JCRS

“It began with a cough...”

We fled our country and the pogroms of Russia.

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Introduction Denver, Colorado 5 “Papa” Spivak 5 Jewish Consumptives Relief Society 10 Campus 11 Synagogue

Detroit

12 Credits Our new country had plenty of work and freedom to practice our faith.

Highland Park Plant, 1910

St. Basil’s cathedral, Moscow

Russia

Contents

We were six, my five brothers and I, Josephine.

We all had tuberculosis and traveled to Colorado for treatment.

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Josephine

It began with a cough. I remember Lewis had been coughing through the night. His employer sent him home and soon we all began coughing.

In nineteenth-century Europe and America, tuberculosis (TB) or consumptives was the leading cause of death. The Industrial Revolution and the rapid growth of cities caused conditions that spread this highly contagious disease. As immigrants from Eastern Europe began to pour in,

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David

high density cities like New York and growing cities like Detroit hadn’t anticipated nor were able to adapt to the level of sanitation, ventilation and nutrition this growing populous needed. In an attempt to stop tuberculosis’ contagious spread, people who were infected were quarantined or sent to sanatoriums.

Treatments were varied in success and application. The sanitarium movement began in Europe in the 1850’s and was established in the US in 1882. But by the late 1880’s a rise in sanatoriums was gaining

Harris

momentum leading the way for the medical treatment of tuberculosis. This served both: isolating the spread of TB into the community and administering therapeutic treatment. Of the many treatments of TB, including folk remedies, the clean air and sunshine method was widely popular.

I was the oldest Rosinskey.

I remember hearing about treatment for consumptives in Colorado.We heard that the free

Solly

treatment of tuberculosis could be found in Denver. Because of the fresh air and days of sun, Denver, in particular, was a nurturing and welcoming community. But Colorado was extremely far and the cost of the six of us going by train needed more money than we had. But this is where tzedakah comes in. Rabbi Levin spoke of our need and we waited only three weeks before enough donations came in to send us to Denver.

Irving

Our English was broken. David, Harris and I spoke mostly Yiddish.

Lewis and Irving spoke English very well, but Harris always spoke on our behalf. Harris became the father we left in Russia.

We were insistent that we remain together.You have to understand we had fled the pogroms of Russia.

Then, coming to Detroit, we were consumed firsthand by the Industrial Revolution. David and Solly were working in these giant factories.

Harris was constantly building

Lewis

homes, even on Sundays.Then we all began suffering from this disease.Through all these trials we remained together, as a family. Our one thread of continuity, our bread of community, was our practice of prayer.

I remember how thin David became. Even I could carry him from his bed. I remember holding the tickets at the station, and thinking, hoping we would make it in time.

I remember...

Bed welcoming committees were assembled for new patients. They would include doctors, patrons and family members.

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In 1887, the Denver Chamber of Commerce claimed, “Colorado is the mecca of consumptives, and rightfully; for dry air, equitable temperature and continuous sunshine are as yet the most reliable factors in the care of the disease.”

Mizpah (Miz’peh): Mizpah was the name of several ancient cities in Palestine. In ancient times, the word Mizpah basically meant “border” or “watchtower.” Over time it evolved to assume the modern meaning of “farewell” or “God watch over you.” Denver’s famous Welcome or Mizpah Arch was built in front of Union Station on 17th Street between Wynkoop and Wazee Streets; the arch was formally dedicated on July 4, 1906.

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We didn’t ask for privileges; we only wanted to retain our dignity in our belief of our traditions. It was important for us to be able to practice our faith.

We were finally admitted to the Jewish Consumptives Relief Society, (JCRS) after being turned away from other sanitariums in Denver.

We were admitted together in the spring of 1915. Our local rabbi, Judah Levin, helped with our admissions by writing on our behalf.

With its dry sunny climate, Colorado was quickly emerging as a destination for Tuberculosis (TB) treatment. Through publications

and word of mouth, Denver became the center of hope for people stricken with TB. In 1887, the Denver Chamber of Commerce claimed, “Colorado is the mecca of consumptives, and rightfully; for dry air, equitable temperature and continuous sunshine are as yet the most reliable factors in the care of the disease.” As early as 1896, Colorado was being referred to as The World’s Sanatorium.

The Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society was founded in Denver, Colorado in 1904 as a nonsectarian sanatorium to treat tuberculosis patients in all stages

of the disease. The society was founded by a group of immigrant Eastern European Jewish men, many of whom were themselves victims of TB. The wonder of the JCRS is that it relied on charity or tzedakah for its operations. For decades patients flocked to Denver from all over North America and were admitted free of charge. In the early years, the sanatorium was headed by Dr. Charles Spivak as Secretary (1904-1927) and

by Philip Hillkowitz as President (1904-1948) and catered primarily to Jewish patients in a distinctively Jewish environment.

The Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society (JCRS) was founded in Denver, Colorado in 1904 as a non-sectarian free sanatorium to treat tuberculosis patients.

Dr. Spivak made his mark as a brilliant physician, lexicographer, professor, editor, Hebraist and Yiddishist, Talmudist, Zionist, Socialist, but most deeply as the beloved humanitarian, “Tateh (Papa) Spivak.”

For example, there was a synagogue and a kosher kitchen that meet the requirements of

the mostly Eastern Europeans and was absent from the National Jewish Hospital. The JCRS rose not only in response of the growth of immigrants with TB, but the institution specifically addressed some shortcomings of the National Jewish Hospital (NJH). First, NJH accepted only incipient, curable cases. Second, they only accepted cases that were arranged from the city which the tuberculosis victim came from and third, and most important for the Orthodox Jews that came from Eastern Europe, the institution was not kosher. Tuberculosis was

particular high among amongst the displaced Orthodox Jews from the east. Tragically, few would apply for treatment where kosher diets were not adhered to.

Thus, the “tents” as the JCRS was called, became one of the most welcomed sights in the West for those from the East who needed its timely, respectful treatment the most. A brochure from the JCRS titled Thirty Years of Saving Lives reads, “How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy dwelling places, O Israel,”

“Tzedakah” is the Hebrew word for the acts that we call “charity” in English: giving aid, assistance and money to the poor and needy or to other worthy causes. However, the nature of tzedakah is very different from the idea of charity.The word “charity” suggests benevolence and generosity, a magnanimous act by the wealthy and powerful for the benefit of the poor and needy.The word “tzedakah” is derived from the Hebrew root TzadeDalet-Qof, meaning righteousness, justice or fairness. In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act; it is simply an act of justice and righteousness, the performance of a duty, giving the poor their due.

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Becoming a “city” In 1904, twenty acres were purchased for $5,000 for a sanitorium in Jefferson County, just a fifteen minute walk from the end of the car line on West Colfax.

The JCRS rapidly expanded and became its own city. Established essentials included a dining hall, farming and dairy herds, a laundry, a pharmacy, treatment rooms, two operating rooms, labs and a dental office.

I remember when we arrived. It was spring but was incredibly hot. Denver was small and quiet.When we got off the train there was this great big sign that read, “Mizpah.” It’s in the bible.

I felt welcomed immediately.We had to walk the final way after the car line stopped. Harris carried David the entire way.We all were coughing, but David was coughing blood profusely.

David died the day after being admitted. I think the train ride was too much. Solly continued to cough and lose weight and passed away a month later, he never saw how hot our little tents became in the summer. Irving seemed to be getting better.

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He was released but returned and died a few days later. Harris improved, stopped coughing and quickly began helping with construction at the JCRS. Harris was a carpenter. Lewis and I continued our treatment. Lewis, was a painter and interior decorator, also helped the JCRS to pay for our stay.

We each had our own tent. It had a iron bed with a woolen mattress.

Although they were small there was enough room for a table and chair, even a wash basin. I had a rocking chair in mine, I remember that summer, that stifling hot summer where I sat and rocked the summer away.

A general store sold everything from bobby pins to radios. Income derived from store sales provided patients with programs of general education, English language classes, hygiene and lifestyle classes and recreational classes.

Ritual slaughter is known as shechitah, and the person who performs the slaughter is called a shochet. The shochet is not simply a butcher; he must be a pious man, well-trained in Jewish law. In smaller, remote communities, the rabbi and shochet were often the same person.

We enjoyed the little community that was growing around us. Most everybody came from New York city.

It must have been horrible there.We spoke Yiddish. Most of us immigrated from Russia, even Tateh Spivak spoke to us in Yiddish. It felt like a colony, a little Yiddish colony on the high plains desert, far from our European ancestry. Despite the reason we were there, there was a communal feel to the place.

I remember helping with the farm and was very busy during the first harvest we were there for.We grew our own corn and we had a poultry farm and tried to eat kosher meals.

We had even a synagogue. It was built for Isaac Solomon who had died a few years before we arrived. After that burned down, they eventually built one of brick but that was after we left.

There was library, I remember checking out books. I read several novels when I was there. I collected several recipes too.

Walking down the, “Broadway of the JCRS” felt like a small town. There were many events held in the dining hall.We had dances and I met many people from Poland and Russia. I took several English language classes. I was very busy, we were busy.

Before I was released Lewis left for Chicago. I came back to Detroit then I received a letter saying that Lewis had died of TB in Chicago.

Patients had access to an extensive 9,000 volume library.

They had regular cultural events and the Spivak, Colorado Post Office was eventually added to complete a small city.

I’ll never forget the generosity of Tateh Spivak and the contributors of the JCRS. If we had stayed in Detroit we all would have died. And to think the whole institution arose from donations is miraculous. I’ve made donations long after my stay. Not as an act of mercy but of duty.

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D

avid was buried in the Golden Hill Cemetery just west of Denver, as was Irving.We didn’t have money to send them home and Detroit was home for a short time only. Solly never got better, they were going to send him home to die with his family, but we were all in Colorado, so he was buried at the Golden Hill Cemetery too. Lewis left the sanitorium against the advice of Dr. Spivak and moved to Chicago. He seemed healthy enough when he left.

He wrote once informing us of his new job.

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He was working many hours even on Sundays, But he died a month later from TB. Harris stayed in Denver, while I came back to Detroit, to start anew.

At the time, 1906, the existing Jewish cemeteries were becoming full. So in 1908, the JCRS purchased twenty acres about four miles west of the sanitorium on the Golden Road. The burial ground was split into two parts by the road.

The higher ground, it is said, contains the buried dead of the patients of the sanitorium so as not to infect the healthier dead in lower portion. The cemetery is a strict Orthodox cemetery, following such customs as burying suicides and victims of violent deaths apart from the rest of the underground community.

We listened to the radio at night. It was so quiet compared to where we were living in Detroit.

At night, there were more stars then I’d ever seen. I imagined some of the stars to be the souls of the people who died at the JCRS. Maybe the Milky Way was the path to the cure of tuberculosis. How many people died all over the world to illuminate our understanding of it? When David died, just after we arrived, I thought his star would lead us back home. I suppose it did in many ways, for the star of David eventually leads us all home 9

The final tent It’s hard to imagine the spirit needed to endure such hardships, but once a community of tents quarantined patients with these modest structures.

Now, a final tent remains standing on the campus of the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design.

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From a community of tents to the buildings of the JCRS. the current campus now houses the AMC Cancer Research Center and the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design.

By the early 1950’s, tuberculosis had fallen before advances in medical science; cancer rose to be the leading cause of death in the U.S.

In 1954 the JCRS changed its mission to cancer research and became the American Medical Center and is now known as the AMC Cancer Research Center (AMC). It was one of the first fully dedicated cancer institutions in the nation. Over time it’s research focused on clinical research and laboratory studies and less on the actual treatment of cancer patients.

Eventually, the AMC dedicated its research and resources to improving the tools to prevent cancer. They’ve dedicated the institution’s total scientific research to the prevention and control of cancer. Making them the only cancer research center in the United States with a specific and exclusive mission.

Currently the twenty-three acre campus houses the AMC and the Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design. Housed in these historical remains of the JCRS are

Heliotherapy, “Sun-treatment” was used in the treatment of tuberculosis of the glands, bones, joints, peritoneum, skin, eyes, genitourinary tract, and others. Sun bathing helped kill the bacteria that caused TB.

The JCRS was unique in it’s mission to provide an unparalleled environment for Eastern European Orthodox Jews to practice the laws of their faith.

special learning facilities including a woodshop, ceramics studio, photography lab, professional sound studio, 283-seat auditorium, 35-seat audiovisual theater, large meeting rooms and a Library/ Resource Center.

These buildings echo the years the JCRS grew in terms of architecture and are protected by the Colorado Historical Building Preservation of Denver.* The legacy of Dr. Spivak’s sensitivity to the eastern European Orthodox Jews is still standing.

In 1927 the Isaac Solomon Synagogue was built after a fire destroyed the original synagogue.

What value this building had on its congregation is immeasurable.

Offering a place to commune and celebrate this structure begs to be renewed and offer it hope once again.

Of the many buildings erected on the campus none speak more to human compassion than the Isaac Solomon Synagogue which was dedicated in loving memory to Isaac Solomon.

The Isaac Solomon Synagogue This house of prayer and assembly was built in 1927, in loving memory of a fallen son, Isaac Solomon, who died of TB. The synagogue has been idle since 1955. Currently it is under restoration.

Today, the synagogue awaits restoration. If you are interested in a group tour of the JCRS Isaac Solomon Historic Synagogue, please contact Bernie & Susan Goldman, Founders, at 303.987.1316

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Credits | Resources Web sites Center for Judaic Studies, University of Denver – www.du.edu/cjs/ Christian Answers – http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/mizpah.html Colorado Historical Society – www.coloradohistory.org Denver Stories – www.denverstories.com/archives/00000016.htm Foothills Genealogical Society – http://hometown.aol.com/vikkigray/golds.htm Ghost Seekers – http://www.ghostseekers.com/Counties.htm Jewish Virtual Library – www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org Jewish Genealogical Society of Colorado Library – www.jewishgen.org Judaism 101 – www.jewfaq.org Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society – www.du.edu/cjs/rmjhs/ University of Berkeley – http://socrates.berkeley.edu/%7Ejmp/TB1.htm University of Denver Penrose Library Beck Archives – www.penrose.du.edu/about/collections/specialcollections/jcrs/index.cfm Waverly Hills Sanatorium/ Woodhaven Geriatric Center

All historic JCRS images except the “portrait” of Josephine, are from the Beck Archives in the Penrose Library at Denver University.

Memorial & Historical Resource Treatments for TB Patients – www.whsmemorial.tripod.com/index.html Illustrations of the birds and menorah– www.jewishgen.org/jgs-colorado/jcrs.html Stock photography – www.istockphoto.com ( for opening prairie expanse image)

Books Blazing the Tuberculosis Trail:The Religio-Ethnic Role of Four Sanitoria in Early Denver, Dr. Jeanne Abrams, 1957 Jews of the American West, Edited by Moses Rischin and John Livingston 199, Wayne State University Press Gregory S. Aldrete, 2004 Pioneers, Peddlers, and Tsadikim, Ida Libert Uchill, 1991

Graphic Design William Gillies – Visual Sequencing course, Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design, 2005

Photography William Gillies – Images of the current Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design compus on pages, 10 & 11.

Story written by William Gillies based on research and artifacts found at Denver University’s Penrose Library in the Beck Archives.

Third printing, rev.3

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