Iowa Jewish Historical Society
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Happy Hanukkah! Here’s a look back to 71 years ago on the last night of Hanukkah in Davenport in December 1949.

Thank you to our nation's veterans and happy #VeteransDay! Bob Press served as a Staff Sergeant during WWII in both the European and Pacific theaters. He wrote this journal entry in March 1945. These are two of the many photos and artifacts donated by Iowa’s Jewish veterans and their families. So far, IJHS has identified nearly 1,500 men and women who have served in the military from the Civil War to the present day. For more information about the Iowa Jewish Historical Soc...iety’s ongoing Honoring Iowa’s Jewish Veteran’s Project: https://www.jewishdesmoines.org//honoring-jewish-veterans/ See more

Hyman Cohen, who immigrated to Des Moines from Poland, started a grocery in 1903 at 1101 Scott Ave. in Des Moines. His son Sam, who started working in the store at age 10, continued the business, operating it from the 1940’s until he died in 1978. It was a neighborhood grocery and Sam was well known in his Southside Des Moines community as a heckuva nice guy for his generosity. According to a February 28, 1996 article in the Des Moines Register, Sam always remembered kids’ birthdays with little treats. Families experiencing hard times could expect a basket of groceries from him. Cohen Park in Des Moines is named after Sam and is across the street from where his grocery once stood.

Join the Iowa Jewish Historical Society and 100 other museums and cultural institutions around the world for We Are Here: A Celebration of Resilience, Resistance, and Hope on Sunday, June 14 at 1:00 PM CDT. Featuring award-winning media personalities Whoopi Goldberg, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Adrien Brody, Mayim Bialik, and Jackie Hoffman, world-renowned singers and musicians Renee Fleming, Lea Salonga, Steven Skybell, Joyce DiDonato, and Lang Lang, and other public figures from all walks of life, the free 90-minute program will commemorate the recent anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and project a message of hope amidst the crises we face. Find more info and tune in to view the program at www.WeAreHere.live.

Did you know? Our collections can be searched via our online database: https://ijhs.pastperfectonline.com/ Our collection of historical artifacts is the heart of the Iowa Jewish Historical Society. It documents the lives of Jewish Iowans from 1833the year that the first permanent Jewish settler arrived in Iowato the present day. We are always looking for items that help document Iowa Jewish history. Contact us at [email protected] if you think you have something that we should collect. #IowaMuseumWeek

In most years, the hundreds of museums that serve Iowa, attract 5 million visitors, support 6,000+ jobs, and generate an estimated $384 million for the state’s economy. This year, in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, Iowa’s museums have pivoted to provide online programming so we can still reach student and adult audiences with new programs and enhanced access to our collections. Iowa museums, including the Iowa Jewish Historical Society, need your support now more than eve...r. None of our programs, exhibits, or preservation activities would be possible without our members. Your support makes it possible for visitors of all ages and backgrounds to connect with Iowa’s Jewish history in very personal and meaningful ways as the impact of the programs you supported reaches across Iowa: the artifacts, photos, textiles, religious memorabilia, and other treasures in our collection are your historyand all of Iowa and our nation’s history. #IowaMuseumWeek https://www.jewishdesmoines.org//iowa-jewish-historical-so

This week is #IowaMuseumWeek! Museums are valued educational resources. In honor of the 76th Anniversary of D-Day, IJHS has posted a new virtual program on its website featuring excerpts from an oral history recorded by Manuel Manny Soodhalter 26 years ago describing his experiences planning and participating in D-Day on June 6, 1944 and in liberating Buchenwald. In this, the third program of the six-part Iowa Jewish Historical Society series Iowa Liberators Witness the Hol...ocaust, Manny is one of two Jewish Veterans and Liberators who tells about his personal experiences during WWII. The other is Ronald Uby Rabinowitz. This program features excerpts from Soodhalter’s 1994 self-recorded audio account about his time in the Army that are just a small portion of his audio memoir. Please Note: Manny’s description of his experiences liberating Buchenwald are very graphic but describe what was really happening at the camp and need to be preserved and heard so we never forget. https://tinyurl.com/y9qjucgg

From the Photo Collection: People gathering clothes for a rummage sale by the Sioux City Jewish Community Center, late 1940’s. Rummage sales were how many charities raised money to support their organizations and programs, starting as far back as the mid 1800’s.

Dean Lettington is interviewed by Jordan Bookey in this second installment of the IJHS series, Iowa Liberators Witness the Holocaust. Two segments from the original 1995 interview are highlighted and augmented with some biographical information and news articles about him. Mr. Lettington became passionate about sharing his military experiences with school and community groups. https://www.jewishdesmoines.org//iowa-je/virtual-programs/ Dean Lettington is interviewed by Jord...an Leslie Bookey in this second installment of the IJHS series, Iowa Liberators Witness the Holocaust. Two segments from the original 1995 interview are highlighted and augmented with some biographical information and news articles about him, plus information about the Iowa Jewish Historical Society. Mr. Lettington became passionate about sharing his military experiences with school and community groups. See more

The Iowa Jewish Historical Society is marking the 75th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe) by introducing a new, six-part series: Iowa Liberators Witness the Holocaust https://www.jewishdesmoines.org//iowa-je/virtual-programs/ VE Day commemorates the acceptance by the Allied forces of Nazi Germany’s unconditional surrender of its armed forces. The end of the war included the liberation of the concentration camps the Germans operated during the war. The first segment is on William Barton. Subsequent segments will be posted to the IJHS website in the coming weeks leading up to the 76th anniversary of D-Day, June 6.

This week IJHS was sad to learn that Ruth David, Holocaust Survivor and former member of the Ames Jewish Congregation passed away in the UK. In 2011 this article was published in the March-April edition of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines’ Jewish Press. https://tinyurl.com/y967nyno. For more information or to read the full article the Press excerpt was adapted from follow this link: https://tinyurl.com/y9u6ef2h After returning to Great Britain she continued her work as a Holocaust educator making frequent trips to speak to students in Germany and working with the British National Holocaust Centre. May her memory be a blessing as was her life.

Nearly 40 years ago, Des Moines’ Jewish community began a special effort to document the personal stories of many of the Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Central Iowa that continues into the 21st century. Listen to excerpts from the accounts of seven of those survivors whose personal stories were shared on Yom HaShoah in 2019. This year, as we face uncertain times, we want to ensure that the more than 6 million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust are never forgotten. https://www.jewishdesmoines.org//iowa-jew/events-programs/

Happy Passover to all! Here is a collection of newspaper clips showing Passover celebrations throughout Iowa over the last 100 years. Remember, if you want to contribute photos, written accounts, or videos from this year's Seder go to our website at https://www.jewishdesmoines.org//our-c/documenting-pesach/

IJHS wants to capture this historic moment in time. Please send us a photo or written description showing how you're celebrating Passover this year at [email protected] or visit our website for more information on how to share videos https://www.jewishdesmoines.org//our-c/documenting-pesach/.

More resources for those staying home and staying safe: Last year, IJHS donated many of our oral histories with Iowa Holocaust survivors to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. For the last day of #WomensHistoryMonth here's a link to an interview with Ingrid Mazie: https://tinyurl.com/txyqznt and one with Jennie Wolnerman: https://tinyurl.com/tbdfqww

There are still a few days of #WomensHistoryMonth left! This photo is a staff favorite and shows a 1925 Des Moines area girls club called the Bluebirds. While staff is working from home we hope to share more favorites from our collections.