Chicago Landsmanshaften - Records from the Sorkin Collection

Newly arrived Jewish immigrants to the United States created landsmanshaften (mutual aid organizations named after their cities, towns and villages of origin). Landsmanshaften sent funds oversees to help their families and communities. They held many social events. They also purchased burial sections and sold plots to their members. Landsmanshaften re-created the small, familial Jewish community and provided a safe, new home within a home.

The late Chicago educator Sidney Sorkin researched these organizations for his book “Bridges to an American City: A Guide to Chicago's Landsmanshaften, 1870-1990.”  Apparently, he and his parents were active members of landsmanshaften. Sorkin’s research papers for his book were left to the Chicago History Museum archives in a set of seven file boxes. JGSI volunteers spent hours digitizing the materials to make them more widely available.  Information to be discovered includes:

• Family trees and family group sheets
• Cemetery and burial plot records
• Anniversary booklets that include memorials to departed family members
• Individual and group photographs, often with captions identifying those pictured
• Nonprofit incorporation documents
• Names of officers and members
• Newsletters
• Newspaper clippings, including obituaries in Yiddish

We encourage you to browse the materials.

Bridges to an American City : A Guide to Chicago's Landsmanshaften, 1870 to 1990
By Sidney Sorkin New York : P. Lang, ©1993)
(A browsable copy of the book is available in the Internet Archive)