Originally found in attics, stored in breakfronts or lovingly preserved in photo albums, Jewish Americana has become a mainstay of national museums, but individuals, too, have begun their own collections. And the diversity of memorabilia—a reflection of the richness of the Jewish experience in the United States—is simply astonishing. Presented here is a selection of Americana sent by Hadassah Magazine readers. Thank you for sharing your mementos—and memories—with us.

Come See the Show
Old Yiddish theater playbills are a popular collectible,
and this is an excellent example from a 1927 production of “Raizele,” played by Molly Picon, at David Kessler’s Second Avenue Theater in New York.

—submitted by
Joan Sarasky
Boyton Beach, FL

A Yiddishe Kup
(and Other Table Necessities)
These “Yankee Yiddish Cocktail Napkins,” most likely created by cartoonist Lawrence Lariar in 1953, feature puns on Yiddish expressions, for example, “Gehockteh Lober” shows a well-dressed woman pawning a ring—a gift from an admirer.
—submitted by
Rena Tobey, Wilmington, DE

Arms Full
Americana can be of more recent vintage, such as this cute terra-cotta rabbi from 1990s New Mexico.
—submitted by
Elin Schoen Brockman
Hamden, CT

The More Things Change...
Entitled ‘Hadassah Hard Time Party 6-17-29,’ this photo shows Milwaukee Hadassah members gathered together to support each other and the organization. “I found an amazing picture I just had to share with other Hadassah members,” writes Susan Conn. “It depicts a time in our American history 80 years ago when young women were also going through hard economic times and trying to make the best of it.”
—submitted by Susan Conn, Appleton, WI

A Gift of Food
An image from the 1952 Bayonne, New Jersey, Hadassah chapter cookbook.

“I received it as part of my engagement gift from my Aunt Mildred Hyman,” notes Ellen Lee Bullock, who made aliya in 1967. “I still use the cookbook today.”
—submitted by
Ellen Lee Bullock
Nes Ziona, Israel

In the Beginning
The Hadassah Kosher Cook Book from Omaha, 1928, was the very first Hadassah chapter cookbook. Among its traditional dishes are recipes for “Gefulte Fish,” “Flomen Tsimas,” “Varenikes with Buckwheat Gritz”
and “Borsht.”
—submitted by
Goldie G. Silverman
Seattle, WA

Sing-along
Men count, too, at Hadassah—especially if they can carry a tune. A quartet at the 1950 Razzle Dazzle fund raiser held at Grossinger’s Hotel in the Catskills (remember Grossinger’s?)
—submitted by
Cynthia Melnick Weisberg
Tierra Verde, FL

Dates and Noodles
A good example of how companies targeted advertising to the Jewish consumer, C.F. Mueller Co.’s Hebrew-English calendar.
—submitted by
Joan Sarasky
Boynton Beach, FL

Cooking with Molly
Molly Goldberg remains the iconic Jewish mother, even today. Who better to show us how to make chicken soup?
—submitted by
Joan Sarasky
Boynton Beach, FL

Peanuts for Passover?
A cookbook from a company known for its peanuts might seem an odd choice for Pesah, but cookbooks like these—promotion for companies from Planters to Manischewitz—have been used by generations of American Jews.
—submitted by
Esther Perkis Sargrad,
Clearwater, FL

Now You’re Cooking With...
In the 1920s, Proctor & Gamble decided to market Crisco to different ethnic groups. In 1933, it came out with a Crisco cookbook for the “Yiddishe balebuste.” As its introduction states: “With its blue and white wrapper with the Hebrew inscription, it is very easy to recognize Crisco—the strictly kosher product.”
—submitted by
Joan Sarasky
Boynton Beach, FL

From the Archives
You showed us some of your treasures, in return we would like to share a few of ours. Enjoy these blasts from the past, courtesy of the Hadassah Archives.

Pin Pals
Charming and colorful Junior Hadassah pins,
c. 1940s to 1950s.

Calling All Nurses
Illustration for a Central Brooklyn chapter donor luncheon at the Plaza Hotel in New York, New York April 1952.

Charmed
A pendant created as a fund raiser, also from a Brooklyn Hadassah chapter,
c. 1950s.

CreditCards
1950s playing card with illustrations depicting Hadassah involvement in Israel’s health care system.