Dr. Ellen Rovner, an expert on the Jewish history of Chelsea, will debut her much-anticipated documentary film Sunday, May 5 at Temple Emmanuel.
Rovner’s premiere of “Chelsea, The Jewish Years,” will be one of the highlights of Cary Square Day of History, a full day of events to celebrate the City of Chelsea’s 400th year.
The Governor Bellingham Cary House, the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce and Temple Emmanuel are partnering on the celebratory event.
Rovner has become highly acclaimed for leading tours of Chelsea that feature Jewish landmarks and businesses. According to Rovner, more than 25,000 Jews lived in the city in the 1930s and 1940s, and there were 20 synagogues.
Chelsea roots
Rovner grew up in Chelsea and attended the Prattville School. “When I was in the fourth grade, the Prattville School was so overcrowded that they sent us to Chelsea High School,” recalled Rovner. “I used to go to the Chelsea YMHA after school with my best friend, Connie Dalis. We were about 7 years old, and we would take the bus home from Washington Avenue to Garfield Avenue and walk into the projects where I lived. I also attended Camp Menorah at the YMHA. We had field trips for swimming at Revere Beach and the MDC Pool on Storrow Drive. Chelsea still holds a special place in my heart.”
Rovner’s family moved to Stoneham and later Marblehead where she graduated from Marblehead High School in 1967 with photographer Arnie Jarmak and historian and writer Josh Resnek. Rovner attended American University in Washington before transferring to Boston University where she holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She received her doctorate from Brandeis University in Cultural Anthropology.
“Interestingly, Justice Brandeis [for whom the university is named] spoke in Chelsea a few times. He spoke at a rally in front of the Williams School in 1915. Two years earlier, he spoke at the tenth anniversary of the YMHA in Chelsea,” noted Rovner.
An early appreciation of Jewish history
The daughter of Nessie Rovner and Samuel Rovner, a pharmacist who co-owned Hawthorne Pharmacy in Chelsea with Leo Santisky, Ellen Rovner attended Temple Judea in Stoneham as a child. “The temple was on land that was donated by the Weiss family, who was originally from Chelsea,” said Rovner. “They had a dairy farm, which was the last dairy farm in eastern Massachusetts. They gave the temple an acre of land and that’s where the temple was built. My bat mitzvah was at Temple Judea.”
Launching a film project
In 2007, Rovner began doctoral research at Temple Emmanuel at the suggestion of her long-time friend, Barbara Salisbury.
“She told me the Temple Emmanuel Sisterhood was very vibrant,” said Rovner. “I attended a High Holiday service, and I started making connections. What struck me the more I got to know Chelsea was that the Chelsea presence was pretty much gone. Many of the younger residents had no idea that Chelsea had been such a vibrant Jewish community for so long.”
Rover decided to honor Chelsea and preserve its Jewish history. “So many people came out of Chelsea and have contributed to all aspects of American society, and that history needs to be honored, remembered, and recognized as an integral part of people’s lives. That was my motivation for getting involved in Chelsea’s Jewish history and this documentary,” said Rovner.
In her film, Rovner walks through the streets of Chelsea and speaks about her four grandparents who settled here. “I’m a fourth generation of my family with some connection to Chelsea,” she said. “They walked on these streets. They talked to their friends. They did business on these streets. They laughed. They compared notes on how they’re getting by and what’s going on in the family. I can almost picture my parents and grandparents living here, and that’s very special for me.”
She began working on her documentary film in 2021 after receiving a Chelsea Heritage Celebrations Grant from the Chelsea Cultural Council.
“Bea Cravatta said to me, “what you’re doing is great, you need to put your research into a film, and I said, ‘okay.’’
Cravatta’s documentary includes interviews with Temple Emmanuel members Herb Selesnick and Stephen Vider, Bonnie Rosenberg Cutler (whose family owned Murray and Eddy’s Delicatessen on Broadway), Steve Solomon (whose family owned Solomon Metals), Walnut Street Synagogue President Ed Medros, Fr. Edgar Gutierrez-Duarte of Saint Luke’s Church, and family friend, Laurie Gold (daughter of a long-time bridal gown studio on Shurtleff School in Chelsea).
“It’s been a great, educational journey for me to learn about the city and people’s experiences historically and what the City of Chelsea was like years ago. I think Chelsea is similar to what is happening today. Now, we have first, second, and third generations of Latinos living here, and people have these strong family and business networks,” said Rovner, who is a board member at La Collaborativa in Chelsea.
Councillor-at-Large Leo Robinson, a lifelong resident, said is he is looking forward to attending the premiere of Dr. Rovner’s documentary.
“I have a great appreciation for Chelsea history, and I know that Dr. Rovner will bring a unique and exciting perspective,” said Robinson. “She’s a brilliant woman whose tours of Chelsea have brought joy to residents, past and president. Sunday will be a great day for Dr. Rovner as we view the product of her expertise and knowledge of our city’s Jewish history and continue our observance of Chelsea city’s 400th anniversary.”