Hebrew Education

In the early 20th century, Jewish children attended Hebrew classes after public school. One was conducted by the Hebrew Educational League, Inc. and the other by the Congregation Chesed Shel Emes in back of the building. Louis R. Liss reported in his interview that the Talmud Torah, or Hebrew School, was around the corner from the synagogue on Acushnet Avenue just a bit below Howland Street Lillian Feingold remembers being the only girl to attend Hebrew classes on Washington Street with Mr. Rothkopf as her teacher.This was a time of great Jewish learning in New Bedford when early immigrant families wanted a connection to their Jewish heritage.Later schools were based at the synagogues, Ahavath Achim and Tifereth Israel.

Above: Chesed Shel Emes Hebrew class, 1929-1930
Pictured, first row, left to right: Bert Plotnick, Nelson Portnoy, _ Zeman, Anna Cohen, Dolly Goldstein, Morris Chapman. Second row, left to right: Bill Abesh, Rubin Cohen, Donald Zeman, Anna Cohen. 3rd row, left to right: Sam Miller, Sammy Rosenfield, Sydney Siegel, Gersh Cohen. 4th row, left to right: Arnold Minkin, Marty Miller, Pearl Stupinsky. 5th row, left to right: Estelle Rosenfield, Jimmy Abeshaus, Leon Braudy, Eleanor Kirschner. 6th row: on the left is the leader, Philip Cohen, in the center, an unidentified student, and on the right is Julius Miller.

Hebrew Education League class, with Hyman Rothkopf as teacher, right

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