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Object number2017.134.2

MediumFabric

Credit LineGift of Lisa Schonberger

DescriptionPrivate Jacob Greenfield Post No. 181 fabric banner.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 27 × 37.5 × 0.375 in. (68.6 × 95.3 × 1 cm)
InscriptionsWhite band has applied navy blue text "PVT. JACOB GREENFIELD POST No 181" in a gentle arch.
Front center has a patch with golden yellow embroidered text arranged in a circle "JEWISH WAR VETERANS OF THE UNITED STATES" and gold text superimposed on the central eagle's chest "U.S."
Historical NotesJacob Greenfield was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania on July 25, 1895 to Hungarian parents. He was doing electrical work for Westinghouse when he was drafted in the U.S. Army in 1917, and sent to Camp Lee, Virginia, for basic training. He was sent overseas on May 18, 1918. He was killed in action on the first day of the Meuse-Argonne offensive in July 1918. He was eventually reburied in McKeesport, Pennsylvania in September 1921. When the Jewish community of McKeesport started its Jewish War Veterans post in 1957, they named it the Private Jacob Greenfield Post No. 181. The post closed in the summer of 2017. The painting is by John Shlapak (1926-2017), who was born in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and lived for many years in Munhall, Pennsylvania. He was a veteran and a business man who was also an amateur artist of note. According to the donor, the painting was originally in an oval frame of a dark color, although no images corroborate this. The donor, Lisa Schonberger, is the granddaughter of Jacob Greenfield.

Previous owner Private Jacob Greenfield Post No. 181

Related institution Jewish War Veterans of the United States

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