Collections : [Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford]

The Solomon Schechter Day School was founded by a group of Conservative rabbis, parents, and educators in 1971. The school initially provided an extensive Judaic curriculum in addition to a full standard academic program for children in Kindergarten through grade six. Originally housed in Emanuel Synagogue on Mohegan Drive in West Hartford, the school is now housed in the renovated former public school building on s on Buena Vista Road in West Hartford. The school now provides a dual Jewish/secular education to students at the early childhood, elementary, and middle school levels.

Sophie Tucker (1884-1966) known as the “Last of the Red Hot Mamas” was a popular vaudeville performer during the early and mid twentieth century. Her humorous, slightly bawdy renditions of Yiddish and English songs captivated large audiences on the stage, radio, and television. Although less well-known today in her own right, Tucker provided the inspiration for comedian Bette Middler’s stage persona and performance style. Tucker was born Sophie Kalish in Russia and grew up in Hartford from the age of three months. While traveling to the United States by ship, her father changed the family name to “Abuza.” Sophie’s musical career was launched when she began singing for customers in her parents’ kosher restaurant. After marrying Louis Tuck in 1903, Sophie changed her name to “Tucker.” She had one son, Burt, born in 1906, shortly before she divorced husband Louis. Sophie left for New York as a very young woman, leaving her son in the care of her family. Her career began slowly, but she eventually became a noted celebrity. Although she never saw herself as an iconoclast, today Sophie Tucker is regarded as a daring female pioneer in the entertainment field. During World War II copies of Tucker’s recordings of “My Yiddishe Momme” were destroyed by the Nazi in an effort to wipe out any traces of nostalgia for Jewish culture. Tucker never forgot her Hartford roots and frequently performed for local charity benefits. She was particularly loyal to the Hebrew Home, of which her mother was a founder.

In 1942 Rabbi Hans Bodenheimer and other German Holocaust survivors founded Congregation Tikvoh Chadoshoh "New Hope" in Hartford. After meeting in borrowed space for many years, the Congregation's first building was dedicated in 1956. In 1971, following a series of anti-Semitic acts in Hartford, the congregation built a new synagogue in Bloomfield. Rabbi Bodenheimer served as spiritual leader of the Congregation until his retirement