The Golden Age of Five Jewish Families in Seattle

When I set out to write Standing on the Crack: The Legacy of Five Jewish Families from Seattle’s Vibrant Gilded Age, I wanted to tell a story that had been largely overlooked in our city’s historical narrative. Seattle’s past is often framed around lumber, gold, and aviation, but the Jewish families who arrived here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries also played a vital role in shaping the city we know today.

The book follows five families who immigrated from Europe between the 1860s and 1920s. Their journeys brought them to Seattle and Portland, where they built businesses, founded synagogues, and created social networks that anchored the Jewish community. These families stood on the “crack” between old and new worlds — leaving behind traditions in Europe while forging new lives in the Pacific Northwest.

As I researched, I was struck by how deeply these families influenced Seattle’s retail culture. From dry goods stores to department shops, their enterprises helped define the city’s commercial landscape. At the same time, they nurtured religious and cultural institutions that gave the Jewish community a sense of belonging. My goal was to weave together archival research and personal storytelling so that their legacies would feel both historically grounded and emotionally resonant.

To bring the book to life beyond its pages, I created a companion exhibit: a series of colorful banners filled with photographs, timelines, and artifacts. Two of the banners trace Seattle’s growth decade by decade, placing the families’ stories in the broader context of the city’s development. The exhibit has already been displayed at Congregation Beth Shalom and will be at the Stroum Jewish Community Center from January 11 through the end of February.

Writing this book has been a way of reclaiming a piece of Seattle’s heritage. I hope readers come away with a deeper appreciation for how immigrant families helped shape our civic identity, and how cracks in history can become bridges between generations.  We can be our family’s story-teller and pass our history to future generation.