The Heinz History Center has recently introduced a novel digital archive that provides comprehensive information about the endeavors of a Pittsburgh resident in aiding Jews to evade the Holocaust. The Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives at the History Center established the archive, which contains over 500 letters from the records of U.S. Congressman Henry Ellenbogen.

Ellenbogen was born in Austria and later came to Pittsburgh. He successfully completed his education at the Duquesne University Law School. He occupied a position in the U.S. House of Representatives and fulfilled duties on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas from 1938 to 1977.

Ellenbogen received correspondence from Jewish individuals seeking refuge during the initial stages of Nazi governance. Immigrating into the U.S. necessitated obtaining an affidavit from an American citizen as mandated by the American government.

The newly established digital collection, made feasible by a generous contribution from Ellenbogen’s daughter, chronicles this procedure.

“The digitization of these significant letters, made possible by the Ellenbogen family’s generosity, will enable Holocaust researchers in Western Pennsylvania and beyond to gain a deeper understanding of how a Pittsburgh resident’s actions aided Jewish individuals in escaping Nazi-controlled Europe,” stated Eric Lidji, the director of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives.

The primary objective of the Rauh Jewish History Program & Archives is to gather, safeguard, and offer accessibility to the recorded history of Jews and Jewish communities in Western Pennsylvania.

You can read a lot more about this new digital archive at: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/research/rauh-jewish-history-program-archives/.