The Brody Family

Biography

The founders of Indiana's Jewish synagogue, the ardent supporters of Indiana's longest standing community organizations and the owners of the anchor of the downtown Indiana retail district for three generations, the Brody Family has been selected for induction into the Indiana County Business Hall of Fame.

Abraham Brody immigrated from Lithuania to the United States in 1887, settled in New York, and began traveling by horse and cart to sell wares in the western Pennsylvania coal field towns … where he settled in Jefferson County and started a family.

His sons became merchants as they grew up. Hyman, the older, first started a men's store in Punxsutawney, and Israel, the younger, opened a store on the 700 block of Philadelphia Street that enjoyed immediate success. It was 1913.

Hyman soon joined Israel as partners who incorporated Brody's in 1915 and relocated to the corner of North Seventh and Philadelphia Streets, the store's site for 72 more years.

It was said they differed in personality but had complementary business skills. While Hyman was talented as the logistics and operations mind of the partnership, it was Israel who brought the mind of a merchant to the business.

They were the first of the Jewish business owners in downtown Indiana to embrace the common local tradition of naming their store after its owners.

While Israel and Hyman Brody devoted themselves to building their business and earning acceptance for their families as newcomers to Indiana, it was the second generation of the Brodys … their five sons … who reinvested their success into community service and leadership.

Across Indiana, the second-generation sons of the original Jewish merchants for the most part grew up in the family business. There was every expectation that the sons, at least, would pursue the same business. Jewish merchants shared in the prosperity of the post-World War II years. The war lifted the economy from the depression and created great demand for consumer goods on the retail level.

This was called "the golden age" for Indiana and its merchants. The names Waxler, Rubin, Abrams, Buchman, Marcus, Edelstein, Luxenberg also filled the downtown Indiana streetscape.

Although a small group of people statistically in relation to the rest of Indiana, they were a major presence on Philadelphia Street. Jewish merchants had such a presence that during the Jewish High Holidays, the town virtually shut down.

Hyman's son Leonard and Israel's son Donald led the families' involvement in Indiana while their store grew to occupy three adjacent buildings in the heart of Indiana – prominent in both location and reputation.

Leonard studied at Yale and Harvard, and like his father, was said to possess the operational and financial savvy of the company.

Donald attended the University of Virginia and won a Bronze Star for service in World War II. He was said to be the first naval ship captain to actively integrate whites and blacks among the sailors under his command. Like his father, back home from the war, Donald was said to possess extreme talent as a merchant, rivaling those at Macy's Department Store. He led the department store's expansion into Kittanning and Clarion.

Of the five second-generation Brody sons, four served in the military and three fought in World War II.

Morton, a son of Hyman, was educated at Yale and served overseas before joining the store. Milton and Robert, sons of Israel, did military service and also returned home to Indiana to work at Brody's … while Donald and Leonard rose as the leaders of the popular department store.

By the early 1950s half the retail businesses on Philadelphia Street were run by Jewish owners and managers. Their reputation as solid businessmen and good citizens was well established. Having grown up in Indiana, this generation of Brody brothers embraced their town and county. Donald served on the board of Indiana Hospital and gave his time to many other groups. His wife served many years on the library board of directors. "He was unbelievably involved in the community. He loved Indiana, was civically involved, and was a fundraising leader for YMCA and other community institutions," according to his son, Dan. "What was important was the civic engagement of the family. They were all involved."

Leonard logged a long list of activities in community service with the Indiana County Industrial Development Board, Indiana County Guidance Center and the Chamber of Commerce.

Milton was a longtime president of Downtown Indiana Business Association, a United Way campaign chairman, and bell ringer for the Salvation Army for hours during their annual collections.

Robert served on the Indiana Borough parking authority, the Downtown Indiana Business Association and the United Way.

Morton found opportunities to serve, too, with Penns Woods Council of the Boy Scouts and as a co-owner of an aeronautical services firm at Jimmy Stewart Airport.

All the brothers served time as president of the Jewish community's synagogue.

With their parents, they rallied the estimated 60 Jewish families of Indiana to build Beth Israel Synagogue at South Fifth and Washington streets. Hyman and Israel led a campaign of fundraising that enabled the congregation to build the synagogue, dedicate it in 1953 and own it free and clear, with no mortgage, from the very first day.

The time came in the 1960s and 1970s for the men of the third generation of the Brody family to take the helm.

Leonard's son, Steve, and Donald's son, Dan, continued as leaders of the Brody's Department Store downtown empire.

The third generation of Jewish residents of Indiana tended not to follow their fathers into the retailing business. Changes in merchandising nationwide were bringing the era of the independent, family-owned and -operated store to a close. Career opportunities opened to the youngest generation which their parents and grandparents hadn't had, and many now went into law, medicine, business and other professions and left retail behind.

The development of malls and the mobility of society led to the downturn of main streets. A new generation of shoppers emerged without the loyalties to Philadelphia Street stores as their predecessors.

Steve Brody, also Ivy League educated, enjoyed a diverse career as a business consultant – an idea man – for Brody's and other downtown ventures, while a brother became a hydrologist and went to develop water supplies for communities in Africa.

Dan Brody stayed active in Brody's operations until the company closed the store. Brody's closing in 1987 symbolized the demise of an era, for many Indiana County residents. But its history and reputation, and the remaining memories of the Golden Age of the downtown retail district, have left "Brody's Corner" an icon of Indiana County history.

The Indiana County Chamber of Commerce today proudly welcomes the Brody Family to the Indiana County Business Hall of Fame, Class of 2023.