The Collection

The October 27 Archive currently contains 839 objects and is regularly being expanded with more material. The archive includes flyers and programs from community gatherings held since the October 27 attack, a comprehensive collection of news coverage about the day of the event, oral history recordings reflecting a diverse array of experiences, and historical documentation about the Jewish experience in Western Pennsylvania.

Using this archive

You can view all the materials currently included in the archive using the browser below. Each object has been described and cataloged to help you discover materials, learn about these materials, understand the context in which these materials were created, and draw connections between different materials. You can refine the browsing experience using various filters, including creator, type, and subject. Some of these filters have already been used to create preset galleries, each organized around specific aspects of the archive. You can also look for specific words and phrase found in the archive using a keyword search.

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Photograph

Bess and Rose Velgich photograph

Black and white photograph showing two young women standing before the iron gates of a synagogue. Label taped onto photograph reads, "Bess & Rose Velgich in front of Oir Chodosh 1945." Original photograph has pinked edges and dried tape.

Historical Notes

Ohel Jacob Congregation dedicated a synagogue on Roberts Street in the Hill District of Pittsburgh in September 1903. The building eventually became home to its successor New Light Congregation. Sisters Rose and Bess Velgich grew up in New Light Congregation in the 1930s and 1940s and followed it to Squirrel Hill in the 1950s. Although the Hill District synagogue building was sold in the 1950s and demolished sometime after, the bronze nameplates were salvaged and taken with the congregation to Squirrel Hill.

Use and Reproduction

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Donor Information

Item

MSS_1230_B005_F002_I01

Donor

New Light Congregation

Subjects

Synagogues--Pennsylvania--Western Pennsylvania. , Synagogues--Pennsylvania--Allegheny County. , New Light Congregation (Pittsburgh, Pa.) , Hill District (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

Terms of Use

The October 27 Archive collects responses to an antisemitic attack in Pittsburgh, Pa. on October 27, 2018. These responses take many forms but share a motivating impulse. Each began in the mind and heart of someone who was moved by the events of that day and was compelled to create something meaningful from that feeling. By sharing these responses, those people chose to be vulnerable for the sake of a greater good. The October 27 Archive website was launched with the belief that sharing these responses with the world can provide an avenue for people all over the world to reflect, learn, and heal.

By entering this website, you agree to honor the spirit in which these responses were created and in which they are being shared with the world.

The materials on this website are being made available exclusively for research purposes. For permission to use any of the materials on this website for any other purpose, please contact the archive. If you are the creator of any of the material on this website, and you would like to provide context or request to have something removed, please contact the archive. If you intend to reference any material found on this website, please attribute all citations to the Rauh Jewish Archives, so that other researchers can easily locate these materials in the future.

The Collection

Using this archive

Bess and Rose Velgich photograph

Full metadata

Bess and Rose Velgich photograph