Religious Presence
The Starr family
The Starr Family owned 49-51 Salem Street, which they utilized for Hebrew Baths. They were a prominent Jewish family on Salem Street.
Rebecca Starr:
Rebecca Starr was born in March of 1854 in Poland and lived in the 6th ward of Boston. She was a white female who immigrated to the United States in 1880. Before immigrating, she married her husband David Starr in 1872. The pair had 7 children: Goldie, Lena, Esther, Samuel, Benjamin, Harry, and Hyman.
David Starr:
David Starr was born in January of 1855 in Poland and immigrated to the United States with his wife in 1880. David was the head of his household, and rented and mortgaged his home before moving into their residence at Salem Street.
On October 6th of 1894, Solomon Viner and Simon Nodleman were put on trial for stealing $1085 from the safe of David and Rebecca Starr's Hebrew Baths storefront. The pair were asleep upstairs when the money, which was being saved for their daughter's wedding, was stolen. Rebecca Starr had heard the robbers at approx. 4am, and so had a bystander on the street.
Robbery at Hebrew baths
On the 20th of September 1895, Salem Street Jews were documented to have ceased work due to the celebration of the new year. Supposedly, "...every shop was closed and deserted", while other places of worship were heavily crowded. Newspapers documented this as "Salem Street's Holiday," highlighting the distinct importance this street had to the Jewish community.
Known Hebrew community
religious infleunce on business
On October 1st 1895, a newspaper story shared the controversy over shops being open or closed on Sundays. Because Salem Street was a predominantly Jewish community who observed their day of rest on Saturdays, Jewish shopkeepers did not need a day off for a Christian day of rest on Sundays. Some city leaders believed that stores should be "compelled to be closed" on the Lord's Day. Shopkeepers like M. Cohen of 21 Salem Street, at the time, supported this effort.
On September 10th, 1900, the conflict about Sunday as a business day was taken further. After going to court, it was concluded that shopkeepers would be fined $10 each if they kept their businesses open on Sundays. Because of this, Salem Street was quite dormant on Sundays. This caused backlash, as "...crowds began to gather..." and, "older men were the most bitter (at)... the police interfering with business". This community strife highlights how religion impacted business and community interaction in this time period.
Even shoppers were fearful of the police catching them when shopping at those businesses that snuck around the mandate. Barber shops were predominantly the storefronts still open, but others still did secret business. This mandate extended to Lowell Street and other surrounding streets where Jewish storeowners were also located.
references
The Starr Family:
“1900 United States Federal Census”, Rebecca Starr, HeritageQuest, https://www.ancestryheritagequest.com/discoveryui-content/view/23969705:7602?tid=&pid=&queryId=a08803d622b3f73dbda0993b3885d3b7&_phsrc=NOz71&_phstart=successSource
“1900 United States Federal Census”, David Starr, HeritageQuest, https://www.ancestryheritagequest.com/discoveryui-content/view/23969704:7602
Other:
“ASKING JUSTICE.: Hebrews Protest Against Sunday Closing.” The Boston Globe, 1 Oct. 1895.
“SALEM ST STORES CLOSED.: Some of the Hebrew Merchants, However, Did Business During the Day Under Precautions of an Elaborate Nature.” The Boston Globe, 10 Sept. 1900.
“SALEM STREET'S HOLIDAY. Synagogue on Baldwin Place Thronged All Day Long.” The Boston Globe, 20 Sept. 1895.
“THAT MISSING $1085.: Large Amount of Testimony Given Regarding the Money Reported Gone From Hebrew Baths.” The Boston Globe, 6 Oct. 1894.