Our Jewish Past

08/01/2019

In 1960, the Litwin girls hosted a welcome breakfast for the daughter of the new Baptist preacher. As had always been the case in Fort Scott, Jews and Gentiles socialized together.

03/20/2019

Purim in Joplin 65 years ago.
source: Joplin Globe, 16 March 1954

07/11/2018

Ander's Shoes in Miami OK was burglarized twice this past weekend then set fire to yesterday. It is owned and run by 103-year-old Dena Ander, a member of the Joplin congregation.

Joe Ander, a cobbler born in Poland, came to the US in 1912. He moved to Miami and opened a shoe repair business in the 1930s which grew into a shoe store. Dena began working in the family business at age 15.

Shoe store run by 103-year-old Dena Ander in downtown Miami gutted by fire Tuesday morning after being targeted by break-in last week.

10/05/2017

Most Jewish immigrants don't have descendants as famous as comedian Larry David or politician Bernie Sanders. However, the stories of Larry's and Bernie's ancestors are typical of American Jews with Ashkenazic roots, including the many who settled SE Kansas:
* Ancestors from "Austria" which usually means the large area that was the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
* Ancestors from Hesse-Darmstadt, a very tiny area.
* A branch of the family who settled in the Deep South.
* A branch of the family who stayed in Europe and perished in the Shoah.
* Being distantly related.

For some insight into exactly the kind of things we discover in our research, watch the most recent (3 Oct 2017) episode of Finding Your Roots with Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Larry David and Bernie Sanders join Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. on Finding Your Roots.