Philadelphia History Meetup

The next monthly meeting of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will be held on Wednesday, May 13 at 7 pm. To commemorate Jewish American Heritage Month, APT has invited Dr. Michael Schatz of Philadelphia Jewish History Tours who will present on Jewish history in the colonial era in Philadelphia. He’ll also highlight various sites in and around Center City as they connect to Jewish immigration periods, and touch on contemporary Jewish community in Center City today.

Dr. Schatz is a native of Philadelphia whose family has lived in the region since the turn of the 20th century. He holds bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees in education and Jewish studies from Vassar College, Arcadia University, and Gratz College. He is a career Jewish educator, currently serving as principal of the religious school at Har Zion Temple in Penn Valley and eastern regional manager of Hebrew Helpers, Inc. Dr. Schatz has been offering tours on Jewish history in Philadelphia and its surrounding neighborhoods since 2016.

Come early for dinner and drinks! The meeting will be in-person at Philly’s Gourmet Steaks, 114 Market Street, upstairs, and livestreamed on Zoom. Non-members should contact Marianne Ruane president@phillyguides.org no later than 5 pm the day of the meeting to receive the link. A recording will be available on the APT YouTube page for a month following the talk.

APT meetings are open to aspiring and working tour guides as well as anyone with an interest in Philadelphia-focused history. Attend one meeting for free and then it is $60 to join the association for the year or $10 per monthly meeting in-person event. Zoom meetings are free. Please join us for convivial company, good food, fascinating presentations, and lively discussions!

The Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) will hold its next book club meeting on Wednesday, May 20 at 7 pm on Zoom (Note new day. Book Club is typically scheduled for the third Tuesday of the month). There is no fee to attend and everyone is welcome. Participants should come ready to discuss the book. The selection is Prisoners of Congress: Philadelphia Quakers in Exile, 1777-1778 by Norman Donoghue II, which details the 1777 exile of 19 prominent Philadelphia Quakers to Virginia by the Continental Congress, who viewed their refusal to support the war effort as dangerous to national security.

The book explores this event through the experiences of four families (Drinkers, Fishers, Pembertons, and Gilpins), examining the conflict between individual liberties and wartime security, and how the once-powerful Quakers became political prisoners. Published in 2023, it’s considered the first comprehensive scholarly work on this episode, highlighting the tension between pacifism and patriotism during the Revolution.

The Zoom link will be sent out the week of the meeting in the APT Tour Talk email. Non-members who wish to attend should contact APT Secretary Pam Covey phillyguides@gmail.com by 5 pm the day of the meeting to get the Zoom link.

Join the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides (APT) for a webinar by APT corporate member Vance Lehmkuhl of the American Vegan Center to learn about a 1776 trailblazer on Wednesday, May 27 at 7 pm on Zoom. Where he’s known at all, Anthony Benezet’s reputation is as a refugee from France, educational innovator, and pioneering abolitionist. But with the 250th anniversary of 1776, it’s worth noting how this soft-spoken Quaker paved the way for the Founding Fathers’ “Patriot” crusade.

This webinar for tour guides will highlight Benezet’s key role in popularizing both “natural rights” language (in the 1760s) and public opposition to British slavery among the colonists (in the 1770s), in addition to his seminal role in bringing his fellow Quakers to a game-changing milestone in 1776. We’ll also show how Benezet’s tireless work within the human sphere was tied to his revolutionary advocacy for animals.

This Zoom presentation is free and all are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, please RSVP on the website by Wednesday, May 27 at 6 pm. Questions? Email Marianne Ruane at president@phillyguides.org. Please join us – it’s a great opportunity to up your tour guide game with some lesser known history!