You may have seen Sean Martin give a presentation on the garment industry in Cleveland at the Maltz Museum last summer. You may have bumped into him at one of our public programs. Or, you may have been referred to him to discuss a historic photo or artifact you thought we might be interested in preserving or displaying. So, who is this extremely knowledgeable and genial guy and why is he so involved with the Maltz Museum and with Northeast Ohio Jewish history?
Explain what you do for the Western Reserve Historical Society (WRHS).
I oversee the Cleveland Jewish Archives, a special collecting program set up by WRHS in 1976 with the cooperation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. My job is to collect materials— usually correspondence, photographs and documents from individuals or organizations— that help tell the stories of the region’s Jewish community. I then process those materials, organizing them so that researchers can find what they need easily. Those materials are then made available to the public through the WRHS Research Library. I also work with the curatorial staff at WRHS to bring in objects related to local Jewish history. I’m also involved in outreach, which can mean giving a public talk, writing an article or working with the Maltz Museum.
How do WRHS and Maltz Museum collaborate?
The two organizations have been partners for a long time. It started before the Maltz Museum open a decade ago. Jane Avner, my immediate predecessor at WRHS, was involved in the research for “An American Story,” the Maltz core exhibit. And, because the WRHS collects materials on behalf of the Maltz Museum, I often interact with potential donors. I have provided training for Maltz volunteers, usually focusing on Cleveland or Jewish history. I also have given public talks on the history of local neighborhoods, Jews and organized crime, and other topics. To stay in touch with what is happening at the Maltz Museum, I attend staff meetings there regularly.
What’s an interesting piece of Jewish Cleveland history someone might not know?
Telshe Yeshiva, a rabbinical college in Wickliffe, traces its history to the town of Telz in Lithuania, now known as Telsiai. The yeshiva was founded in 1875. Rabbis Eliyahu Meir Bloch and Chaim Mordechai Katz escaped from Lithuania with ten students during World War II and reestablished the yeshiva in Cleveland. Telshe Yeshiva is a direct link to the Jewish community’s East European heritage.
If someone has a photo or artifact they think helps to tell the story of Jewish history in Northeast Ohio, who should they contact?
They should contact me directly so I can set up a meeting to determine if the photo or artifact is something appropriate for us to collect. We are interested in materials that have a connection to the Jewish community and to Cleveland. Sometimes people have items that we already have or interesting things that are just not a fit for our collections. In those cases, I can sometimes direct them to other institutions that will make better use of what they have to donate. I’m always happy to meet with people, because I always learn a little more about local history.
What’s The Jews of Cleveland project you’re working on?
WRHS has a long record of producing publications about local Jewish history in cooperation with the Federation. The first was Lloyd Gartner’s History of the Jews of Cleveland, followed by Merging Traditions, a photographic essay of Jewish life in Cleveland edited by Judah Rubinstein and Sidney Vincent, and Remembering: Cleveland’s Jewish Voices, edited by Sally H. Wertheim and Alan Bennett. There have been others, too, focusing on more specific subjects, such as Camp Wise and reminiscences of the shtetl. We are now working on The Jews of Cleveland, an anthology of scholarly essays on aspects of Cleveland Jewish history. Fifteen scholars from the United States, Canada and Israel have been engaged to write articles on topics such as Jewish families in the nineteenth century, Jews and the Civil War, philanthropy, education, religious life and suburbanization. Publication is expected in 2018.
How can someone get involved or learn more?
If someone is interested in volunteering with me at WRHS, has something to donate, or just has a question about Cleveland Jewish history, I can be reached at 216.721.5722, x1514 or smartin@wrhs.org.
The authors of The Jews of Cleveland project will be in town for a public seminar March 22-23 and all events are free and open to the public. As part of the seminar, Hasia Diner will give a public talk at the Maltz Museum, titled, “Local Jews, Global Stories: Cleveland Jewry and Modern Jewish History.” For more information on the two-day scholarly happenings, click here.
