Jewish Home for Aged

158 North Street

thecedarsportland.org

158 North Street sits near the crest of a hill with uninterrupted views west over Back Cove all the way to Mount Washington in New Hampshire – a view as enjoyable now as it must have been in times past. Today, it’s an apartment building operated by the Volunteers of America, but from 1929 to 1991, this was the site of The Jewish Home for Aged.

The need for a senior nursing home was identified back in December 1911, when a group of “Portland girls” organized a local chapter of the Young Women’s Hebrew Association (YWHA). The YWHA differed from the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA); whereas the men’s group was focused on Americanism, the YWHA focused on creating a modern American Jewish identity that retained its Jewishness. Their mission was the propagation of Jewish ideals, traditions, culture, and religion, and their focus was “to make Jewish girls grow up into Jewish women.”

But the Portland YWHA chapter had a different primary goal: to establish a Jewish home for the elderly. They set membership dues at a whopping five cents a week. It took eighteen years of patient saving and ceaseless advocacy to convert an initially lukewarm community and generally sporadic interest in their project, to one of “spirited enthusiasm.” But the YWHA’s efforts were rewarded in 1929, when the cornerstone was laid at the opening ceremony. Crucially, they had by now engaged the support of the male Jewish leadership; Morris Sacknoff became president and Harry Potter the vice president. The Home by then was enthusiastically supported by the whole Portland Jewish community.

Of course, after 18 years, most of the young women of the YWHA were no longer “young.” Etta R. Sivolos (1895 - 1973), who at age 16 was one of the “girls,” had by 1917 become Mrs. Benjamin Goldberg of Federal Furniture. A recording secretary for the YWHA throughout, she then became an officer of the board of the new Jewish Home for Aged (as financial and recording secretary), as well as recording secretary of the Ladies’ Auxiliary. The Auxiliary by that point had more than 300 members, including Bessie Zeitman (Stop M03).

The Home was officially opened on September 15, 1929 in the presence of Portland Jewish leaders like Maine Governor William Tudor Gardiner, and other dignitaries. In the first few years it was run by its volunteer board, but by the mid-1930s it had a professional staff. In 1930 there were 15 residents, by 1945 there were 35, and the Home included a synagogue and a general reception area. In the 1950s, services were expanded to include medical and short and long-term nursing care. In 1960, the Home became an accredited nursing home and received $11,000 in federal funds to expand its facilities. It was now open to people of all backgrounds, which meant that Portland’s Jews were actively supporting social welfare in the city.

Over the years, the demand for services expanded and a refresh was in order, and a new capital campaign was launched. In 1991, the Home moved to Ocean Avenue in the outer Portland suburbs and was renamed “The Cedars.” The Cedars is now the most comprehensive non-profit retirement community in Maine and Northern New England. Its 14-acre campus offers a full continuum of living and healthcare options for older adults. Like other Jewish social service organizations established in the 20th century, Cedars now serves people of all faiths and backgrounds. Fittingly, the former Jewish Home for Aged at this Munjoy Hill address was eventually sold to Volunteers of America (VOA). That deal was brokered by James (Jamie) Broder, the Home’s then-board president and counsel to the VOA, and thus the facility continues to provide much-needed services.