Advertisements for New Rabbis, 1918-1920

These advertisements are from the Jewish Daily News (Jüdisches tageblatt, Yidishes ṭageblaṭṭ), whose issues from 1916-1922 are indexed on GenealogyBank.com.  HHCRS put ads in this paper at least as early as 1903, but those editions are only available on microfilm outside of Pittsburgh.

19180130 Jewish Daily News p4

January 30, 1918, Jewish Daily News, p. 4

19190707 Jewish Daily News p11

July 7, 1919, Jewish Daily News, p. 11

Chevra (society) Rodef Sholom seeks a teacher, who should teach the English language, should be fluent in Hebrew and English translation, must be a good pedagogue in a school and be able to hold good discipline. Must guide the children in the most modern system, good pay for the right man. Inquire by I. Grossman.

This translation covers the second ad, but apparently the first ad is similarly worded.1


5/14/1920, Jewish Daily News, p. 6 (also ran 5/13 and 5/16)

5/14/1920, Jewish Daily News, p. 6 (also ran 5/13 and 5/16)

A young man, graduate of the Orthodox Theological Seminary is being sought as a Rabbi and teacher, must be a good orator in Yiddish and English, and should be able to keep an eye on a Talmud Torah (Hebrew School). For the worthy man who is willing to start with an annual salary of $2,000, we can offer a steady position and a chance for advancement. For more information write to Robert Davidson, 239 E. 8th Ave, Homestead, PA.

Note that this advertisement was published just before the beginning of this article about Widom.  The synagogue’s meeting minutes begin on June 28, 1920, a month and a half later, with this:

Moved by Bro MH Moss + seconded by Bro A Weisss that a committee of three be appointed to go to New York to engage a Rabbi at a maximum salary of 3000.00 per year and that this committee be allowed 100.00 for expenses.

So, this ad is an amazing find, allowing us to peek into what exactly they were looking for that Widom wasn’t providing.  It would be interesting to see what ads, if any, HHCRS posted in the early years where we have little documentation and post-1922 in Widom’s last years, but alas, that is not research I can do at this time.


  1. Translations graciously provided by Aaron Housman through Tracing the Tribe.  

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