Join us April 5 from 7-8:30 pm when Eric Lidji, a representative of the Heinz History Center, presents on the History of Judaism in Lawrence County.

EVENT DETAILS: In the early 20th century, Western Pennsylvania had more small town Jewish communities than any other region in America. In fact, it had almost ten percent of all the small town Jewish communities in the country. Lawrence County was home to two of these communities, in New Castle and Ellwood City. By looking at the specific example of these two communities, this talk will try to explain what made this region so attractive to Jewish immigrants and so conducive to Jewish communities.

• What led to the growth of these communities in the early 20th century and their decline in the late 20th century?
• And, most importantly, what was life like in the decades in between?

EVENT SPEAKER:  Eric Lidji is a researcher based in Pittsburgh. For the past five years, he has been an archival consultant for the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, where his research has focused on Jewish families, businesses and communities in Western Pennsylvania. He is the curator of the family history website Generation to Generation and a researcher for the Small Towns Jewish History Project, which is documenting Jewish life in small towns throughout Western Pennsylvania. Lidji is the author of the book John Riegert and an editor of Her Deeds Sing Her Praises: Profiles of Pittsburgh Jewish Women.

Mark your calendar now for our April 5th free program