BLOCH

BLOCH, family of U.S. book publishers. The Bloch Publishing Company was founded by EDWARD BLOCH (1829–1906), who emigrated to the United States from Bohemia. He learned the printing trade in Albany, New York, and in 1854 set up a company in Cincinnati, which published newspapers and books of specific Jewish interest in English and German. His publications included The American Israelite and Die Deborah. Later the company diversified its activities, and one of its regular clients was a monastery to which he supplied religious books. In 1885 Edward's son, CHARLES (1861–1940), established a branch of the company in Chicago. He took over the management of The Chicago Israelite, an edition of The American Israelite, and in 1891 he co-founded the Chicago-based Reform Advocate. He succeeded his father as president in 1901 and moved the Bloch Publishing Company to New York City where, in addition to publishing, it was also one of the leading bookstores in the U.S. representing several publishing houses. It concentrated on books of Jewish interest. Charles was also highly active during his years in New York in the Reform movement, taking part in 1907 in the founding of the Free Synagogue of New York, of which he later served as president, and in 1922 of the Jewish Institute of Religion. On his death, Charles was succeeded by his son EDWARD H. (1898–1982), who headed the company for 40 years and under whose management the company's activities continued to expand. Reaching its fifth generation, the company continued to serve the cultural life of American and world Jewry through its publication and distribution of Judaic and Hebraic literature. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: S. Grayzel, in: JBA, 12 (1953–55), 72–76. (Abraham Meir Habermann)