-Sussex Jewish history before and after World War II; letters from Holocaust victims to local residents; Yiddish theater; and the struggles and triumphs of the founding families of Kings, ShopRite and Pathmark Supermarkets.
Weequahic Memoirs
Celebrating Newark’s Legendary Neighborhood features 44 panels containing hundreds of photographs that tell the story of Weequahic from the 1930s through the 1960s. There are showcases of artifacts and memorabillia, a Great Map of Weequahic, a vintage clothing gallery, and a video documentary that transports the viewer back to this legendary neighborhood made famous by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Philip Roth. It’s great MetroWest history!
Elving’s Metropolitan Yiddish Theater
This is the story of Elving’s Metropolitan Yiddish Theater, located at the corner of Charlton and Montgomery Streets, in Newark’s Prince Street neighborhood from 1921 to 1944. Bernard Elving was the owner,operator, and principal star of the productions. Its cast included Yiddish greats Molly Picon, Moishe Oysher, Aaron Lebedeff, Jennie Goldstein, and Hollywood star Paul Muni.
Who’s Minding The Store?
From Mom and Pop Merchants to Supermarket entrepreneurs. This is the story of the founding of New Jersey’s premier supermarkets Kings, ShopRite, and Pathmark. A portion of the exhibit is devoted to mom and pop merchants who started family businesses in Essex, Morris, and Sussex Counties, New Jersey, as early as 1886. The exhibit is accompanied by a fully-stocked grocery store with items from the 1930s and 1940s in original packaging. The store is courtesy of the late MetroWest resident Jerry Rudy.
Jews of Morris and Sussex Counties
The history of the Jews of Morris and Sussex Counties dates back to the Civil War. The earliest Jewish residents settled in Morris County towns of Morristown, Dover, Pine Brook, and Mount Freedom, and in the Sussex County towns of Franklin and Newton. The exhibit features towns and synagogues, hotel resorts, and lake communities that were home to Jewish settlers before and after World War II.
Born at the Beth
Were you, a relative, or friend “Born at the Beth?” Did you hold on to your Beth birth certificate? Did you eat lunch on the steps of the hospital or use the hospital lobby as a cut through to get home? Did you have older relatives that were born at the Beth when it was located at the intersection of High and Kinney Streets in Newark? Then this exhibit and its heartwarming stories surrounding the founding, funding, and oversight of Newark’s Jewish hospital would be of interest.