Known as Newark's "Jewish Frontier," Weequahic was home to 35,000 Jewish residents from the 1930s to the 1960s. Homes built on farm lots, known as Lyons Farms, attracted the city's upwardly mobile Jewish families. Weequahic High School still remains at the heart of the community, drawing generations of alumni for annual reunions and events. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Philip Roth, a Weequahic High School graduate, found inspiration in the community, documenting its intricacies in his work. The high school still houses a mural, The Enlightenment of Man, painted by New Deal painter Michael Lenson. This mural is regarded as one of the most important pieces of public art in the state. Jews of Weequahic captures the life of this vibrant community that has become one of Newark's legendary neighborhoods.
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Editorial Reviews
Review
Title: Book Review - Weequahic remembered.
Author: Paul Lenchner
Publisher: Philip Roth Society Newsletter
Date: 2008 Newsletter
Long ago and far away (at least from my present home in Texas), the Weequahic section of Newark, New Jersey, was the site of a vibrant Jewish community from the 1930s into the 1960s.
The lives of Weequahic's 35,000 residents are portrayed in this book. The portrait is primarily visual. Linda Forgosh has written a brief introduction to the neighborhood, but the heart of the volume is the hundreds of photographs that she has meticulously compiled, mainly from former Weequahic residents. Appropriate mention is made of children of Weequahic who became famous, of whom Philip Roth is the most celebrated. There is a photo of the home on Summit Avenue, now designated a Historic Site, where Roth lived until 1942. But the book has no individual star. Its leading character is the neighborhood.
To my untrained eyes, what stands out in the photos is time, more than place or ethnicity. There is no sense that Newark, and Weequahic in particular, were somehow different from comparable neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Cleveland, or Baltimore. (Perhaps they weren't; I don't know.) There is some feel for the Jewish character of Weequahic, but other than the names in the photo captions, a few of the stores and restaurants, and some of the fraternal organizations, not that much. The pictures of athletic teams and school classes and socials are pretty
generic.
On the other hand, one does get a real sense of time. Of course, clothing and grooming, and buildings and cars place the photos in a particular era. Beyond the obvious, a number of the pictures are clearly from a long-gone period. We see, for example, students and teachers at Weequahic High School raising money to purchase war bonds during World War II. There's a shot of girls at sewing machines in their mandatory home economics class. Monroe Krichman's Certificate of Posture Achievement from 1951 appears with the caption: "Students in all grades were submitted to an annual posture examination as part of physical education and recreation."
The 1943 high school diploma of Harold Heshy Blinder (his apparent nickname is shown without quotation marks) is pictured, listing how many credits he earned in English, social studies, bookkeeping, and other subjects. Among the classes that his contemporaries could have taken were Esperanto and millinery.
Many of the photos evoke a real sense of community. One sees it in the mom-and-pop stores on Bergen Street, a leading shopping venue in Weequahic. A wonderful picture shows Pearl Stein of Stein's Dry Goods "babysitting for Barbara Steinberg, whose parents owned the candy store next door." There is a chapter on "Weequahic Park: A Playground for All Seasons." In a time before air conditioning was common, families went to the park, with its 80-acre lake, for boating, fishing, and other activities in the summer. It was busy year-'round, with ice skaters on the lake in winter.
My family moved to an apartment in Weequahic in 1949 when I was three. We lived there until leaving for a single-family home in the suburbs in 1957. The book brought back warm memories from my childhood--of Chancellor Avenue School (located next to Weequahic High), which I attended into the sixth grade, and stores and restaurants in the neighborhood. I especially enjoyed the photo of Syd's, which is accurately described as "the destination for hot dog lovers." I recall how pleased I was when my mother would let me go to Syd's for lunch and squeeze in with the big kids from high school to buy a frank with mustard, relish, and maybe sauerkraut.
My family's story was a common one. By the 1960s, many Jews had left Weequahic. Forgosh reports an estimated Jewish population of only 500 by 1977. Today the area, like Newark in general, appears to be largely African American. A number of photos depict the change. A former synagogue is now Union Chapel Church with "an active African American Episcopal congregation." Another one-time synagogue is home to the New Born Baptist Church, though one can still see Stars of David on the building. Athletic team photos from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were overwhelmingly white and featured players with names like Rothman, Greenfield, and Simon. A shot of the 1966-1967 Weequahic High basketball team shows thirteen black players and a lonely-looking Gerry Gimmelstob at the end of the back row.
The Weequahic of the middle third of the twentieth century is no more. The Jews of Weequahic provides a revealing photographic look at what it was.
Author: Paul Lenchner
Publisher: Philip Roth Society Newsletter
Date: 2008 Newsletter
Long ago and far away (at least from my present home in Texas), the Weequahic section of Newark, New Jersey, was the site of a vibrant Jewish community from the 1930s into the 1960s.
The lives of Weequahic's 35,000 residents are portrayed in this book. The portrait is primarily visual. Linda Forgosh has written a brief introduction to the neighborhood, but the heart of the volume is the hundreds of photographs that she has meticulously compiled, mainly from former Weequahic residents. Appropriate mention is made of children of Weequahic who became famous, of whom Philip Roth is the most celebrated. There is a photo of the home on Summit Avenue, now designated a Historic Site, where Roth lived until 1942. But the book has no individual star. Its leading character is the neighborhood.
To my untrained eyes, what stands out in the photos is time, more than place or ethnicity. There is no sense that Newark, and Weequahic in particular, were somehow different from comparable neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Cleveland, or Baltimore. (Perhaps they weren't; I don't know.) There is some feel for the Jewish character of Weequahic, but other than the names in the photo captions, a few of the stores and restaurants, and some of the fraternal organizations, not that much. The pictures of athletic teams and school classes and socials are pretty
generic.
On the other hand, one does get a real sense of time. Of course, clothing and grooming, and buildings and cars place the photos in a particular era. Beyond the obvious, a number of the pictures are clearly from a long-gone period. We see, for example, students and teachers at Weequahic High School raising money to purchase war bonds during World War II. There's a shot of girls at sewing machines in their mandatory home economics class. Monroe Krichman's Certificate of Posture Achievement from 1951 appears with the caption: "Students in all grades were submitted to an annual posture examination as part of physical education and recreation."
The 1943 high school diploma of Harold Heshy Blinder (his apparent nickname is shown without quotation marks) is pictured, listing how many credits he earned in English, social studies, bookkeeping, and other subjects. Among the classes that his contemporaries could have taken were Esperanto and millinery.
Many of the photos evoke a real sense of community. One sees it in the mom-and-pop stores on Bergen Street, a leading shopping venue in Weequahic. A wonderful picture shows Pearl Stein of Stein's Dry Goods "babysitting for Barbara Steinberg, whose parents owned the candy store next door." There is a chapter on "Weequahic Park: A Playground for All Seasons." In a time before air conditioning was common, families went to the park, with its 80-acre lake, for boating, fishing, and other activities in the summer. It was busy year-'round, with ice skaters on the lake in winter.
My family moved to an apartment in Weequahic in 1949 when I was three. We lived there until leaving for a single-family home in the suburbs in 1957. The book brought back warm memories from my childhood--of Chancellor Avenue School (located next to Weequahic High), which I attended into the sixth grade, and stores and restaurants in the neighborhood. I especially enjoyed the photo of Syd's, which is accurately described as "the destination for hot dog lovers." I recall how pleased I was when my mother would let me go to Syd's for lunch and squeeze in with the big kids from high school to buy a frank with mustard, relish, and maybe sauerkraut.
My family's story was a common one. By the 1960s, many Jews had left Weequahic. Forgosh reports an estimated Jewish population of only 500 by 1977. Today the area, like Newark in general, appears to be largely African American. A number of photos depict the change. A former synagogue is now Union Chapel Church with "an active African American Episcopal congregation." Another one-time synagogue is home to the New Born Baptist Church, though one can still see Stars of David on the building. Athletic team photos from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were overwhelmingly white and featured players with names like Rothman, Greenfield, and Simon. A shot of the 1966-1967 Weequahic High basketball team shows thirteen black players and a lonely-looking Gerry Gimmelstob at the end of the back row.
The Weequahic of the middle third of the twentieth century is no more. The Jews of Weequahic provides a revealing photographic look at what it was.
About the Author
Linda B. Forgosh is the curator and outreach director at the Jewish Historical Society of MetroWest. This collection of vintage images comes from residents who wish to share and preserve the historic legacy of their community.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Jews of Weequahic,
By
This review is from: Jews of Weequahic (Images of America: New Jersey) (Paperback)
If you were a resident of Newark, NJ residing in the Weequahic section of the city ~ this book is a MUST READ! And if you happen to be Jewish ~ it is definately REQUIRED READING. It is a truely accurate history of Jews living in the Weequahic section of Newark. Of course, if you attended the schools in that neighborhood you will further relate to the book. And if you are a Weequahic High School alumni... what are you waiting for? Buy the book!!!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this book.,
By diane "diane" (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Jews of Weequahic (Images of America: New Jersey) (Paperback)
Having grown up in that special neighborhood that was Weequahic in the forties and fifties, I highly recommend this to anyone wishing to sample the flavor of a neighborhood that continues to evoke memories by the dozens.
My kindergarten photograph of 1948, and Chancellor Avenue School graduation photo of 1956, were wonderful to see in print. I cherish the memories of those times, and encourage others to enjoy this book. The book will most definitely impart an understanding of what a vibrant, cohesive, and genuine community those of us who lived there were lucky to share.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Lost Communities,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Jews of Weequahic (Images of America: New Jersey) (Paperback)
"Jews of Weequahic" documents - in both text and photos - the heyday of the Jewish community of Newark, New Jersey. Covering the immediate pre- and post-war era and ending in 1967, this description of the life of a community centered in a given section of New Jersey's largest city is a deliciously nostalgic trip. Many such ethnic communities thrived in the post World War 2 boom period and then disappeared as a result of the upward social mobility of the professional and entrepeneurial classes among them, racism (which motivated them to move away from the "others" and kept the latter from adopting the suburban dream), the decay of urban life and the earliest stages of neoliberalism and de-industrialization (described in Philip Roth's "American Pastoral").
For those who lived in such communities, such as me, it was a wonderful and heartening trip. But while it warmed the heart, it provided little illumination for the head. What it lacks is the kind of economic and political analysis that might help those who didn't live in such places - and the sons, daughters and grandchildren of those who did - try to make sense of the shell of urban life that marks the remains of these places, in cities across the US. I lived in Weequahic from my birth in 1949, until I went to college in the midwest in 1967 - two months after the riots ended Jewish life in that community. Living in a large Canadian city, Toronto, I still miss the life that this community offered and that is described in this photo essay. Herman Rosenfeld, Toronto
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
Weequahic Park was the site for a religious service commemorating Newark's 250th anniversary in 1916. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Chancellor Avenue, Weequahic High School, Weequahic Park, Weeyuahic High School, Hawthorne Avenue, Courtesy Gayle, New Jersey, Courtesy Monroe Krichman, Lyons Avenue, Philip Roth, Courtesy Donald, Courtesy Judy Blumenfeld Schatzherg, Courtesy Masin, Lance Posner, Jewish News, Courtesy Sheldon Bross, World War Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Weequahic Park was the site for a religious service commemorating Newark's 250th anniversary in 1916. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Chancellor Avenue, Weequahic High School, Weequahic Park, Weeyuahic High School, Hawthorne Avenue, Courtesy Gayle, New Jersey, Courtesy Monroe Krichman, Lyons Avenue, Philip Roth, Courtesy Donald, Courtesy Judy Blumenfeld Schatzherg, Courtesy Masin, Lance Posner, Jewish News, Courtesy Sheldon Bross, World War Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
Look for Similar Items by Category
- Books > History > Americas > United States > State & Local
- Books > History > World
