body
WHEREAS, according to the September 11, 1942 issue of the Pittsburgh Criterion, "Probably the most interesting congregation that came to light after the turn of the century is … New Light;" and
WHEREAS, New Light Congregation, located at 1700 Beechwood Boulevard in Squirrel Hill will celebrate its 100th anniversary, Sunday, June 5, 2011; and
WHEREAS, at turn of the 20th century, the pogroms in Romania were such that 25,000 Romanian Jews chose to leave the country and head for New York; and
WHEREAS, they pooled their money put the women and children and their belongings in covered wagons and the men walked beside through Austria, Hungary and Germany; as they passed each town, Jewish Congregations held fairs to raise money to help the pilgrims on their journey; and
WHEREAS, they reached Bremen, Germany, and boarded a ship to cross the Atlantic, landing in Quebec where they were taken to New York by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and split into smaller groups to avoid concentration, 150 families were sent to Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, it was these Romanians who began New Light, an all-Romanian synagogue located in the Hill District and chartered originally as Ohel Jacob Synagogue December 8, 1899, and dedicated September 13, 1903 and
WHEREAS, land in Millvale was bought for a cemetery in 1922 and soon purchased a lot at 79-85 Roberts Street in the Hill District to build its first Sanctuary and 400 member families were invited to the Grand Opening -- excitement surrounding the new Synagogue brought hundreds more and Pittsburgh Police had to be called for crowd control; and
WHEREAS, New Light's members lived in the Hill District, Homewood and East Liberty and were merchants and shopkeepers and New Light was the largest Synagogue in Pittsburgh at the time; and
WHEREAS, happily, the Congregation led by Rev. Benjamin Bleiberg and president William Lando celebrated the "Burning of the Mortgage" after paying off the land and building on Roberts Street, Ja...
Click here for full text