Bloch Publishing Company
Encyclopedia
Bloch Publishing Company is the oldest Jewish publishing company, and one of the oldest ongoing family business
es, in the United States
.
; died 1906, Cincinnati, Ohio
) founded the company in Cincinnati in 1854 (another source says 1855). Edward’s sister, Theresa Bloch, had married Rabbi
Isaac Mayer Wise
in 1844, and Edward’s early activities were closely associated with those of his famous brother-in-law, who was laying the foundations of the Reform Jewish
movement in the United States. When Rabbi Wise moved to Cincinnati, Bloch followed him; Rabbi Wise founded The Israelite newspaper, and after a short time Edward Bloch took over as publisher. Renamed The American Israelite
in 1874, and published by Rabbi Wise’s son Leo Wise after 1888, this newspaper is said to be the longest-running Jewish newspaper in the United States. Bloch also published the German-language Die Deborah in Cincinnati, and he initiated Jewish newspapers in St. Louis and Chicago, including the Chicago Reform Advocate, founded in 1891 and edited by the influential Reform Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch.
Bloch began by publishing Rabbi Wise’s liturgies, hymnals, and other books for the Reform movement, and expanded to publish books and religious goods on a wide range of Jewish subjects as well as the occasional non-Jewish ones. He was also a successful manufacturer of flags; in fact, his obituary claimed that he was the inventor and first manufacturer of printed flags in the United States, although apparently this claim is not subject to independent verification.
Edward’s son, Charles E. Bloch (1861–1940), succeeded his father in control of the company. He opened a branch in Chicago and then moved the company to New York City
in 1901 (although Edward Bloch remained in Cincinnati, and held the title of president, until his death in 1906). The company called itself “The Jewish Book Concern” and its New York building became the largest Judaic bookstore in the country. The company was then run in turn by Charles's son, Edward H. Bloch (1898–1982), and then by the second Edward’s son, the second Charles E. Bloch (1927–2006). During this time, the small-book market declined and the company’s operations contracted but continued. After the second Charles’ death in 2006, his son, Mitchell E. Bloch, took over as the fifth generation of the Bloch family to run the company, and the company relocated from its historic offices in New York to Jacksonville, Florida
.
by Pearl S. Buck
; Joseph Klausner
’s Jesus of Nazareth; and Hugo Bettauer
’s The City Without Jews
.
Bloch Publishing is noted for a series of long-running Jewish cookbooks that were highly influential in the development of American-Jewish cuisine
. “Aunt Babette’s” Cook Book was first published in 1889 and was the first truly successful American Jewish cookbook. Along with traditional Jewish recipes, it also contained an extensive selection of recipes for treif (non-Kosher) ingredients such as pork, oysters, and shellfish, and in this and other ways reflected its roots in the assimilationist tendencies of the 19th-century Reform Jewish movement. After many years of success, in 1918, Bloch replaced “Aunt Babette’s” Cook Book with a more Kosher-observant successor, Florence Kreisler Greenbaum’s The International Jewish Cook Book, authored by a Hunter College
graduate; Bloch billed it (not quite accurately) as “the first strictly kosher cook book ever published in English in this country.” In 1941, Mrs. Greenbaum’s book was replaced by a more modern, expanded volume, The Jewish Cook Book, written by Mildred Grosberg Bellin
, a Smith College
graduate who had already written a successful, smaller menu planner/cookbook for Bloch called Modern Jewish Meals. Bellin’s encyclopedic, 3,000-recipe cookbook was most recently revised and reissued in 1983 as The Original Jewish Cookbook and it remains available from Bloch.
Family business
A family business is a business in which one or more members of one or more families have a significant ownership interest and significant commitments toward the business’ overall well-being....
es, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Edward H. Bloch (born 1829, Grafenried, BohemiaBohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
; died 1906, Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
) founded the company in Cincinnati in 1854 (another source says 1855). Edward’s sister, Theresa Bloch, had married Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Isaac Mayer Wise
Isaac Mayer Wise
Isaac Mayer Wise , was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.-Early life:...
in 1844, and Edward’s early activities were closely associated with those of his famous brother-in-law, who was laying the foundations of the Reform Jewish
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
movement in the United States. When Rabbi Wise moved to Cincinnati, Bloch followed him; Rabbi Wise founded The Israelite newspaper, and after a short time Edward Bloch took over as publisher. Renamed The American Israelite
The American Israelite
The American Israelite is a Jewish weekly newspaper published in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1854 as The Israelite and assuming its present name in 1874, it is the longest-running English-language Jewish newspaper still published in the United States.The paper's founder, Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise,...
in 1874, and published by Rabbi Wise’s son Leo Wise after 1888, this newspaper is said to be the longest-running Jewish newspaper in the United States. Bloch also published the German-language Die Deborah in Cincinnati, and he initiated Jewish newspapers in St. Louis and Chicago, including the Chicago Reform Advocate, founded in 1891 and edited by the influential Reform Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch.
Bloch began by publishing Rabbi Wise’s liturgies, hymnals, and other books for the Reform movement, and expanded to publish books and religious goods on a wide range of Jewish subjects as well as the occasional non-Jewish ones. He was also a successful manufacturer of flags; in fact, his obituary claimed that he was the inventor and first manufacturer of printed flags in the United States, although apparently this claim is not subject to independent verification.
Edward’s son, Charles E. Bloch (1861–1940), succeeded his father in control of the company. He opened a branch in Chicago and then moved the company to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1901 (although Edward Bloch remained in Cincinnati, and held the title of president, until his death in 1906). The company called itself “The Jewish Book Concern” and its New York building became the largest Judaic bookstore in the country. The company was then run in turn by Charles's son, Edward H. Bloch (1898–1982), and then by the second Edward’s son, the second Charles E. Bloch (1927–2006). During this time, the small-book market declined and the company’s operations contracted but continued. After the second Charles’ death in 2006, his son, Mitchell E. Bloch, took over as the fifth generation of the Bloch family to run the company, and the company relocated from its historic offices in New York to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
Notable Books
Bloch Publishing has published a wide variety of books of Jewish interest including such classics as A Book of Jewish Thoughts by Rabbi Joseph Hertz; PeonyPeony (book)
Peony is a novel by Pearl S. Buck first published in 1948. It is a story of China's Kaifeng Jews.-Plot introduction:Peony is set in the 1850s in the city of K'aifeng, in the province of Honan, which was historically a center for Chinese Jews...
by Pearl S. Buck
Pearl S. Buck
Pearl Sydenstricker Buck also known by her Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu , was an American writer who spent most of her time until 1934 in China. Her novel The Good Earth was the best-selling fiction book in the U.S. in 1931 and 1932, and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932...
; Joseph Klausner
Joseph Klausner
Joseph Gedaliah Klausner , , was a Jewish historian and professor of Hebrew Literature. He was the chief redactor of The Hebrew Encyclopedia...
’s Jesus of Nazareth; and Hugo Bettauer
Hugo Bettauer
Hugo Bettauer , born Maximilian Hugo Bettauer, was a prolific Austrian writer and journalist, who was murdered by a Nazi Party follower on account of his controversial views...
’s The City Without Jews
The City Without Jews
Die Stadt ohne Juden is an Austrian Expressionist film made in 1924 by H. K. Breslauer, based on the book of the same title by Hugo Bettauer. The film is one of the few surviving Expressionist films from Austria, and has therefore been well researched...
.
Bloch Publishing is noted for a series of long-running Jewish cookbooks that were highly influential in the development of American-Jewish cuisine
Jewish cuisine
Jewish Cuisine is a collection of the different cooking traditions of the Jewish people worldwide. It is a diverse cuisine that has evolved over many centuries, shaped by Jewish dietary laws and Jewish Festival and Sabbath traditions...
. “Aunt Babette’s” Cook Book was first published in 1889 and was the first truly successful American Jewish cookbook. Along with traditional Jewish recipes, it also contained an extensive selection of recipes for treif (non-Kosher) ingredients such as pork, oysters, and shellfish, and in this and other ways reflected its roots in the assimilationist tendencies of the 19th-century Reform Jewish movement. After many years of success, in 1918, Bloch replaced “Aunt Babette’s” Cook Book with a more Kosher-observant successor, Florence Kreisler Greenbaum’s The International Jewish Cook Book, authored by a Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
graduate; Bloch billed it (not quite accurately) as “the first strictly kosher cook book ever published in English in this country.” In 1941, Mrs. Greenbaum’s book was replaced by a more modern, expanded volume, The Jewish Cook Book, written by Mildred Grosberg Bellin
Mildred Grosberg Bellin
Mildred Grosberg Bellin was an American cookbook author. She is most noted for her influential cookbooks Modern Jewish Meals and The Jewish Cookbook, which brought modern nutritional ideas into Jewish cooking....
, a Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
graduate who had already written a successful, smaller menu planner/cookbook for Bloch called Modern Jewish Meals. Bellin’s encyclopedic, 3,000-recipe cookbook was most recently revised and reissued in 1983 as The Original Jewish Cookbook and it remains available from Bloch.