| Status | Inactive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1854 or 1855 |
| Founder | Edward H. Bloch |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Headquarters location | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Publication types | Books |
| Nonfiction topics | Judaism |
| Official website | www |
Bloch Publishing Company is aJewishpublishing company in the United States. Founded by Edward H. Bloch in 1854, it is the oldest Jewish publishing company[1] and one of the oldestfamily businesses, in theUnited States.
Edward H. Bloch (born 1829, Grafenried,Bohemia; died 1906,Cincinnati, Ohio) founded the company in Cincinnati in 1854[2] (another source says 1855).[1] Edward's sister, Theresa Bloch, had marriedRabbiIsaac 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 theReform Jewish movement in the United States. When Rabbi Wise moved to Cincinnati, Bloch followed him; Rabbi Wise foundedThe Israelite newspaper, and after a short time Edward Bloch took over as publisher. RenamedThe American Israelite in 1874, and published by Rabbi Wise’s sonLeo Wise after 1888, this newspaper is said to be the longest-runningJewish newspaper in the United States.[1] Bloch also published the German-languageDie Deborah in Cincinnati, and he initiated Jewish newspapers in St. Louis and Chicago, including the ChicagoReform Advocate, founded in 1891 and edited by the influential Reform RabbiEmil G. Hirsch.[3]
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.[1]
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 toNew 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 toJacksonville, Florida.[2] As of 2021, the company no longer seems to be active.
Bloch Publishing published a wide variety of books of Jewish interest, both scholarly and popular,[4] including such classics asA Book of Jewish Thoughts by RabbiJoseph Hertz;[5]Peony byPearl S. Buck;[6]Joseph Klausner'sJesus of Nazareth;[7] andHugo Bettauer'sThe City Without Jews.[8]
Bloch Publishing produced a series of long-running Jewish cookbooks that were influential in the development ofAmerican Jewish cuisine.[9]“Aunt Babette’s” Cook Book[10] 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 fortreif (non-Kosher) ingredients such as pork, oysters, and shellfish, and in this and other ways reflected its roots in theassimilationist tendencies of the 19th-centuryReform Jewish movement.[9] After many years of success, in 1918, Bloch replaced"Aunt Babette's" Cook Book with a more Kosher-observant successor, Florence Kreisler Greenbaum'sThe International Jewish Cook Book,[11] authored by aHunter College graduate; Bloch billed it (not quite accurately) as "the first strictly kosher cook book ever published in English in this country."[9] In 1941, Mrs. Greenbaum's book was replaced by a more modern, expanded volume,The Jewish Cook Book, written byMildred Grosberg Bellin, aSmith College graduate who had already written a successful, smaller menu planner/cookbook for Bloch calledModern Jewish Meals.[9] Bellin's encyclopedic, 3,000-recipe cookbook was most recently revised and reissued in 1983 asThe Original Jewish Cookbook.[12]
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