Black-and-white photographic prints depicting members of the Jewish community in South Philadelphia. Images include a Jewish mummer, Forrest Gorodetzer (p. 11-12, 159-160); David Walsh and the Stiffel Swingers (p. 13-14); Nate Pepper and David Welsh with the Stiffel Swingers (p. 15-16); Liz Alterman at Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 17-18); Rosh Hashanah at Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 19-20); Liz Alterman at home (p. 23-24); Doris Krupnick at home (p. 25-26); Sam Mellon at Bob Brady’s office on South 5th Street (p. 27-28); Bill Pollack on South Beulah Street (p. 29-32); Sam Cander outside of Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 33-34); Dot Trager, Gert Finkelstein, and Ethel Gross during Hannukah at Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 35-36); Gert Finkelstein with grandchildren at home on Cross Street (p. 37-38); Gert Finkelstein with son, Marvin, during Passover seder at home on Cross Street (p. 39-40, 255-256); Sam Mellon (p. 41-42); Ed Halin, oldest living committeeman at 92 years old (p. 43-48); Gert Finkelstein with grandchild (p. 49-50); Marvin Finkelstein outside of his delicatessen, PhilaDeli (p. 51-52); Gert Finkelstein at home on Cross Street (p. 53-54); Rose Stevens at home on Gladstone Street (p. 55-56); Dot Trager at home on Beulah Street (p. 57-58); Dot Trager at Seng Beauty Parlor, former location of Nessie’s Fruit Store on South 7th Street (p. 59-62, 235-236); Sandra Denicoff volunteering at Methodist Hospital Nursing Home at 4th Street and Porter Street (p. 63-64); Rose and Mike Feldman dancing on Emanuel Weinberg Square, former location of the Ideal Movie Theater (p. 65-66, 163-164); Rose and Mike Feldman at home on Ritner Street (p. 67-68); Rose and Mike Feldman outside landmark Feldman’s Ice Cream Parlor on 4th Street and Snyder Street (p. 69-70); Bill and Dorothy Sampson during Hannukah at Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 71-72); Bill Sampson playing tennis at FDR Park (p. 73-74); Bill and Dorothy Sampson at home on Porter Street (p. 75-76); Dorothy Sampson swimming at a pool near Broad Street near Ritner Street (p. 77-78); Lou Kaplan delivering Passover meal to homebound sponsored by Stiffel Senior Center (p. 81-86); Shari-Eli Synagogue caretaker, Avram Cohen, outside of the synagogue on 9th Street and Moyamensing Street (p. 87-88); Shari-Eli Synagogue congregation members (p. 89-90); Joe Pepper and Lou Kaplan playing pool at Stiffel Senior Center at Marshall Street and Porter Street (p. 91-92, 223-226); Joe Pepper outside of his home posing with his Vietnamese neighbors on 5th Street and Ritner Street (p. 93-94, 247-248); Cantor Elliot Tessler conducting Passover service at Uptown Home for the Aged (p. 95-96, 107-108); Rose Stevens at home on Gladstone Street (p. 97-98); Rose Stevens and Harriet Piazza on South 7th Street (p. 99-102); Bill Pollack at a piano lesson (p. 103-104); Bill Pollack at the Stiffer Senior Center (p. 105-106); Dot Trager at Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 109-110, 241-242); Regina Rosenblatt, who emigrated from Germany in the 1930s, and was one of the last Jewish shopkeepers on South 7th Street in her “schmatta” store (p. 111-112, 221-222); Lou Kaplan at home on Porter Street near 4th Street (p. 113-114); Lou Kaplan outside of his childhood home on South 7th Street (p. 115-116); Esther and David Welsh at home on Porter Street near 8th Street (p. 117-118); Stiffel Senior Center members at the Nexus Gallery (p. 119-122, 257-258); Bea and Sam Cander Stiffel Senior Center on Marshall Street and Porter Street (p. 123-124); Mary Dubin and Liz Alterman (p. 125-126); Mary Dubin at the Stiffel Senior Center with students on a field trip (p. 127-128); Dora Krupnick at the used clothing store at the Stiffel Senior Center (p. 129-130); Sarah Katurin at the Stiffel Senior Center with students on a field trip (p. 131-132); Gert Finkelstein, Bill Pollack and others celebrating Passover (p. 135-136); Gary Cohen with his wife and daughter outside of their store on 4th Street and Reed Street (p. 137-138); Homebound recipient of seder dinner provided by the Stiffel Senior Center (p. 139-140); Cantor Alan providing counseling for Ida Holshin, sponsored by the Stiffel Senior Center (p. 141-142, 251-252); Nate Pepper singing during Hannukah service at Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 143-144); Ethel Gross outside of childhood home in South Philadelphia (p. 145-146); Al Federman, manager of Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel, with mummer (p. 147-148); Aaron Gelman at home and electronics store on 7th Street and Porter Street (p. 149-150); Sam Mellon on 4th Street and Snyder Street, across the street from Feldman’s Ice Cream parlor (p. 151-152); Joe Pepper playing pool at the Stiffel Senior Center (p. 153-154); Leo Rosen at Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 155-156); Brothers, Nate and Joe Pepper (p. 157-158); Rose Stevens and Ed Blanc perform at the Methodist Hospital Nursing Center (p. 161-162); Ida Holshin with her daughter, Janice, at their family’s home of five generations on South 8th Street (p. 165-166); David Welsh at the Nexus Gallery (p. 167-168); Dan Podolsky performing with his trio at St. Richards Hall on South 18th Street (p. 169-170); Shari-Eli Synagogue caretaker, Avram Cohen, in his office at the synagogue on 9th Street and Moyamensing Street (p. 171-172); Oneg Shabbat, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 173-174); Elliot Tessler, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 175-176); Nate Pepper, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 177-178, 193-194); Gary Cohen, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 19-180); Ted Zweig, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 181-182); Ed Halin and Mike Feldman, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 183-184); Bill Sampson and Ed Halin, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 185-186); Bill Samspon, Ed Halin, and Al Federman, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 187-188); Jule Finkle and Al Federman, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 189-190); “Dave,” Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 191-192, 201-202); Gary Cohen, Al Federman, Joe Pepper, and Mike Feldman, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 195-196); Mike Feldman, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 197-198); Joe Pepper and Al Federman, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 199-200); Albert Siegel and Nate Pepper, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 203-204); “Izzy,” Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 205-206); Sarah Shapiro, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 207-208); Al Federman, Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras Israel Synogogue, on 4th Street near McKean Street (p. 209-210); Liz Alterman on 4th Street and Snyder Street, across the street from Feldman’s Ice Cream parlor (p. 151-152); Boxing manager and fight promoter, Becky O’Neill on Porter Street (p. 213-214); Dora Krupnick at home on South Marshall Street (p. 215-216); Ethel Gross on South 7th Street (p. 217-218; Joe Pepper at home on South 5th Street (p. 219-220); Joe Pepper conducts services Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 229-232); Ed Halin at election booth (p. 233-234); Elliot Tessler at home playing piano (p. 237-238); Dan Podolsky at home (p. 239-240); Liz Alterman at Adath Shalom Synagogue (p. 243-244); Dorothy Sampson at home (p. 245-246); Gary Cohen in his store on 4th Street and Reed Street (p. 249-250, 253-254); Dan Podolsky with the Stiffel Swingers (p. 259-260); Directory of the Stiffel Senior Center, Flora Cohen (p. 261-262); and Ed Halin and a voter at an election booth (p. 263-264). A caption on Harvey Finkle's website by Stephen Frank, who curated an exhibition of these photographs at the National Museum of American Jewish History in 2001, describes this project as follows: "For the past several years, photographer Harvey Finkle documented their life stories. 'The neighborhood possesses a uniqueness that continues to be found in the faces and voices of the people who still live there.' What makes the neighborhood and residents unique? One answer is their history. Home to scores of Jewish businesses, synagogues, religious schools, charitable and social agencies, South Philadelphia was the heart of the city’s Jewish immigrant community for two generations. That changed after WWII. Jewish South Philadelphians watched most of their friends and family move away, in search of greener pastures in other sections of the city and suburbs. For those who stayed on–men and women now in their 70s and 80s–fond memories bind them to the neighborhood. In the interviews Finkle conducted, nostalgia runs strong. A warmly remembered past bumps up against a present reality that the residents alternately celebrate and lament. They are proud bearers of an immigrant heritage rooted in the world they knew as children. For many years, Jewish South Philadelphia was stigmatized as a poor, immigrant neighborhood, a place left behind. Those perceptions are changing, and this catalogue, published in conjunction with this exhibit is a reflection of that change. Finkle’s photographs and interviews speak of the value of staying on, of remaining rooted to a place, in a society where many are constantly grasping for the newest, next best thing. Finkle shows us that although most of Jewish South Philadelphia has vanished, what remains continues to inspire Jewish life within the borders of the old neighborhood, and potentially beyond them as well" (Frank, 2001). Harvey Finkle (born March 28, 1934) is a self-taught documentary still photographer and photojournalist who has documented social, economic, cultural, and political issues across the city of Philadelphia, the United States, and the world. Finkle's work largely focuses on activism relating to historically underrepresented communities, including people living on low income, unhoused/unsheltered/houseless people/people experiencing homelessness, refugees, immigrants, and disabled people.
The contents of the "Harvey Finkle photographs," an archival collection of photographic material created by Harvey Finkle, of which this volume of digitized images is a part, is held at the University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts and is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Notes:
All photographs taken by Harvey Finkle. The front and back of each black-and-white photographic print has been scanned. In some cases, pertinent information is written or inscribed on the back of the prints that is not reflected in the description of this volume of photographs.
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