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This town lost most of its Jews. But not its Judaism.

JL;DR SUMMARY In the Rust Belt town of White Oak, Pennsylvania, the enduring tenacity of Gemilas Chesed synagogue stands as a testament to the perseverance of Jewish life despite significant population decline. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish HistoryJewish CommunityMinyanCommunity ResilienceMckeesportGemilas ChesedWhite OakRust BeltAlan IszaukSynagogue Tradition

Places mentioned

White Oak, Pennsylvania, United States
"Every Friday morning, Alan Iszauk returns to the building where he became a man."
McKeesport, Pennsylvania, United States
"In 1919, McKeesport had the second-largest Jewish population in Western Pennsylvania, after Pittsburgh."
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
"In 1919, McKeesport had the second-largest Jewish population in Western Pennsylvania, after Pittsburgh."
West Virginia, United States
"and summers at Emma Kaufmann Camp across the border in West Virginia."
Cleveland, Ohio, United States
"Now 38 and living in Cleveland, she is active in her synagogues sisterhood and still hosts Shabbat dinners."
Israel
"Three families came two from New York, one from Israel."

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Cairo Item ID 56649
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2025-07-11 05:30:47 UTC
Curated 2025-07-11 08:31:55 UTC