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Guide to the Records of the Jewish Home for the Aged, 1908-1950

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Records of the Jewish Home for the Aged
Creator
Jewish Home for the Aged
Collection Number
MSS#359
Extent
.25 cubic feet (1 box)
Date
1908-1950
Abstract
The Jewish Home for the Aged or Beth Moshab Z'Kenim [House for the Settlement of the Elderly] was dedicated in 1906. It was founded in response to the perceived need for kosher housing for the elderly by Rabbi Aaron Mordecai Ashinsky. The first facility was a renovated house on Breckenridge Avenue in Pittsburgh's Hill District. By 1933, with the Jewish population leaving the Hill District, and need for more space, the Home built a new building on 17 acres of land in Squirrel Hill. The collection consists of two ledgers. One provides lists of the board of directors from 1908 through 1950. The other contains the meeting minutes of the board of directors from 1920 through 1926.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
This guide to the collection was originally prepared by Susan Melnick in April 2002. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process in Fall, 2003.
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 Home for the Aged (1906- )

The Jewish Home for the Aged or Beth Moshab Z'Kenim [House for the Settlement of the Elderly] was dedicated in 1906. It was founded in response to the perceived need for kosher housing for the elderly by Rabbi Aaron Mordecai Ashinsky. The charter, dated January 19, 1906, stated its mission as "maintaining a home or house for aged Hebrews in conformity with ...Orthodox Judaism." Money was collected throughout western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and eastern Ohio with the understanding that the Home would accept elderly Jews from the tri-state region.

The first facility was a renovated house on Breckenridge Avenue in Pittsburgh's Hill District. Members of the Jewish community donated the furnishings and other necessities. The facility was enlarged several times to meet the growing demand for admission.

By 1933, with the Jewish population leaving the Hill District, and need for more space, the Home built a new building on 17 acres of land in Squirrel Hill. The Jewish Agency on Aging, formed in 1993, and located on that site, now administers an extensive of continuum care services and facilities that support older adults.

Scope and Content Notes

The collection is housed in one box and consists of two ledgers. One provides lists of the board of directors from 1908 through 1950. The other contains the meeting minutes of the board of directors from 1920 through 1926. The minutes include reports on finances reports and activities at the Home, reports from the superintendent, reports on applicants to the Home, and other information concerning the administration of the facility. Pasted into the ledger are published memorial resolutions.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection came in one accession in 1995.

Accession # 1995.0271 Gift of Rabbi Morris & Naomi Ashinsky Landes

Preferred Citation

Records of the Jewish Home for the Aged, 1908-1950, MSS#359, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Susan Melnick in April 2002.

Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Robert O. Stakeley on November 11, 2003.

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 Home for the Aged (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Beth Moshab Z'Kenim (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Personal Names

    • Ashinsky, Aaron Mordecai

    Other Subjects

    • Jews -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Aging -- Institutional care -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh

Container List