Passover advertisements

Family at the center of past celebrations

If you were asked to make word associations regarding preparations for Passover, your first thoughts would probably be cleaning and cooking. Passover ads in newspapers most often reflect these associations. But this historic 1924 American Express advertisement, originally appearing in a Yiddish newspaper and reprinted in the article “Unusual Passover Non Food Advertisements” in American Jewish Legacy Quarterly (Spring 2008), reveals yet another important pre-Passover task for America’s recently arrived Jewish immigrant families.

“Maintaining a close connection to family and friends in Europe was an important part of life for both American born and immigrant Jews. Friends and relatives in Europe often expected financial assistance from their brothers and sisters in the Goldena Medina (The Golden Land) – America. This was especially true before the Jewish holidays.

“Focusing on this need, companies such as American Express did a significant amount of business helping transfer funds from a number of cities across the United States to numerous locations throughout Europe. Some ads specifically mention ‘serving the countries of Poland, Galicia and Lithuania.’ The American Express Company created a number of advertisements appearing in Jewish newspapers prior to the holidays reminding their Jewish customers that ‘The holidays are almost here ... Remember your relatives in the Alta Heim (old home).’ This message – coupled with holiday theme line drawings, such as sitting by the Menorah on Hanukkah; Women cleaning the house for Passover; etc. – aimed to evoke memories of those less fortunate across the seas who would be happy to receive funds “by American Express – via radio, cable, post or money order.” Reprinted with permission from the American Jewish Legacy (ajlegacy.org).

The American Jewish Legacy (AJL) is a national effort to preserve and document the unique, rich history of traditional Jewish congregations, individuals and communities in the United States from Colonial times to the present. Working with noted academics, public and private archives, regional and national historic organizations across the country and abroad, the AJL has initiated projects and activities that seek to save this important historical resource and to gather archival information which is in imminent danger of being lost.

TOBY ROSSNER (tobyross@cox.net) was the director of media services at the Bureau of Jewish Education from 1978 to 2002.