PITTSBURGH — The Heinz History Center has launched a new digital archive that details a Pittsburgher’s efforts to help Jews escape the Holocaust.
The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the History Center created the archive, which features more than 500 letters from the papers of U.S. Congressman Henry Ellenbogen.
Born in Austria, Ellenbogen immigrated to Pittsburgh and graduated from the Duquesne University Law School. He held a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and served on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas from 1938 until 1977.
Ellenbogen received letters from Jewish people who were trying to escape during the early years of Nazi rule. The American government required anyone immigrating into the U.S. to obtain an affidavit from an American citizen.
The new digital collection, made possible by a grant from Ellenbogen’s daughter, documents this process.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Ellenbogen family, the digitization of these important letters will allow Holocaust researchers in Western Pa. and beyond to better understand how a Pittsburgher’s efforts helped Jewish people escape Nazi-occupied Europe,” said Eric Lidji, director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives.
The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives collects, preserves and provides access to the documented history of Jews and Jewish communities of Western Pennsylvania.
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