Pikesville

A town in the northwest corner of Baltimore County straddling Reisterstown Road and Park Heights Avenue. It was overwhelmed by a Jewish population in the 50s. By the 60s, Pikesville became synonymous with Hebrew. If you were goy, you were invisible. Given the wealth of the population, everything was run by and for Jews. Elite stores clamored for leases; The Villager, Pappagallo Shoes, etc. The Jews took over the PTA, took over the political arena, took over everything. The kids were so spoiled it was ridiculous. On Jewish holidays, Pikesville shut down. There were some establishments that made their mark in history. The Suburban Club was a country club that became the equivalent of a Jewish Dubai. There was the Pikes Theater, a little movie house that expanded, whose first long run film was, guess? Exodus. There was Irving Borenstein's Arts & Objects. Field's Pharmacy quickly grew to a department store. You could work as a waitress in the soda shop and feel the sting of abuse if you were obviously a shickse. Mike's Pizzeria was a great place for the Jewish kids to hang out, with the walls painted in cartoon design by graphic artist Robin Broadfoot. S&H Restaurant was a great deli for authentic Kosher. In the mid 60s, the building of Pikesville Sr. High began on Smith Avenue. That is a chapter in and of itself.

If you told people from other locations in Maryland that you were from Pikesville, they would instantly look at your face and say, "Funny, you don't look Jewish."

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