South Philly Review

Staff photo by Greg Bezanis

Artists often begin their craft at a young age, with hints of the inherent talent permeating their lifespan. For Harvey Finkle, photography lay dormant until his mid-30s, then it came bursting forth.

"No, not at all interested," Finkle, a resident of the 700 block of South Marshall Street, said of photography. "I graduated the school of social work [at University of Pennsylvania] in '61 and right about there is sort of when I got interested in art and in photography."

Since his interest was piqued (thanks to a Museum of Modern Art Harry Callahan exhibit) the full-time photographer has never put down his camera, amassing an extensive social documentary collection.

"I would go on some of the marches on Washington. Mostly I was interested in the political and social things that went on, but I photographed everything," the 75-year-old said. "It's sort of back in social work and that sort of feeds my interest in that."

His more than 30-year career has been spent chronicling and publicizing agents of change, such as nonprofits and charitable organizations.

Focusing on the recent exhibit "Still Home: Jews of South Philadelphia," Bread and Roses Community Fund -- an organization that provides grants to local groups working for social, racial and economic justice -- will honor the documentarian Oct. 15 at the National Constitution Center at Independence Mall, 525 Arch St. Finkle, a Bread and Roses founder, will be recognized as a social justice documentarian.

"When I grew up, lots of my friends were from South Philly. They were all Jewish. We used to play at Marshall and Porter. There was once a quarter of a million Jews in South Philadelphia and there were maybe 1,000 left when I started ['Still Home']," Finkle, who has lived in the area since 1972, said. "The population who stayed, I was really interested in documenting them, why they stayed, what life has been like.

"I ended up showing at the National Museum of American Jewish History."

After showing at the Independence Mall East museum, who provided Finkle with a grant to complete his project, the photos were made into a book. They also adorn the walls of a very special place.

"The photographs are hanging in the Stiffel Center, framed," Finkle said of the Jewish Community Center Jacob and Esther Stiffel Senior Center at 604 Porter St. "Some of those people [in the photos] were attendees at the Stiffel Center, so they used to go there."

Though Finkle has not been on the Bread and Roses board since the first six years of its existence, he has remained involved, often documenting the organizations that receive its backing. Still, the honor was unforeseen.

"I never expected at all in any way that I would get something like this. It's a surprise," Finkle, who was notified two months ago of it, said. "I don't know what I really feel yet. I'm sot of like, 'Wow!' Maybe three days afterward I'll know."

The Oxford Circle-raised Finkle was born in the now-shuttered Mount Sinai Hospital at 498 Reed St. Spending time with friends in the area, the Central High School grad went on to pursue a bachelor's of science at Temple University. His graduate studies were interrupted when Finkle was drafted into the Army and stationed in Nancy, France, in '53.

"I like to say I fought the battle of the French campaign, but all it really means is I was stationed there for a year-and-a-half," Finkle said.

After serving, Finkle returned to finish his degree by '58 and moved into social work.

"I worked for the state in the Department of Public Assistance," Finkle said. "I went out and visited people on public assistance. I was a case worker."

A year in the field led back to school at Penn, where he received his master's in social work in '61.

Free from schooling and turned on by Callahan's work, Finkle began to tinker with his first camera, a Mamiya.