Camden People - Rabbi Naftali Riff

RABBI NAFTALI RIFF was the revered spiritual leader of Congregation Sons of Israel, which was located at 1128 South 8th Street, the corner of South 8th and Sycamore Streets. An Orthodox synagogue, Sons of Israel was popularly known in Camden's Jewish Community as the "8th Street Schul". Rabbi Riff led Sons of Israel from the early 1920s through the late 1960s.

Rabbi Riff was born in Bobrisk, in the guberniya (province) of Minsk, Russia on September 9, 1893. He came to the United States by way of Seattle in 1916 and by 1918 was ordained as a Rabbi. He had already

come to Camden by September of 1918, when he registered for the draft. He then was boarding at the home of a hatmaker, Morris Gelman and his wife Sarah, 1112 Baring Street, just north of Kaighn Avenue. Rabbi Riff was at that time already serving as the head Rabbi at Sons of Israel, which had been founded in 1886.

Rabbi Riff applied for citizenship in December of 1920. By that time he had moved to 507 Mt. Vernon Street. By 1923 he had moved to 1426 Princess Avenue in Camden's Parkside neighborhood. He brought his wife Bessie (Basja) to America from Russia in the summer of 1923 and became an American citizen in 1924. The Riffs had one child, a daughter named Roselynn. The Riff family resided on Princess Avenue through at least 1959.

Rabbi Riff led the Congregation in Camden for almost 50 years. In the late 1960s, changes in Camden's demographics and the imminent construction of interstate highway Route 676 caused Congregation Sons of Israel to move to a new building in Cherry Hill. The 8th Street Schul was demolished shortly afterwards.

When Rabbi Riff stepped down from the pulpit in the late 1960s he retired to Israel, where his wife passed away. He became sick and returned to New York, where he passed in October of 1976. Besides his work in Camden at Sons of Israel, Rabbi Riff was the President from 1958 until 1976 of the highly respected Ezra's Torah charitable organization, which has funded a variety of programs in Israel since 1915. The Rabbi Naftali Riff Yeshiva in South Bend IN, which operates as a high school and as a rabbinical college, was named in his memory.

Camden Courier-Post - June 4, 1933

Funds to Aid Women's Home, Talmud Torah and Free Loan

A campaign to raise funds for the Federation of Jewish' Charities of Camden was launched yesterday under the chairmanship of E. George Aaron. The drive will continue a week.

Funds raised will be contributed to the support of the Hebrew Ladies' Sheltering Home, the Talmud Torah, and the Free Loan Fund.

The campaign, Aaron' announced, will be aided by the Jewish charitable organizations of Camden and the following have been named team captains:

Rabbi N, Riff, Samuel Shane, L. Tarter, S. Lippman, A. Barbell, J. Grossberg, H. Odlen, Leon Rose, Lewis Liberman, Mrs. S. Litow, Mrs. M. Shapiro, Mrs. H. Kaplan, Mrs. S. Shane, Mrs. R. Bukstel. Mrs. F. Bloom, Mrs. V. Gerber and Mrs. S. S. Lewis.

There will be a meeting in the Talmud Torah tonight, when Rabbi B. L. Levinthal, of Philadelphia, will speak in support of the campaign.

Camden Courier-Post - June 7, 1933

JEWISH CHARITIES RAISE $1500 HERE
Camden Federation to Continue Campaign All This Week

More than $1500 in pledges and in cash have been received in the campaign of the Camden Federation of Jewish Charities, it was announced last night by E. George Aaron, chairman of the campaign committee. The drive will continue through this week.

Campaign workers seeking funds for the Hebrew Ladies' Charities, Sheltering Home, Camden Talmud Torah and Free Loan Fund follow: Rabbi N. Riff, Mr. and Mrs. S. Shane, Mrs. R. Bukstel, Mrs. S. Litow, Mrs. M. Shapiro, Mrs. H. Kaplan, Mrs. L. Creskoff, Mrs. B. Ostroff, Mrs. S. Goldstein Mrs. A. Goodman, Mrs. S. Masel, Mrs. M. Koll, Mrs. F. Bloom, Mrs. M. Cornrich, Mrs. V. Gerber, Mrs. L. Weiss and Mrs. S. Soloff, Leon H. Rose, Lewis Liberman, A. Barbell, S. S. Lewis, J. Grossberg, B. Greenberg, S. Lippman, J. Ruttenberg, S. Stein. H. Odlen, J. Block, O. Praissman, S. Naden, D. Lefkowitz, and David Epstein.

Camden Courier-Post - June 15, 1933

Mrs. Michael Shapiro Heads Hebrew Charities

Mrs. Michael Shapiro has been installed as president of the Camden Hebrew Ladies' Charities with headquarters at the Talmud Torah, 621 Kaighn Avenue, for the coming year.

In addition to Mrs. Shapiro the following members of the executive board were installed: Mrs. Rose Bellitz, first vice president; Mrs. Sarah Seidman, second vice president; Mrs. A. Bitman, treasurer; Mrs. Rose Worthrich, financial secretary; Mrs. Louis Creskoff, corresponding secretary; Mrs. Benjamin Ostroff, recording secretary.

The following committees have been named: Mrs. Hyman Kaplan, chairman of the investigations committee; Mrs. W. Waldman, chairman of the meal tickets committee; Mrs. Kaplan and Mrs. Samuel Litow, co-chairmen in charge of food orders.

Rabbi N. Riff, of the Congregation Sons of Israel, addressed the group at the installation and urged harmony and co-operation in the organization as a means to the greatest accomplishment in its work..

Camden Courier-Post - June 24, 1933

JEWS END CAMPAIGN TO RAISE CHARITY FUNDS

The Federation of Jewish Charities concluded its campaign for funds Thursday night with a banquet attended by workers and directors of the organization, at the Talmud Torah, 621 Kaighn Avenue.

E. George Aaron, chairman of the campaign, announced that more than $5000 was pledged. Talks were made by Herman Odlen, Samuel Shane, Samuel Lippman, A. Barbell, Mrs. S. Litow, Mrs. M. Shapiro and Mrs. C. Riff.

Rabbi N. Riff presented a walking stick to Aaron for his work as head of the drive.

Camden Courier-Post - June 28, 1933

<JEWS WILL PUSH AID FOR HITLER VICTIMS
All Organizations Join in Plan to Raise $10,000 Relief Fund

Representatives of every Jewish organization in Camden were in attendance last night at an emergency meeting of the United Committee for relief of German Jews, held in Talmud Torah Hall, Kaighn Avenue near Seventh Street, when plans to complete a drive for $10,000 by July 3 were adopted.

Leon H. Rose, Camden attorney and chairman of the committee, appointed a special committee to push the drive for funds to aid the 600,000 German Jews, victims of Hitler persecution.

Addresses were made at the meeting by Rabbi N. S. Arnoff, of Beth El Synagogue and Rabbi N. Riff, of Sons of Israel Synagogue. The committee includes Mark Marritz, Samuel Shane, Bella Ostroff, Joseph Shapiro, Mrs. Esther Rosen, Mary Mann, Benjamin Friedman, Herman Odlen, Harry W. Markowitz, Mrs. William Laud, A. David Epstein, M. Snyder, Louis Tartar, Dr. I. S. Siris, J. Richterman, Mrs, David Esterman, Harry Steinberg, Sylvia Sandgrund and Mrs. Hattie Michel.

An additional $300 was collected at the meeting and turned over to Lewis Liberman, assistant city solicitor, who is treasurer of the committee.

Camden Courier-Post - February 1, 1938

NOTED RABBI SPEAKS IN CAMDEN TONIGHT
Jewish Community to Fete Dr. Goldstein, President of Palestine Fund

Rabbi Israel Goldstein, of New York, president of the Jewish National Fund of America, will speak tonight at a mass meeting at the Hotel Walt Whitman, in celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Jewish National Fund.

Preceding the meeting, he will be the guest at a dinner tendered by members of the Jewish community here.

Leon H, Rose, Camden attorney, who is president of the Jewish National Fund Conncil of Southern New Jersey, will be toastmaster. Rabbis N. H. J. Riff and Philip L. Lipis [of Congregation Beth El- PMC] will speak.

Dr. Goldstein is rabbi of Congregation B'nai Jeshrun, and active in Jewish communal, civic and interfaith movements. He is a member of the New York Regional Relations Board and of the National Executive Committee on Workers and Farmers Rights, and president of the Jewish Conciliation Court of America. The Jewish National Fund of America, of which he is head, has for its purpose the purchase of land in Palestine.

Those at the dinner will include:

David Breslau, Ben Zion Steinberg, Isaac Singer, Mrs. Samuel Kaplan, Mrs. Abraham Kaplan, Samuel Varbalow, Meyer Adelman, E. George Aaron, Jacob Leventon, Jesse Satenstein, Lewis Liberman, A. J. Rosenfeld, Judge Joseph Varbalow, Elias Klein, Mark Marritz, Albert B. Melnik, Dr. Samuel H. Blank, Barney B. Brown, Jacob Naden, Samuel Ginns, Ernest Dubin, Ellis Goodman, Leon Naden, Louis Rovner, Joseph Ruttenberg. Morris Liebman, Albert Caplan, Lester Abrahamer, I. J. Milask, Isadore H. Hermann, Milton C. Nurock, Harry Trautenberg, Manuel Winigrad, Hanan Yarden, Morris Drob and Mrs. Dora E. Rose.

Scroll down for a translation of this letter written by Rabbi Riff

The script in the middle of the two printed addresses on the stationery is the hardest to make out, and it’s unfortunate, because it’s the date! It reads:

Baruch Hashem Blessed be God. Wednesday, the fifth of the month Marcheshvan in the year of creation 5708 or 5728. [this corresponds to either November 28, 1947 or November 20, 1964. I would guess it’s 1947 because I’m not sure if Rabbi Riff was still active as late as 1964, but I don’t know.]

To my exalted, respected, dear cousin, Rabbi __________, may he long live, [a pity, the name is obscured] Shalom, and blessings.

I am requesting my exalted and dear cousin, in every language of entreaty, to perform an act of charity [a bit of a guess because the writing is not entirely clear] on behalf of the daughter of my departed brother-in-law, Reb Mordechai Sand...[complete name obscured] of blessed memory, who is an orphan of her father and mother, ….??...[a few obscure words] that if you would be able to try and [arrange] her acceptance to the Mizrachi School for Young Girls in Tel Aviv, it would be good; and if you were not successful, an admissions to a different place. If you would inform me of your efforts in this.

I look forward to the compassions of heaven.

Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Riff

Thanks to Elliot Rosen for taking the time to translate this letter

World War I Draft Card June 5, 1917 Click on Images to Enlarge

Mrs. Riff comes to America Ships Manifest SS Kroonland - July 18, 1923

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Petition for Naturalization - March 4, 1924

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