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Pisko, Seraphine Eppstein, 1861-1942

 Person

Biography

Seraphine Eppstein Pisko (1861-1942) was known for her charitable work in Denver, Colorado, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and she was most likely the first Jewish woman in America to head a national Jewish organization. She was born to Max and Bertha Eppstein on January 1, 1861, in St. Joseph, Missouri, and the family moved to Denver in 1875. She married Denver businessman Edward Pisko in 1878 when she was seventeen, and the couple moved to New York. Within a few years he died, and she returned to Denver. She never remarried, but raised five children. Seraphine Pisko served as president of the Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society and of the Denver Chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW). She later became vice president of the NCJW board at the national level. She began working at National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives (NJH) as a field secretary, a fundraiser, in 1900, and in 1911 she became the executive secretary of National Jewish Hospital and served in that position until 1938 when she retired. Pisko was actively involved in both Jewish and secular social organizations, gaining national renown for her organizational strengths as well as her social efforts. She died in Denver in 1942.

Found in 11 Collections and/or Records:

A Legacy of Leadership: Colorado Jewish Women for 150 Years, 2020

 Item
Identifier: B230.03.0023.00021
Abstract

This DVD contains the film, "A Legacy of Leadership: Colorado Jewish Women for 150 Years." The film was created for the 2020 RMJHS annual dinner.

Dates: 2020

Biographical Newspaper Clippings and Speech, between 1900-1942

 File
Identifier: B242.01.0001.0001
Abstract The folder include photocopies of the 1899-1900 and 1900-1901 Jewish Year Book entries for Seraphine Pisko as president of the Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society and president of the Jewish Relief Society, a photocopy of a Denver Times newspaper clipping about Seraphine Pisko's fundraising efforts for National Jewish Hospital (1901), a photocopy of her obituary in the Rocky Mountain News (1942), and a facsimile transcription of a speech (circa 1931) written to honor her at an anniversary...
Dates: between 1900-1942

Civilizing the West: Early Colorado Jews in the Arts, 2011

 Item
Identifier: B230.03.0023.00010
Abstract

Brief biographies of Jewish artists, musicians, composers, and conductors in Colorado. Jewish influence on arts in Colorado.

Dates: 2011

Collection on Seraphine Pisko

 Collection
Identifier: B242
Abstract Seraphine Eppstein Pisko was Executive-Secretary of National Jewish Hospital from 1911 to 1938. She was involved in both Jewish and secular social organizations, holding executive positions in the Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society, National Council of Jewish Women, and National Jewish Hospital. The collection, intentionally assembled by the Beck Archives, consists of papers providing biographical information about Pisko as well as letterhead and invitations from National Jewish Hospital and...
Dates: 1900-1942

Invitation to Dedications and Banquet, 1922 June 23

 Item
Identifier: B242.02.0001.0002.00001
Abstract Invitation to building dedications and a banquet and dance by the trustees of the National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives. The dedications were of the Louis D. Beaumont Home for Nurses and The Hofheimer Children's Building at the hospital, both built largely through the efforts of Seraphine Pisko. A banquet and dance was held at the Albany Hotel. Seraphine Eppstein Pisko (1861-1942) began working at National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives as a field secretary, fund raiser, in 1900. In...
Dates: 1922 June 23

Marianne Pisko Hausmann Pen and Ink Drawing

 Collection
Identifier: B198
Abstract Marianne Pisko Hausmann (1880-1969) was born in Vienna, Austria and studied at the Academy of the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry in Vienna. She moved to Denver in 1939 to join her daughter Margaret Grieg, an ophthamologist who had settled in Denver in 1938. Marianne was the niece of Denver Jewish pioneer Edward Pisko, who was elected a Colorado Territorial Representative in 1875. Her aunt by marriage, Seraphine Pisko, served as the executive director of National Jewish Hospital from...
Dates: circa 1910-1918

National Jewish Hospital Records

 Collection
Identifier: B005
Abstract In 1899, the Jewish community erected the non-sectarian National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives (NJH), the first sanatorium in Denver, Colorado, for tuberculosis victims. With the financial assistance of the International B'nai B'rith fraternal organization, patients from all over the U.S. were admitted free of charge. The NJH adopted a program that emphasized the benefits of fresh air, proper nutrition, and rest. The hospital was founded by a group of Jewish residents of Denver who were...
Dates: 1892-2017

Organizational Letterhead, Invitation and Program, between 1922-1942

 File
Identifier: B242.02.0001.0002
Abstract The folder contains materials created by two organizations with which Seraphine Pisko was affiliated: National Jewish Hospital and National Council of Women. Included are two pages of blank letterhead (1925) from the National Council of Women and one page of blank letterhead from National Jewish Hospital (undated), which feature Pisko's name and titles in the margins. In addition, there is a 1922 National Jewish Hospital Trustees' invitation to a dinner dance and the dedication of the Louis...
Dates: between 1922-1942

Seraphine Pisko, circa 1930

 Item
Identifier: B063.08.0008.00074
Abstract

Seraphine Pisko sits at her desk at National Jewish Hospital.

Dates: circa 1930

Seraphine Pisko, c. 1930

 Item
Identifier: B063.03.0011.00001
Abstract Seraphine Eppstein Pisko sits at a desk at National Jewish Hospital (NJH). She served as the president of the Hebrew Ladies' Benevolent Society (renamed the Jewish Relief Society in 1901) and as president of the Denver Council of Jewish Women. She also helped organize the Denver Jewish Settlement House and a free kindergarten to benefit the Eastern European Jewish immigrants on Denver's west side. Pisko became a fund-raiser for the National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives, and in 1911 she...
Dates: c. 1930

Filtered By

  • Subject: Colorado X
  • Subject: Jewish women X

Additional filters:

Type
Archival Object 8
Collection 3
 
Subject
Denver (Colo.) 8
Jewish women 8
Colorado 7
Tuberculosis 5
Philanthropists 4