July 23, 2021 | 14 Av 5781
Candlelighting 8:25 p.m. | Havdalah 9:29 p.m. | Vol. 64, No. 30 | pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
Richard Rauh donates rare books and materials to Pitt
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she said. When a work is published multiple times, its text and illustrations may become revised, and its book cover, or dust jacket, may be updated to reflect new norms. The materials Rauh has donated may be publicly displayed in the future, noted Haas. The library, she said, encourages students to scour its holdings and curate exhibits based on its rare books and archival materials. One item which could be of interest to the public, said Haas, is a playbill signed by the original cast members of “Our Town,” as well as inscriptions from American playwright Thornton Wilder and the play’s original stage manager Frank Craven. Rauh’s donation includes first editions — all containing original dust jackets — of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ” and “A Streetcar Named Desire,” as well as a rare unpublished proof copy of George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion: A Play in Five Acts: By a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature,” signed and inscribed by Shaw.
uring a closed-door meeting on July 14 at Rodef Shalom Congregation, executive directors and other leaders of local Jewish institutions were updated on the current threat level in Pittsburgh in light of the recent surge of antisemitic attacks throughout the country and regionally. The meeting was convened by Shawn Brokos, community security director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. Coinciding with the recent rise of antisemitism, is the rise in the number of active shooter incidents around the country, Brokos told the Chronicle following the meeting. “It’s something from a security perspective that I want everyone to be very mindful of,” Brokos said. “As our executive directors prepare for the High Holidays, I want our executive directors and organizational leaders to be cognizant of [security] as they plan and prepare.” To date, there have been 44 antisemitic incidents in Pittsburgh in 2021, Brokos said, a sharp increase from 2020, which saw a total of 40 incidents for the whole year. The number is consistent with antisemitic incidents in other metro areas, including Cleveland and other nearby cities, she said, and includes the three recent assaults — two verbal and one physical — in Squirrel Hill. Police continue to investigate the three incidents. On July 7, The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police released its report “Review of Ethnic Intimidation Incidents for the First Half of 2021.” It referenced two incidents here in which Jewish individuals were targeted because of their faith. It reported a total of 11 incidents targeting victims because of their race, religion, disability or sexual orientation. In 2020, eight incidents were reported
Please see Rauh, page 14
Please see Security, page 14
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Included within Rauh’s donation are rare photographs, playbills and writings. Photo courtesy of Richard E. Rauh Collection, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System
By Adam Reinherz | Staff Writer
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irst or early editions of works by Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Oscar Wilde are among the 40 rare books and manuscripts recently donated by actor and philanthropist Richard E. Rauh to the University of Pittsburgh Library System. The collection is valued at more than $1.4 million. “We’re really very, very excited about receiving this collection,” said Jeanann Haas, Pitt’s special collections coordinator. Rauh’s donation, which is in the process of being cataloged, will bolster the library’s mission, which includes emphasizing the importance of primary sources, explained Haas. By examining first and early editions in the library’s Archives & Special Collections department, students and other researchers can gain a better understanding of an author’s intent. These materials provide a glimpse into “the artist’s rendering before there was any kind of critical acclaim,” said Haas. For example, in the process of becoming a bestseller, a book may undergo an evolution,
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