Guide to the Photographs of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, 1911-1993

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Photographs of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
Creator
Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
Collection Number
MSP#308
Extent
.5 cubic feet (1 box)
Date
1911-1993
Abstract
The Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania seeks to preserve the memory of outstanding regional Jewish athletes and to encourage upcoming young athletes. Most of the photographs in this collection are images of Jewish athletes and teams from Jewish organizations. The athletes are primarily those who have been inducted into the Jewish Hall of Fame. The teams represent the Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association, the Irene Kaufmann Settlement, the Jewish Community Center, various clubs, as well as other non-Jewish organizations, such as the University of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania State University. There are also photographs of members of the Sports Hall of Fame involved in organizational activities. The images in this collection have been digitized and are accessible online at online.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by Rae Barent and Susan Melnick on February 14, 2000. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Winter, 2001-2002.
Sponsor
This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania

Founded in 1982, the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania (JSHOF) seeks to preserve the memory of outstanding regional Jewish athletes of the past and to encourage upcoming young athletes. The JSHOF honors athletes, both living and deceased, by inducting them into the Hall of Fame. This takes place at an annual awards banquet. The first honoree was Joseph "Ziggy" Kahn for his significant contributions to Jewish athletics. In subsequent years at the banquet, the Joseph L. "Ziggy" Kahn Memorial Award has been presented, as have the Jewish Community Center's Sidney Tobin Memorial Award, and the Larry Ruttenberg Scholarship Award.

Athletes are nominated for induction into the JSHOF. Some history of the athlete is provided with the application. A brief description of the athlete's involvement in athletics and a photograph of each are used in the banquet program. This practice has resulted in a catalog of regional athletes.

Membership is available at several dues levels. Money raised by the organization has helped to support the United States Maccabia team, the Senior Citizen Exercise Room, and youth athletic programming at the Jewish Community Center, and to help maintain the Joseph L. "Ziggy" Kahn Memorial Gymnasium.

Scope and Content Notes

The Jewish Sports Hall of Fame photographs are housed in one archival box and are arranged chronologically. The photographs include images of athletes and sports teams. The athletes' photographs were, for the most part, collected for use in the production of Jewish Sports Hall of Fame banquet programs, in which a photograph of the athlete accompanies a brief biography of each inductee. The formal team photographs chronicle the active athletic programs of the Jewish institutions, such as the Irene Kaufmann Settlement (IKS), the Young Men and Women's Hebrew Association (YMWHA), and the Jewish Community Center (JCC), from early years of the twentieth century and continuing today. Basketball, baseball, swimming, track, Maccabiah and special athlete Maccabiah games, and softball are all included. A few of the images are of teams fielded by non-Jewish organizations in which Jewish athletes were involved.

A portion of the images in this collection have been digitized and are accessible at online.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These materials came in one accession with MSS# 308 Records of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

Acc. 1998.0136 Gift of Allen Aizenberg for the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania

Preferred Citation

Photographs of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, 1911-1993, MSP# 308, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Rae Barent and Susan Melnick on February 14, 2000.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on February 28, 2002.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Jewish Sports Hall of fame
    • Jewish Community Center (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Irene Kaufmann Settlement (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • International Maccabiah Games
    • Young Men's and Women's Hebrew Association (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Personal Names

    • Kahn, Joseph
    • Kaufman, Nathan
    • Teller, Sidney

    Other Subjects

    • Jews -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Athletes -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Basketball -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Swimming -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Athletic clubs -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Track and field -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Baseball -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List

Buildings- YMWHA, JCC
Containers
Box 1, Folder 3
Organization, 1992-1993
Containers
Box 1, Folder 4