Trenton Jewish Historical Society: March 2017

Levin Family of Trenton

Samuel Levin and his wife, Mary Lidsky, brought up four sons...Louis, Josh, Max and Henry.

Dr. Louis Levin married Marion Anderson and had two sons, Jonas A. Levin and Robert B. Levin.

Graduating from Jefferson University Medical School 1919 (when Jews were restricted entry) and pursued further studies at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Graduate School

A Leading cardiologist, Louis served an internship at Western PA Hospital (Pittsburgh) He treated at St. Francis Hospital. He also served NJ Trenton State Prison

He was honored as a Fellow of the American Medical Heart Assn.

He authored “Living Along with Heart Disease (1935) and contributed numerous articles in professional journals.

Jonas ("Jo") A. Levin, World War H, and D-Day Omaha Beach veteran, was Trenton-born (December 21,1921) H he graduated Trenton High School ('39) and Lafayette College ('43). He then attended US Naval Reserve Midshipman School at Columbia

In 1843, the Navy commissioned him as an Ensign (later promoted to Lt. (JG) in 1945). He trained as commanding officer of LCT (Landing Craft Tank) at Solomon Island, MD and Little Creek, VA. He served as a commanding officer on a LCT on D-Day, making five landings at Omaha Beach.

He also served in the Pacific theater, cruising dozens of island and atolls from the Solomon to Okinawa in preparation for the invasion of Japan as commander of a LST (Landing Ship Tank).

the local Coast Guard Auxiliary recruited him as public education officer. During his years with Flotilla 609 he was finance officer, supply officer, electronic officer, recruiting officer, vice commander (5 years) and commander (5) years

Following his years of military service, he was owned and managed Edwards' Apparel, Inc., a family clothing store, in Kendall Park, for 17 years. After closing the store, he went into real estate; 10 years in residential followed by 14 years in commercial with Weidel Commercial in Pennington.). Josh was also manager of Cafe Society in NYC.

Robert Levin (Bob) had two children and one granddaughter. Born in 1925 in Trenton, he was the son of the late Dr. and Mrs. Louis Levin also of Trenton, New Jersey. He married Joyce (Greenberg) in 1954.

He attended Lehigh University before entering the US Seabees in 1943 during World War II. While at Lehigh he was a member of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity. His war service took him for 21 months to the Pacific Theatre from New Hebrides to Okinawa. On Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands he received the Bronze Star. Upon his discharge in 1946 he continued his college education at Upsala College, graduating in 1949 with a BA degree in Business and Psychology.

In 1949, he began work at Henry Clay and Bock, manufacturers of cigars in Trenton, N.J., (long a subsidiary of The American Tobacco Co. The company changed to Cuban Cigar Co., American Cigar and finally American Tobacco. Currently the corporation is now a part of the British Tobacco Co, Brown Williams, Co. He rose to Plata Superintendent and was responsible for its total operation; upon its closing worked out of American Tobacco's headquarters located in New York

Robert Levin Family

Eventually became plant manager. He was responsible for manufacturing plants in Charleston, South Carolina, Owensboro, Kentucky and Mountaintop, Pennsylvania.

Max Levin, Age 21

Max Levin owned Eton Men’s Wear. Married Katherine Klempner (sister of Lester Klempner). He married into the Klempner family: three brothers: Paul, Lester and Harry. Dr. Paul Klempner, named for a wing of a TB hospital, tragically was murdered along with the wife, Estelle Abramson.

Max Levin, Age 21

Katherine and Max Levin

Max’s son, Dan also became active in the theater.

Son Daniel Levin a.k.a. Peter – Actor, Director, Producer. Played in Diary of Anne Frank. Graduating Trenton High in 1950, he interned at the Westport Theater (Bucks County Playhouse); to tells La Jolla, CA.

Dan Levin 1990

Dan Levin

Peter's professional career began as an actor. He was trained at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon) and in London on a Fulbright Scholarship. After a stint in the US Army, he made his Broadway debut in 1955 in the original production of "The Diary of Anne Frank". He later appeared in regional theater, summer stock and Shakespearean Repertory in plays by Chekhov, Shaw, Ibsen, Odets, Pinter, O'Neill, Osborne and of course, Shakespeare.

He began directing at Hardware Poets Playhouse, (he partnered ownership), one of the earliest off-off-Broadway loft theaters (1962-1966), producing more than 40 new plays by poets including Bloedow, Susan Sherman, Ruth Kraus, Robert Nichols, Ted Enslin and Joel Oppenheimer. He partnered Audrey Davis Levin (wife, who was an actress and later a writer of TV movies) and Jerry Bloedow, a poet.

He also directed works by Shakespeare, Shaw, Miller, Stoppard, Chekhov, George Kelly, and Dennis Potter.

Levin has directed dozens of episodes of television series including "Lou Grant", "Call to Glory", "Law & Order", "Chicago Hope", "Midnight Caller", and "Judging Amy". He also directed three dozen movies for television including "Homeless to Harvard", "Overkill", "Little Girl Fly Away", "The Marva Collins Story", "Sworn to Silence", "And Never Let Her Go", "Popeye Doyle", "Houston: The Legend of Texas" and "In the Name of The People".

As Broadway actor, Dan appeared in Broadway actor. Appeared in Diary of Anne Frank and played the part of Peter in Peter Pan, East of Eden (2012)

He taught seminars at NYU, USC, Carnegie Mellon, Smith College and AFI. He taught acting and directing for a semester at The Guildhall School in London. (http://danmurano.com/poetry/peter-dan-levin#1)