RELATED: Photos from the Straus Family Celebration

Rich family anecdotes often tumble out at holiday gatherings, accompanied by Grandma's cheek pinching, Uncle Joe's political tirades, and too much food and drink. The American Jewish Historical Society had a different vision for its gathering in celebration of the Straus family at the Center for Jewish History last week. It included scholars and descendants speaking at podiums with microphones, a slide show of family photos, just the right amount of nourishment, and, in addition to Strauses, plenty of unrelated guests who earned their places not by marrying into the family but by paying $100.

The society produced the event in conjunction with the Straus Historical Society and its executive director, Joan Adler.

"This is the completion of a dream I had along with Joan Adler that we could share an evening together exemplifying what a historical society means," the president of the American Jewish Historical Society, Daniel Kaplan, said. "The Straus family is a great, great American Jewish family."

Family members were taken aback by the event. "Nothing like this has ever happened before," a great grandson of Nathan Straus, Hugh Straus, said. "It's important to remember who the Strauses were because they did play a big part in Jewish society from 1890 to 1950 or so, and we don't remember them anymore, but the impact of their legacy is still felt."

The history of the Strauses in America starts in 1852 when Lazarus Straus emigrated from Germany. He went to Georgia where he was a pushcart peddler, then a dry goods store owner. His wife and four of his children later joined him in 1854. At the close of the Civil War the family moved to New York, and established a china and porcelain importing business. They opened a concession at Macy's and eventually took ownership of the department store; they were also owners of Abraham & Straus.

Successful merchants, the three sons pursued philanthropy and public service. Isidor, who ran Macy's until he died on the Titanic, helped found the Educational Alliance and served in the House of Representatives. Nathan built and paid for pasteurization laboratories in America and was the city's commissioner of parks and the head of its health department; by making pasteurized milk widely available, he helped stop the spread of tuberculosis. Oscar was a lawyer who served as ambassador to Turkey, a founder and president of the American Jewish Historical Society, and author of a book on the English theologian who promoted religious tolerance, Roger Williams.

The next generation also made its mark. Nathan Straus Jr. was a friend of Otto Frank who tried to help the Frank family get out of Germany during Nazi rule. When his appeals failed, he secured one visa for Cuba, but it was canceled when Germany declared war on America.

The event also gave family members the opportunity to catch up with the present. "It's amazing we're meeting so many relatives that we didn't know we had," a jewelry designer, Rebecca Straus, said. "It's very powerful to see all of these people interested in our family."

Several family members joked that Ms. Adler knows more about their family than they do. The family hired her in the 1980s after seeing an ad she placed in a newspaper with the headline, "Researcher Available."

Ms. Adler has led trips to Georgia, Germany, and to Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, where family members are buried. At the podium she talked about one of her most thrilling moments: finding a cache of family documents dating back to 1808 at Macy's. The store donated the archive to the New York Public Library.

agordon@nysun.com