Documenting Maine Jewry (DMJ; www.mainejews.org) is the source of much of the research and biographical information for the Portland Jewish History Trail.
DMJ The Oral History Project of Documenting Maine Jewry (2008-9). Forty interviews conducted with Maine Jews, conducted by DMJ volunteers in partnership with Portland Public Libraries https://digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/jewish_oral_history_2009/
Jewish Community Center (JCC): Portraits of the Past: The Jews of Portland (1976): A remarkable oral history collection project that interviewed 44 Jewish leaders. It was directed by Dr. Konnilyn G. Feig and commissioned by the Jewish Community Center. https://digitalcommons.portlandlibrary.com/jewish_oral_history/
The Maine Jewish History Project, a collaboration between Colby College’s Jewish Studies Department and Special Collections includes a helpful bibliography. https://web.colby.edu/jewsinmaine/
Lipez, Julia M. “A Time to Build Up and a Time to Break Down: The Jewish Secular Institutions of Portland, Maine”. B.A. Honors Thesis, Amherst College, 2002. https://web.colby.edu/jewsinmaine/files/2011/04/Lipez-Jewish-secular-institutions-of-Portland.pdf
Maine Historical Society, Maine Memory Network: The Jews of Maine. https://www.mainememory.net/sitebuilder/site/1887/page/3103/display
Band, Benjamin (1955). Portland Jewry: Its Growth and Development (Portland: Jewish Historical Society).
Local newspapers, (the Portland Press Herald, Portland Sunday Telegram and Evening Express), now digitized and searchable and available at newspapers.com, were a major primary source.
Specific references for each trail are listed below.
Boxer, M., Chandler, A., Levine, D., Martin, A., Magidin de Kramer, R., Friedman, I., Aronson, J.K., Brookner, M.A., & Saxe, L. (2025). Jewish Maine: The 2024 Community Study. Waltham, MA: Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and Steinhardt Social Research Institute, Brandeis University. https://www.brandeis.edu/cmjs/community-studies/maine-report.html
The Six Oldest Synagogues in New England, New England Historical Society
Shur, Barnett. “To the Children and Grandchildren of Joseph and Harry Shur.” Unpublished manuscript, 1982.
“Silver Wedding Party is Given Local Couple,” Portland Press Herald, Sep 12, 1929.
“Clarice Geller, Bride-to-be of Barnett Shur, Greeted at Tea,” Portland Press Herald, Jun 27, 1938.
“Death Record, John Buckley.” Portland Press Herald, Mar 11, 1945, p. 28
“Paul Robeson Acclaimed Here.” Evening Express, Oct 16, 1945.
“Ushers Announced for Robeson Concert,” Portland Press Herald, Oct 14, 1945.
“Jewish Home for the Aged Grew from Nickel a Week Savings of Portland YWHA Girls:” Portland Press Herald, Jan 13, 1929
1924 Portland Tax Records, Maine Memory Network, Items 51653, 63281, 86636
“Federal Furniture is Expanding Store Here:” Evening Express, November 05, 1949.
“Family-run Nelson Small executes a Smooth Break-Up:” Portland Press Herald, Dec 18, 2013.
Abraham Levey Obituary, Evening Express, Mar 10, 1976.
Obituary: Joseph L. Solely. Portland Press Herald, December 14, 2024.
Bartlett, Will. “Model Food Importers.” Portland Press Herald, September 11, 1997.
“Zeitmans denied a license to remain open on Sundays.” Portland Press Herald, February 19, 1924.
“Application for a liquor license.” Evening Express, January 06, 1920.
“Ten Arrested Under Secret Indictments,” Portland Sunday Telegram, January 13, 1924.
“Urge City Protection.”Portland Press Herald, February 19, 1924.
“License Fees are Fixed for Various Amusement Places:” Evening Express, May 20, 1924.
“William A. Holland Fights Liquor Charge.” Portland Press Herald, June 07, 1924.
“Spitz Puppies for sale.” Portland Press Herald, October 07, 1930.
“The End of Zeitman’s.” Evening Express, March 1980.
Portland Women’s History Trail (booklet): Working Women of the Old Port (WWOP), p.23 features Bessie Zeitman.
Portland Women’s History Trail and the related pamphlet: “Lodging Houses, Prostitution and Public Health” in Working Women of the Old Port: 2003.
Bell, Tom. “After 100 years, Portland’s Hub Furniture still going strong.” Portland Press Herald, March 03, 2013.
Freidenreich, David. “Redlining and the Jewish Communities in Maine”, Maine Memory Network (no date)
“Redline map of Portland and South Portland, 1935”, Maine Memory Network
Judge Louis Bernstein, Portraits of the Past: The Jews of Portland
“Max L Pinansky Named First Head of Inter-Racial Fellowship Chapter.” Portland Press Herald, April 28, 1931.
Lipez, Julia M. “A Time to Build Up and a Time to Break Down: The Jewish Secular Institutions of Portland, Maine”. B.A. Honors Thesis, Amherst College, 2002.
The Anti-Defamation League of B’nai Brith, March 1955 Facts Report, Documenting Maine Jewry
Dr. Benjamen Zolov, Portraits of the Past: The Jews of Portland
HH Price & Gerald E Talbot. Maine’s Visible Black History. Tilbury House Publishers, Gardiner, Maine, 2006.
Isaac Abrams Obituary. Portland Evening Express, October 16, 1922.
Local newspapers, Portland Evening Express and Portland Press Herald, ran 251 articles about Hiram Abrams, or referencing him, between 1910-1929. See https://www.newspapers.com/.
Russell, Francis. “The Knave of Boston.” American Heritage, August 1976.
Bernard Shalit, clothing store advertising examples. Portland Sunday Telegraph, Nov 11, 1910, Feb 26, 1911, Mar 5, 1911.
“Marlborough Rent Hikes Under Probe,” Evening Express, February 20, 1980.
Excerpt from Philip Levinsky Interview, Documenting Maine Jewry
MacMillan, Thomas Richard. “A ‘Real Social & Political Revolution’: Nativism, Class Conflict and Urban Reform in Portland, Maine (1840-1923).” University of Southern Maine MA Thesis, 2018.
Busby, Chris. “Making a buck in Maine.” The Bollard, February 2006.
Jews in Forest Park and Victory Village post-WWII, Documenting Maine Jewry
“Remember Me? The Life and Legacy of Jean Byers Sampson.” USM Publications (Annual Event Catalog)
Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, Bernard Osher Foundation
Williams, Robert C. Midcoast Senior College: The First Twenty Years. 2020.