The Cohen Family of Biddeford, Maine
The Memories of Beatrice Cohen Espovich
Interviewer: Carole Kolker
And the only people who were active in the Arbeiter Ring was a family by the name of Stern. …. And the parents were the freethinkers of the community. ... My mother used to say — “Arbeiter Ring, you know, the Workman's Circle.” It was beneath her. I don't know where my mother had her sense of snobbery. She didn't want us to have friends—I had many friends who were non-Jews. And she had such a feeling of—Oh, God, Galicia. If I ever brought home a Galatzianer, I mean, she'd have killed me. I don't know where that snobbery came from. But she did have it. And my uncles and aunts had it. Absolutely. If you weren't a Litvak, you know, you were nothing. |
November 8, 1921: La Justice De Biddeford, p4
January 13, 1922: Biddeford Weekly Journal, p5: Benjamin Stern Biddeford representative.
January 27, 1922: Biddeford Weekly Journal, p8
February 26, 1953: Biddeford Daily Journal: Thirty Years Ago:
Fire in Stern property
May 9, 1953: Biddeford Daily Journal: Thirty Years Ago:
Stern will rebuild better
January 29, 1929: Biddeford Daily Journal, p2: Celia Stern and Junior Social Club
Isadore Thorner became my Uncle Irving.
February 18, 1929: Biddeford Daily Journal, p2, Workmans Circle
Houses of worship, Saco, Maine, edited by Kitty Chadbourne, et al. Chapter: A History of Congregation Etz Chaim, Biddeford, Maine, by Jennie E. Aranovitch,
The Workmen’s Circle
Biddeford-Saco Jews were also active in the Workmen’s Circle, otherwise known as The Arbeiter (Yiddish for “Worker”) Ring, a Jewish labor fraternal order. Founded in 1892, the Workmen’s Circle became a national organization in 1900 and was dedicated to supporting the labor and socialist movements of the world, while being closely linked to Jewish unions and the Yiddish labor press. Some of its goals were to promote Jewish education, to preserve Yiddish language, arts, and culture, to provide members with health and death benefits, and to bring about social change in America. Membership peaked in 1925 with 87.000 members nationwide. As membership subsequently dropped, the organization shifted its focus from political ideology to Jewish cultural activities. Biddeford-Saco Chapter 71 of the Workmen’s Circle used Etz Chaim as its meeting place. |
What!! What?? What!!
December 21, 1929: Biddeford Daily Journal, p2, Joseph Abelorvitz, Benjamin Stern, Abraham Thorner
Is this
Abelorvitz kin to Minnie Abelovitz, a guest at Celia's January 1929 party? (see above)
April 9, 1930 Census: 50 Herring Ave, Biddeford, Maine
Benjamin Stern; 45, Rose Stern; 43, Arthur Stern; 17, Celia Stern; 16, Saul Stern; 14, Samson Stern; 12
the Thorners lived at 74 Mason Street, Biddeford
September 9, 1930: Biddeford Daily Journal, Page 8, Ben Stern elected
February 4, 1931: Biddeford Daily Journal, p1: Old Age Pension Bill
February 4, 1941: Biddeford Daily Journal: 10 Years Ago: Old Age Pension
August 13, 1941: Biddeford Daily Journal: 10 Years Ago: Old Age Pension Committee
April 11, 1942: Biddeford Daily Journal: 10 Years Ago: Benjamin Stern files nomination papers
September 13, 1932: Biddeford Daily Journal, Page 8, Ben Stern reelected
January 3, 1953: Biddeford Daily Journal: Twenty Years Ago: Stern leaves for Augusta
April 4, 1953: Biddeford Daily Journal: Twenty Years Ago: Stern reports passage of new Biddeford caucus law and charter bills
October 23, 1933: Anne Thorner Stack Diary
October 25, 1933: Anne Thorner Stack Diary
November 12, 1933: Anne Thorner Stack Diary
White Church
December 15, 1933: Biddeford Daily Journal, Page 6, Ben Stern Child Labor
December 15, 1953: Biddeford Daily Journal: Twenty Years Ago: Stern submits resolve to ratify US Constitution to regulate child labor
December 16, 1933: Anne Thorner Stack Diary
December 18, 1933: Biddeford Daily Journal, p6, Socialist Local
March 3, 1934: Anne Thorner Diary
BTS: Possibly Selma Sachs
March 4, 1934: Anne Thorner Diary
Young Circle League of America was the youth group of the Yiddish-oriented Workmen's Circle
March 5, 1934: Anne Thorner Diary
March 16, 1944: Biddeford Daily Journal: Ten Years Ago: Asks Governor Brann's aid
March 22, 1934: Biddeford Daily Journal, p2, Young Circle League
Young Circle League of America was the youth group of the Yiddish-oriented Workmen's Circle
April 28, 1934: Biddeford Daily Journal, p5
April 10, 1934: Anne Thorner Diary
Apparently some in the the music unit harbored dangerous anarchistic attitudes toward dancing.
April 13, 1934: Anne Thorner Diary
May 2, 1934: Biddeford Daily Journal, p3, May Day
August 17, 1934: Anne Thorner Diary
August 18, 1934: Biddeford Daily Journal, p2
August 18, 1954: Biddeford Daily Journal: Twenty Years Ago: Celia birthday party
October 1, 1935: Anne Thorner Diary
November 14, 1945: Biddeford Daily Journal: Ten Years Ago: Stern will head Farmer-Labor ticket
December 10, 1935: Anne Thorner Diary
July 2, 1946: Biddeford Daily Journal: Ten Years Ago: Stern will draft Farmer-Labor party platform
August 8, 1936: Biddeford Daily Journal, p2: Norman Thomas introduced by Benjamin S. Stern, former representative to the legislature.
August 12, 1936: Anne Thorner Diary: Celia went to hear Norman Thomas in Portland
February 27, 1947: Biddeford Daily Journal: Ten Years Ago: Stern favors changes in local caucus bill.
May 1937: Maine: L to R: Celia Stern, Anne Thorner and Tyna Simensky on Anne's cousin Jerry Thorner's car.
March 27, 1954: Biddeford Maine Journal: Ten Years Ago: Stern will seek Democratic nomination
March 28, 1944: Biddeford-Daily-Journal, p6: Candidate for Senate
August 21, 1944: Biddeford Daily Journal, p1: Prominent Democrats gather
September 9, 1944: Biddeford Daily Journal, p8: State Senate Ad
"The Father of the Old-Age Pension Bill"
Photo by Jennie Aranovitch courtesy of Congregation Etz Chaim, Biddeford, Maine
May 26, 1948: La Justice De Biddeford, p1: Fundraising Campaign for Notre Dame Hospital, built in 1950
June 29, 1948: Biddeford-Daily-Journal, p8: Franklin Epstein of Workmen's Circle.
"Mr. Stern was one of the group mainly responsible for the institution of a branch of the order here several years ago."
January 25, 1955: Biddeford-Daily-Journal p2: Ben Stern Farewell
January 31, 1955: Biddeford-Daily-Journal p1: Ben Stern Honored by B'nai Brith
image thanks to Renée Burkett, Special Collections Librarian, McArthur Library
December 26, 1956: The Philadelphia Inquirer: Rose Stern obituary
December 23, 1975: Biddeford-Saco-Journal: Benjamin S. Stern obituary.
December 16, 1975: Benjamin S. Stern headstone
January 30, 1962: Biddeford Saco Journal
March 7, 1973: Biddeford Saco Journal: Celia Stern Wilson obit
August 4, 2021: Main Street, Biddeford, Maine
Judith Peller Hallett, Celia's daughter, Ben's granddaughter
December 3, 2010: Lewiston Sun Journal, Tyna Simensky Merdek obit with photo
Anne Thorner Stack January 30, 1916—May 24, 2012
Maine Jewish Hall of Fame 2019 Induction Ceremony Program Book |
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My father's mother, Ethel Oldstein from Nowy Dwor, Maz, Poland, was a first cousin of the grandfather of Morton Knecht, whose oral history produced by the Stephen Spielberg Shoah Project mentions that as a child he was affiliated with SKIF, the kids' section of the Tsukunft, the youth organization of the Bund. Morton's father, Iser, was a very active member of the Bund. |
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WLOCLAWEK and KUJAWY MEMORIAL BOOK
lists a thus-far unknown member of my grandfather Abraham Thorner's family here: "...a youth organization, 'Zukunft,' which now developed under the leadership of Shiye Chrzonstowski. The youth conducted independent cultural activities. " |
