To search the full text of this finding aid, type Ctrl and F on a PC. Mac users, type Command and F. A box will appear in the browser window. To search the full document, Open All must be selected first in the Detailed Description of the Collection.

Inventory of the Laufer Family Papers, 1910-circa 1945

Descriptive Summary

Abstract: Papers of the Laufer family, Polish immigrants who ran a kosher restaurant on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Materials include an original Laufer's Kosher Restaurant business card, naturalization certificates, a ketubah, and two family photographs. Most materials are photocopies. Also included are 12 cupping glasses or "bankas" used for medicinal purposes.
Title: Laufer family papers
Creator: Laufer family
Date(s): 1910-circa 1945  
Extent: 3 folders, 1 artifact box
Repository: Jewish Heritage Collection, Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries
66 George Street
Charleston, SC 29424
Phone: (843) 953-8016
Fax: (843) 953-6319
URL: http://archives.library.cofc.edu
Call Number: Mss 1034-076
Language of Material: Materials in English, Hebrew, and Polish

Back to Top

Biographical Note

Hersch "Haschmiel" Loffe and Tillie "Toba" Hufeizen, both Orthodox Jews from Mogelnitsa, Poland (near Warsaw), were married in 1910. Their first daughter, Rose Laufer Lerner, was born in 1912. Soon after, Hersch Loffe left Poland for New York City, where he worked until he had saved enough to bring his wife and daughter to the United States. Loffe's name was Anglicized to Harry Laufer on his arrival. The family arrived in 1915 on the Lusitania, which was sunk on its return voyage to Europe during World War I. Harry and Tillie Laufer had two more children in New York, Sadye Laufer Sunshine (1914-1993) and Jack Laufer (1918-1979).

The Laufer family moved to Charleston, South Carolina, circa 1920, where a number of Jews from Mogelnitsa had relocated. Shortly after, the Laufer's fourth child, Helen Laufer Dwork Berle (1923-2005), was born. The family attended Beth Israel and opened a clothing store on King Street. Tillie Laufer was known for her quality cooking, so in 1931, the family opened Laufer's Kosher Restaurant. The restaurant was a popular gathering place, especially for Jewish soldiers during World War II. They served dishes such as gefilte fish, chopped liver, matzo ball soup, roast brisket, and cole slaw. The restaurant closed in the mid-1950s.


Back to Top

Collection Overview

Papers of the Laufer family, Polish immigrants who ran a kosher restaurant on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Materials include an original Laufer's Kosher Restaurant business card, naturalization certificates, a ketubah; and slides, negatives, and photocopies of two family photographs. Most materials are photocopies. Also included are 12 cupping glasses or "bankas" used by Tillie Laufer for medicinal purposes.

Collection Arrangement

Materials are described at the folder level.


Back to Top

Search Terms

The following terms have been used to index this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person, family, or organization, by topical subject, by place, and by types of material.

    Names

    • Laufer family
    • Laufer, Tillie Hufeizen
    • Laufer's Kosher Restaurant (Charleston, S.C.)

    Subjects

    • Jewish marriage customs and rites
    • Jewish merchants--South Carolina--Charleston--History
    • Kosher restaurants--South Carolina--Charleston--History

    Places

    • Charleston (S.C.)

    Types of Material

    • Business cards
    • Naturalization records
    • Cupping glasses
    • Ketubahs
    • Marriage certificates
    • Negatives
    • Photocopies
    • Slides

    Back to Top

    Inventory



    Photocopies of documents, 1910, 1940, 1942, undated   folder 1
    Includes photocopies of Harry and Tillie Laufer's certifications of naturalization and ketubah from their marriage in 1910. The ketubah was translated by Rabbi David J. Radinsky (rabbi at Brith Sholom Beth Israel 1970-2004); his translation is included. Also present is an undated marriage document written in Polish.


    Laufer's Kosher Restaurant, 1940s, undated   folder 2
    Includes an original business card from the Laufer's Kosher Restaurant located on King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Also includes a photocopy from "A Portion of the People" exhibit that describes the Laufer's restaurant.


    Images, circa 1920-1928   folder 3
    Includes black and white slides, black and white negatives, and photocopies of two family photographs. Family members pictured include Tillie Laufer, Harry Laufer, Rose Laufer Lerner, Jack Laufer, Sadye Laufer, Helen Laufer Dwork Berle, Lipman Hufeizen, Joe Lerner, and Raymond Lerner. The Lerners were cousins to the Laufers.

    Cupping glasses, 1913
    (JHC oversize box 2 | 1 artifact box)
    12 cupping glasses ("bankas" in Yiddish) used for medicinal purposes. Tillie Laufer brought the glasses from Moranezia, Poland, to the United States on the Lusitania, which was sunk on its return voyage to Europe during World War I. The glasses were heated with a candle flame to reduce the air pressure inside the glass and applied to the chest of back to draw out illness.

    Back to Top

    Administrative Information

    Access Restrictions

    This collection is open for research.

    Copyright Notice

    The nature of the College of Charleston's archival holdings means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. Special Collections claims only physical ownership of most archival materials.

    The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Laufer family papers, College of Charleston Libraries, Charleston, SC, USA.

    Acquisitions Information

    Materials were donated circa 1998 by Helen Laufer Dwork Berle.

    Processing Information

    Processed by Sarah Dorpinghaus, March 2011.

    Encoded by Sarah Dorpinghaus, July 2011.

    Funding from the Council on Library and Information Resources supported the processing of this collection and encoding of the finding aid.

    Back to Top
    Table of Contents