Betty N. Hoffman - A History of Jewish Connecticut: Mensches, Migrants and Mitzvahs

EDITED BY B ETTY N. H OFFMAN

Published by The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net

Copyright 2010 by Betty N. Hoffman
All rights reserved
First published 2010
e-book edition 2011

ISBN 978.1.61423.244.5

A history of Jewish Connecticut : mensches, migrants and mitzvahs / edited by Betty N.
Hoffman.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
print edition ISBN 978-1-59629-987-0
1. Jews--Connecticut--History. 2. Jews--Connecticut--Social conditions. 3. Connecticut--Ethnic relations. I. Hoffman, Betty N.
F105.J5H57 2010
974.6004924--dc22
2010039247

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

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The Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford is proud to be a partner in the publication of A History of Jewish Connecticut: Mensches, Migrants and Mitzvahs. The Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving and exhibiting historical, political, economic, social and religious documents, photographs, memorabilia and oral histories as they relate to the Jewish community of Greater Hartford. By providing historical information and resources to researchers, educational institutions and civic and social organizations, the Society hopes to promote historical research and create community awareness and an understanding of the contributions Jews have made to Hartfords growth and development.

The Society archives contain files of synagogues, educational and communal organizations and institutions, the Jewish War Veterans archives, family papers, businesses, periodicals, scrapbooks, artifacts and more than eight hundred oral histories.

Most recently, we have created an exhibit on the life of one of Hartfords most famous Jewish natives, entertainer Sophie Tucker; published a collection of memories, Remembering the Old Neighborhood: Stories from Hartfords North End; and produced a documentary film, Pride, Honor and Courage: Jewish Women Remember World War II. In addition, we encourage families to preserve their own stories through oral histories and memoir writing and have sponsored a Family History Day program with speakers and information on how to do genealogical research.

Estelle Kafer
Executive Director
Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford

When I first began thinking about Connecticut Jewish history, I visualized writing a chronology interspersed with interesting vignettes illustrating the various aspects of the Jewish experience. However, as I began my research, I found that some communities followed similar historical patterns, with stories that repeated in all but the details, while others were vastly different and did not fall neatly into this outline. My compromise was to write a general overview of the past 350 years to create a context for the following essays, which, I believe, shed light on the people and landmarks of Connecticut from a variety of perspectives.

As is always the case when delving into local history, as people learned about my project, they began to contact me with fascinating stories about additional people and places. Unfortunately, because of space limitations, I was not able to include as many of these as I would have liked. Nothing makes me sadder than typing The End when I know that I am only at the beginning. Clearly, every part of the state has a rich Jewish history, and I can only hope that historians, anthropologists and other knowledgeable individuals will create books, articles and exhibitions that tell the stories of their regions vibrant Jewish history.

In the first section of this book, Establishing the Modern Jewish Community, four authors discuss how Jews developed community and became full citizens of Connecticut. The People of Central Connecticut tells the stories of a number of individuals and families who contributed to their Jewish communities in a variety of ways.

From the Revolutionary War to Jewish Renewal illustrates the diversity of Jewish life in western Connecticut since the colonial period. Although early Waterbury followed the more common pattern of Jewish urban/suburban development, it diverged in 2000 with a new Orthodox yeshiva repopulating the old Jewish neighborhoods. And New Haven, with its multifaceted connection to Yale, is unique in its own way.

Few rememberor even knew aboutthe Jewish farmers and the summer resorts of the last century in southeastern Connecticut. Finally, Connecticuts Connection to the Holocaust tells the little-known stories of two Christian rescuers and several survivors.

For assistance with this project, I would like to thank the contributorseach with his or her distinctive voicelisted in the contents who were so generous with their expertise. Members of the of the Jewish Historical Society of New Haven (JHSNH), Marvin Barger, Barry Herman, Werner Hirsch and Rhoda Zahler, and the Jewish Historical Society of Lower Fairfield County (JHS/LFC), Irwin and Vivian Miller and Linda Baulsir, were helpful throughout the process of putting this book together.

In addition, the following people loaned photographs and old postcards, helped with arrangements or answered my endless questions: Shelley Berman, Jon Chase, Diane Cohen, Rosanne Kaplan Dolinsky, Suzie Fateh, Rob Feder, Marie Galbraith, Joan Marlow Golan, Georgia Haken, Jennifer Levin-Tavares, Lillian Marlow, Peggy Mendelson, Carol OShea, Mimi Perl, Karen Senich, Helene Springer, Elizabeth Van Tuyl and Izzy Weinreb.

As always, I am grateful for the sponsorship of the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford (JHSGH) under the direction of Estelle Kafer and her staff, Bea Brodie and Cynthia Harbeson.

Finally, thank you to my family, my greatest cheerleaders. In particular, Elana proofread the manuscript and learned to use a camera so that she could photograph whatever I needed. My husband, Herbert Hoffman, has been my long-term support in every way.

Thank you all. Without you there would not have been a book.

Although the great majority of European Jews immigrated to Connecticut and settled in its cities between 1880 and the closing of the doors to immigration in the mid-1920s, other Jews came at different times and had different experiences.

In its earliest years, Connecticut did not welcome Jews or, indeed, most Christians. Reverend Thomas Hooker, who led an early group of English settlers to Connecticut in the 1630s, established the Congregational Church as the only religious body in the new colony. For nearly two centuries, Congregationalists wielded enormous power over the religious, political and social life of Connecticut.

The first Jew in recorded Connecticut history was an itinerate peddler, David the Jew, cited in the Hartford Court Records of 1659. Most likely, David was part of the Sephardic Jewish community of New Amsterdam. Other Jews mentioned in the early Connecticut recordsunnamed men living in John Marshs house in Hartford (1661); Jacob the Jew, a horse trader (1667); and Jacob Lucena, a peddler (1670)were probably also Sephardic transients. If they remained, they did not form permanent communities but blended into mainstream life, leaving their Jewish heritage behind.