One of the Neighborhood House’s most powerful qualities is its long history with the St. Paul community. Having been founded in 1897, the organization has worked with so many individuals and families through many iterations of the greater St. Paul community. Whenever we get to hear from families about their past experiences with the organization, it is such a connecting experience.

I got the fantastic opportunity to speak with both Jody Cohen Press and Bob Cohen recently to hear stories passed down to them from their mother, Claire Cohen (Batush). When Claire was a child, she and her family spent a lot of time at Neighborhood House. Claire was born and raised in St. Paul and always talked so fondly to her children about her time she spent at Neighborhood House.

For Claire, Neighborhood House was a safe space for her family to spend time together and with their community. Claire had a special place in her heart for Neighborhood House as a Westsider and only had fond memories of her time with the organization. Neighborhood House helped the Batush family and many other families in the community be set-up for success when they came to America. It not only provided services and a place to go but also created a place to gather with their new community.

The Batush family were Ukrainian immigrants who arrived in St. Paul in the early 1900s. Claire’s father was an important figure in Claire’s life and her family. He owned a fruit and vegetable stand on the West side. Her father became a U.S. citizen later in Claire’s life and even had the opportunity to do jury duty. Serving on a jury was something he talked about with deep pride and joy to be able to serve his new country in this small way.

Claire also told stories of her experience connecting with others at Neighborhood House. She mentioned each spring there were new migrants who came through to help harvest the sugar beets in the surrounding farm area. Neighborhood House’s community space once filled-up so much during that timeframe once that the children needed to share chairs and Claire wound up sharing a chair with another child from Mexico. When she sat out on Neighborhood House’s stoop it was a great equalizer and she and the other children were able to play and be carefree.

The phrase both of Claire’s children shared that they heard many times from Claire was used to describe the community was “they were dirt poor but nobody knew it”. They had everything they needed including their families, a strong community, and a place to call their own at Neighborhood House.

Bob had his own experiences with Neighborhood House as well. He talked fondly about playing basketball with the Jewish Community Center in middle school and they played against Neighborhood House. Later in life, the Cohen family supported immigrants from Lebanon when they came to the city as a way of paying forward Claire’s help from Neighborhood House.

Claire’s legacy lives on in her children’s continued involvement in the St. Paul community and with Neighborhood House. Jody is the President of the Temple of Aaron’s Sisterhood. A part of the Sisterhood’s great work in the St. Paul community is supporting Neighborhood House’s Francis Basket Food Shelf located in the W 7th area. Bob serves on several volunteer committees in the community. This includes the Planned Giving Advisory Council at Neighborhood House where he shares his expertise in Life Insurance Policies and other planned giving opportunities. We are grateful for Cohen family’s longstanding connection to Neighborhood House and the community

We are so grateful for Jody and Bob for sharing their mother’s story and connection to Neighborhood House. If you have a story or memory to share about Neighborhood House or its impact on your family, please reach out to Mackenzie Romenesko – we would love to hear from you!