By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer
Friends and acquaintances are remembering former U.S. Rep. Joshua Eilberg as a dedicated attorney and lawmaker.
Eilberg, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, died last week. He was 83.
“He was very, very devoted to the Northeast community and the Jewish community,” said longtime state Rep. Mark Cohen.
Eilberg served as an assistant district attorney in Philadelphia from 1952-54 under D.A. Richardson Dilworth In ‘54, he was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
As Eilberg was leaving the district attorney’s office, a young prosecutor named F. Emmett Fitzpatrick was joining the office.
Fitzpatrick later served as district attorney from 1974-77 and remained in contact with Eilberg over the years. He called him a “decent human being.”
While Fitzpatrick was D.A., Eilberg was serving in Congress.
“I thought he did an awful lot for the people of Northeast Philadelphia,” the former district attorney said.
Eilberg, a Democrat, served in the state House from 1955-66. He became whip in 1964 upon the death of Rep. James J. Dougherty, grandfather of electricians union leader Johnny Dougherty.
That year, as President Lyndon B. Johnson was winning a landslide election, Pennsylvania Democrats gained 18 seats in the state House. Eilberg rose to majority leader, clashing often with Republican Gov. William Scranton.
In 1966, ailing Democratic U.S. Rep. Herman Toll decided not to seek re-election in the 4th Councilmanic District. Eilberg ran, defeating Republican attorney Robert Cohen in a tight race.
While serving in Congress, Eilberg lived on Longshore Avenue in Castor Gardens and was Democratic leader of the 54th Ward.
One highlight was his service on the House Judiciary Committee, where he voted in 1974 to impeach President Richard Nixon for Watergate-related crimes. Nixon resigned rather than face impeachment.
The congressman also chaired the judiciary committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration, helping constituents of various ethnic backgrounds in a variety of ways.
Eilberg had a firm grasp on his seat, surviving the 1972 Nixon landslide and the campaigning of his old nemesis, former Gov. Scranton.
In 1974, he trounced a young Somerton man named Chris Matthews in the Democratic primary. Today, Matthews is the host of Hardball on MSNBC.
The congressman, though, appeared vulnerable by 1978. He faced a four-way primary, defeating Mark Cohen, Paul Corbett and Al Stuhl.
In the fall, he met Republican state Sen. Charlie Dougherty. Two weeks before the election, Eilberg was indicted for accepting a $20,000 legal fee to help Hahnemann University Hospital obtain a federal grant.
Though organized labor and the Democratic Party stuck by the embattled Eilberg, Dougherty won the election that November.
Eilberg pleaded guilty three months later to conflict-of-interest charges. He was sentenced to five years probation and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
Dougherty, who served six years in the state Senate and four years in Congress, said he never tried to run a negative campaign and did not bring up the ethical charges against Eilberg. He said there was never any animosity between the two.
“I thought he was a good guy and a good public servant, and I was proud to call him a friend,” he said.
After the loss to Eilberg, state Rep. Max Pievsky ousted him as ward leader. The two were rivals, with Pievsky aligning with then-Mayor Frank L. Rizzo and Eilberg closer with Democratic City Committee chairman Pete Camiel.
Eilberg went on to continue his law career and served as executive director of Brith Sholom, a Jewish fraternal and charitable organization.
Later, he moved to Jenkintown and became a Democratic committeeman. In 1992, he helped Larry Curry become the first Democrat to win the 154th Legislative District.
Eilberg became an unofficial adviser to Curry on Jewish issues and other matters.
“He was always available for advice, and his advice was always sage,” said Curry, whose district includes a portion of Burholme.
Mark Cohen credited Eilberg with taking responsibility for the payment that led to his defeat.
Cohen praised Eilberg’s stint on the Philadelphia Bar Association’s criminal justice committee and enjoyed seeing him at the annual dinner sponsored by the Northeast Community Center for Mental Health-Mental Retardation.
“I always found him to be a very gracious man,” he said.
State Rep. Alan Butkovitz remembers being a 58th Ward committeeman and canvassing with Eilberg as he fought off a challenge from Matthews.
In 1978, Butkovitz supported Mark Cohen’s challenge to Eilberg.
After he was elected in 1990, Butkovitz got to know Eilberg as someone interested in politics and the old neighborhood.
“He was just so passionate about government, politics and the Democratic Party,” he said.
Eilberg, who died March 24, repeatedly declined requests to be interviewed by the Times in recent years.
He is survived by his wife Gladys; daughter Amy; son William; and grandchild Penina. He was buried at Montefiore Cemetery in Jenkintown.
His family requests that donations in his memory be made to National Parkinson’s Foundation, 1501 N.W. 9th Ave./Bob Hope Road, Miami, FL 33136-1494 or to the Religious Life Program at the Abramson Center for Jewish Life, 1425 Horsham Road, North Wales, PA 19454-1320. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com