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July 18, 2008
Book Explores Baltimore Jewish History
Alan H. Feiler
Managing Editor
Even before her book’s official release, Lauren R. Silberman realizes she’s going to get slammed. You don’t need a crystal ball to know that when you author a book featuring images of Baltimore’s Jewish community and its history, someone is going to come up and say (most likely in a loud tone), “How could you have forgotten such-and such or so-and-so?”
“Whenever we put up an exhibition, someone’s story isn’t in there,” said Ms. Silberman, education and program coordinator at the Jewish Museum of Maryland. “It’s unfortunate and heart-wrenching. But I tried to be as comprehensive and thorough as possible [with her book]. I knew it was impossible not to exclude someone.”
“The Jewish Community Of Baltimore,” which comes out this Monday, July 21, is part of the “Images of America” series produced by the Mount Pleasant, S.C.-based Arcadia Publishing. A portion of the proceeds from sales will benefit the JMM.
“They’ve done books about Jewish communities in other cities,” Ms. Silberman said of Arcadia, “and they wanted to do one on Baltimore. My colleagues recommended me. I thought it was a great opportunity to learn so much and share what I love about this city.”
The book — which includes a forward by JMM Executive Director Avi Y. Decter — features 200 photographs and artistic renderings chronicling Jewish Baltimore from Colonial times to the present, although mostly examining the early 20th century to the post-World War II era.
The images were culled from archives of the JMM, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore Hebrew Congregation, American Jewish Historical Society, Baltimore Museum of Industry and private collections.
Ms. Silberman, 26, who grew up in Memphis and moved to Baltimore five years ago, called her 128-page book “a love letter” to the Jewish community here.
“I want it to be a resource, a quick grab, and I want people to have an emotional connection to it,” she said. “I’m hoping people will look at it and go, ‘Oh my gosh, I know that person,’ or even,’Hey, that’s me!’”
Ms. Silberman said the book, which costs $19.99 and will be sold online (arcadiapublishing.com) and at regional bookstores, differs from previous explorations of Jewish Baltimore.
“It’s a photo history, a scrapbook if you will,” she said. “It’s a supplement to the other books on Jewish Baltimore. I tried to tell as full a story as I could, in terms of different aspects that are integral parts of Jewish Baltimore. I tried to show things that didn’t appear in other books.”
“The Jewish Community Of Baltimore” is divided into six themes: early pioneers, immigration, neighborhoods, synagogues, commerce and civic activism. Images range from a painting of abolitionist Rabbi David Einhorn to a photo of young refugees at a Tikvah Youth Group soiree, from a Yiddish poster for the Orpheum Theatre to a shot of two unidentified girls at the 1979 Jewish-American Festival.
After being recruited by Arcadia in June of 2007 to put the book together, Ms. Silberman said she realized “it was daunting, especially when you have a six-month time frame and have never written a book before. My concern was that a 128-page book wouldn’t be encyclopedic.”
But after consulting with JMM colleagues Karen Falk and Deborah R. Weiner, she said she developed a framework. Ms. Silberman said she also studied other Arcadia books — particularly “Growing Up In Baltimore: A Photographic History” by Eden Unger Bowditch and “Jews Of Cincinnati” by John S. Fine and Frederic J. Krome — to develop her context and approach.
She said she wanted images that were eye-catching and thematically diverse, revealing the breadth and scope of a community. “And I wanted to keep it straightforward, succinct and chronological,” she said.
Not being a native Baltimorean or longtime resident helped, said Ms. Silberman, who lives in Bolton Hill and teaches history at Beth Am’s religious school.
“It would be hard for me to do one of these books on Memphis because my experiences there would color my ability to step outside the personal realm,” she said. “Writing this book, I wasn’t tied to the personal issues. I could look at the community as a whole.”
The book’s cover photo — of Cantor Aaron Bell and members of the Aisquith Street Shul choir, circa 1938 — was one of five images proposed to Arcadia by Ms. Silberman.
“I wanted a ‘people image,’ and I also wanted children on the cover because that’s what would catch my eye,” she said. “In the long run, I think they picked the right one.”
Ms. Silberman will sign copies of her book July 30 at 7 p.m. at Barnes & Noble in Pikesville, at Borders in Lutherville on Aug. 9 at 2 p.m., at downtown’s Saratoga Coffee on Aug. 12 at 7 p.m., and at the JMM on Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.