Philip Ellovich papers

Philip Ellovich (1898-1986) was born in Botosani, Romania to Joseph Ellovich (1836-1918) and his second wife, Tillie Herman Ellovich (1872-1951). The three immigrated to the United States around 1903 and settled in Pittsburgh where they had family. He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy in 1916 and worked for his half-brother Israel "Joe" Ellovich at Forbes Pharmacy before spending a year with the May Drug Company. He briefly ran his own drug store inside a cigar shop in Coraopolis, but then went into business with the owner of two Reznor Drug stores in Sharon. He married Miriam Gross (1903-1989) and had three children. The Ellovich family raised funds during World War II to help European Jews escape Nazi Germany. One of the Jewish couples he tried to rescue was Emil and Grete Singer. Ellovich served as the chairman of the Sharon branch of the Anti-Defamation League and of Israel Bonds and served as the president of his B’nai B’rith lodge and the regional division of the United Jewish Federation. Emil Singer was born on August 17, 1881, in Gaya, Moravia (Kyjov, Czech Republic) to Jewish parents. Singer, an artist and engraver, resided in Vienna, Austria, and was an Austrian citizen. In March 1938, Austria was absorbed into Nazi Germany. Singer and his wife Margarete (Grete) sought visas to escape the persecution of Jews by the new regime. He corresponded with and sold artwork to contacts in the United States in hopes of emigrating to that country. On May 12, 1942, Emil and Grete were deported to Poland and presumed murdered in Izbica concentration camp. The Philip Ellovich papers include letters from artist Emil Singer to Philip Ellovich documenting his efforts to immigrate to the United States with his wife, correspondence documenting Ellovich's efforts to help him, correspondence documenting postwar efforts to discover what happened to the Singers, and a brief biographical sketch of Emil Singer by Ed Leffingwell created for an exhibit of Singer's work at the Insignia Gallery in Youngstown, OH.