About Revere, MA
Settled in the 1620s, Revere was first known as Rumney Marsh. In 1634, it was annexed to Boston and on January 10, 1739, it was established as the town of Chelsea, along with Pullen Point (Winthrop) and Winnisimmet (Chelsea). In 1846, Pullen Point and Rumney Marsh were incorporated into the town of North Chelsea. In 1851 Pullen Point became Winthrop and North Chelsea adopted the name of Revere on March 24, 1871.
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Shangri-La
s2_slides/2a.jpgSaval Family, c. 1950s. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Celebrating Rosh Hashanah, 1957
s2_slides/2b.jpgBea Paul’s Kitchen, Arlington Avenue. L-R: Max, Faith, Esther, Bea & Myer Paul (father-in-law), Sylvia Paul Burwen, Marilyn & Arthur Burwen. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Wheeler Girls at the Beach
s2_slides/4a.jpgRebecca and Lillian Wheeler and friends. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Wheeler’s Stand, Revere Beach, early 1920s
s2_slides/4b.jpgL-R: Patriarch David Wheeler, Rebecca Wheeler, unidentified, Lillian Wheeler. David Wheeler and his nine children arrived in Revere in the early part of the 20th century. The Wheelers became prominent among beachfront food merchants. This food stand stood in front of Hurley’s merry-go-round. Family members also ran the long stand in front of the Cyclone rollercoaster while others operated beach games and attractions. During and after WWII, one of David’s sons owned the Beach Cafeteria, located at the corner of Ocean Ave. and Beach St., across from the Tumble Inn. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Pony Ride on Shirley Avenue
s2_slides/7a.jpgMolly and Billy Silverman enjoy a pony ride in front of their house on the corner of Nahant and Shirley Ave., c. 1939 Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Morris and Fanny Feldman, Thornton St., c. 1930
s2_slides/8a.jpgMorris left Russia in 1915 before being drafted into the White Army. He became a carpenter, and was instrumental in building the shul on Walnut Avenue. Fanny and her sister came to this country from Vienna. Her sister settled in Providence, Rhode Island with her husband, who sold small bottles of aspirin in grocery stores. Their son went on to start the CVS stores. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Punk’s Corner, c. 1940
s2_slides/9a.jpgL-R: Mary Cohen Averbook, Rose Miller, Rose Harris, Esther Miller Stevelman, Esther Cohen Zidel, Ida Saxe Zidel, Standing: Annie Miller Zidel. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Shirley Avenue in the Winter, 1944
s2_slides/10c.jpgL-R, Front Row: Estelle Kettleman, Rayla Connors. Back Row: Lenore Sandler, Dottie Rosenfeld, and Ruth Lampert. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Revere Beach, 1945
s2_slides/12a.jpgL-R, First Row: Lenore Sandler and Marilyn Nathan. Back Row: Ruth Lampert and Loretta Molin. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Revere Jewish Community Center Basketball Team, 1963-4
s2_slides/RE004.jpgL-R: Archie Mellace (Coach), Brud Levine, Ronnie Ossen, Barry Moffee, Ira Novoselsky, Ron Ribeck, Chuck Swartz, Billy Feldberg, Howie Shaer, Mike Braverman, Paul Sokolove, Bobby Cohen, Billy Wheeler, Howard Cook, Bobby Zunick (Asst. Coach). Courtesy of Ira Novoselsky
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Punk’s Corner, 1949
s2_slides/13a.jpgLynne Fishman of Dorchester and Arthur Zolot of Chelsea meet at Punk’s Corner on Revere Beach. They have been married for over 50 years. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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S & M Meat Market, 1974
s2_slides/17a.jpgMyer’s Kosher Kitchen – owners were Sam and Myer. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Schwartz Restaurant and Delicatessen
s2_slides/17b.jpgLocated on the corner of Shirley Ave. and North Shore Rd. Reminiscences by Richard Schwartz: "Schwartz’ Deli was on Shirley Ave., of course, and it’s where I worked as a busboy from age 12 till I left for college in 1960. Three families co-owned it. Julius (called Juddy), his brother Dave, and Harry Stone… the Deli was a hub of activity, a meeting place for everyone including movers and shakers and the fact that it was open 24 hours meant that it fed a very interesting assortment of folks." Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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JCC
s2_slides/18a.jpgMrs. Frances Winick at the JCC. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Kadima Hebrew School
s2_slides/19a.jpgSeated, L-R: Norma Adelson, Ruth Simons, Evelyn Edelstein, Frances Tessler and Betty Schwartz. Standing, L-R: Harold Zamansky, George "Porkie" Rodenstein, Philip Margolin (President of School), Julius Keller (Principal), Max Abkowitz (Chairman of the Board of Education), Stanley Abkowitz, Robert Masters and Alan Lerner. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Graduation Day, 1948
s2_slides/22a.jpgGraduation Day at Revere High School, June 10, 1948. L-R: Leona Freedman Glazer with her mother, Anna Freedman and Estelle Kettleman. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Shirley Avenue
s2_slides/25a.jpgBessie Weiss and daughter Lil (Weiss) Rubin on the corner of Shirley Avenue and North Shore Road, April 1949. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Kadima Hebrew School
s2_slides/33a.jpgKadima Hebrew School, c. 1940. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Young Israel Chanukah Party, December 1949
s2_slides/39b.jpgL-R: Harold Weisman, Samuel Samuels (Director), Louis Kitsis (Assistant Director), Joel Samuels, Edward Goldstein. Courtesy of Linda Dubinsky and the Jewish Historical Society of the North Shore
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Rabbi Landes
s2_slides/B5.jpgRabbi Henry Azer and Bessie Landes. Rabbi Landes served the Revere community until his death in 1976.
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Graduation Certificate
s2_slides/B6.jpgEstelle Kettleman's Kadima Hebrew School Graduation Certificate, 1945
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Historical Postcard of Revere Beach
s2_slides/B7.jpgBeach Postcard
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Bathers at Revere Beach
s2_slides/B1.jpgOut from the water!
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Jews poured into Revere from Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. There were 137 Polish and Russian immigrants in Revere in 1885, most of them Jews, and 1,646 by 1915. By 1920 there were 5,000 Jewish families in Revere and in 1940, Jews constituted approximately twenty-five percent of the city’s population. Most of the Jews in Revere were concentrated around Shirley Avenue, which was the center of activity at that time. With Jewish businesses, synagogues and kosher markets, it represented the vibrancy of Jewish life, faith and culture in Revere. On Saturday night, all of the Jewish-owned businesses on Shirley Ave. would reopen after Shabbat and the streets would once again be filled with the vibrancy of Jewish life at that time.
Vilna
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Revere beach was the nexus of activity for adults and children alike. Jewish teenagers from Revere, Chelsea, Winthrop, Malden and Everett would congregate on summer days at “Punk’s Corner” to socialize and enjoy the amusements that Revere Beach had to offer. The beach served as a locale in which Jewish immigrants and their children came to embrace American culture in its entirety. One of the most famous Jewish immigrants to settle in Revere was Mary Antin, who gained fame through her autobiography, The Promised Land. In her account, she writes, “Into this grand cycle of the seaside day I came to live and learn and play….I came to live on the edge of the sea – I who had spent my life inland, believing that the great waters of the world were spread before me in the Dvina.” The beach not only represented summertime leisure, but a sense of increasing opportunity for the immigrants who settled there.