Chasing The Cure

Eatless banquent in honor of Captain Hillkowitz

It was difficult for Orthodox patients to observe the laws of kashruth (keeping kosher) as well as Jewish rituals and holidays at National Jewish Hospital, which did not have a kosher kitchen until 1923. In 1903, a group of 20 immigrant tradesmen, many themselves afflicted with tuberculosis, met to form their own sanatorium and raised $1.10 between them to form the Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society (JCRS.) They were soon able to attract some of the more prominent East European Jews in Denver, who had already made a highly successful transition to the new country, including Dr. Charles Spivak, Dr. Philip Hillkowitz, and Dr. Adolph Zederbaum. The JCRS also received assistance from Denver’s west side east Europeans, including Louis Robinson, Abraham Judelovitz, and famous Yiddish poet Solomon Bloomgarden (Yehoash). Early patients were housed in tent cottages to maximize their exposure to fresh air and “heliotherapy” was practiced. The JCRS instituted a kosher kitchen with a very ethnic cuisine from the beginning. It welcomed patients in all stages of the disease, including those who died shortly after they were admitted. The Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society Records, B002, contain extensive patient records and other documents that will help users learn more about tuberculosis and East Europeans in Colorado.