Pittsburgh Council of B’nai B’rith Scrapbooks, 1944-1959 Creator: Pittsburgh Council of B’nai B’rith Call number: MSS 815 Extent: One box, 1 linear foot Language of Materials: English

Rauh Jewish Archives, MSS#815 Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives Senator John Heinz History Center 1212 Smallman St. Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Abstract B’nai B’rith was the first Jewish fraternal service organization in the United States. It was founded in 1843 in New York City to assist recent Jewish immigrants and to provide sick and funeral benefits to members’ families. Pittsburgh’s first B’nai B’rith lodge was the Jericho Lodge, founded by Josiah Cohen on December 22, 1862. More Pittsburgh area lodges were founded necessitating the need, about 1940, for a Pittsburgh Council of B’nai B’rith to coordinate the lodges’ activities and to raise funds. The Pittsburgh Council of B’nai B’rith Scrapbooks consists of six scrapbooks that include flyers, news clippings, invitations, newsletters, and photographs. The materials document the activities of the council’s member lodges and of related B’nai B’rith organizations.

Historical Note B’nai B’rith was the first Jewish fraternal service organization in the United States. It was founded in 1843 in New York City to assist recent Jewish immigrants and to provide sick and funeral benefits to members’ families. The group has become an international humanitarian, human rights, and advocacy organization called B’nai B’rith International.

Pittsburgh’s first B’nai B’rith lodge was the Jericho Lodge, founded by Josiah Cohen on December 22, 1862, as part of District Grand Lodge 3, which was founded in Philadelphia in 1860. By 1896, the lodge paid five dollars a week for thirteen weeks to members who were sick and twenty-five dollars plus funeral expenses to the family of members who had died. By 1911, Jericho Lodge had 260 members and had moved into the twelfth floor of the Century building on Seventh Street near Penn Avenue. The Jericho Lodge voted on March 20, 1921, to consolidate with the Saar Sholem and Abraham Lippman Lodges to become Pittsburgh Lodge, No. 44. The new lodge became part of the Pittsburgh Council of B’nai B’rith, which was founded around 1940 to coordinate and raise funds for the lodges throughout the Pittsburgh area.

Pittsburgh is represented in all of the groups that are affiliated with B’nai B’rith: Hillel, the Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, the Anti-Defamation League, and the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, which is further divided into two groups: (boys’ group) and B’nai B’rith Girls. Jewish Women International, originally organized as auxiliary chapters of the B’nai B’rith men’s chapters and known as B’nai B’rith Women, is now a separate organization. Pittsburgh Council of B’nai B’rith Scrapbooks Page 2 of 3

Scope and Content Note The B’nai B’rith Pittsburgh Council Scrapbooks consists of six scrapbooks. Materials in the scrapbooks document the activities of Pittsburgh’s B’nai B’rith lodges, the Hillel Foundation, the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization, and the Anti-Defamation League. Materials in the collection consist of invitations, newsletters, news clippings, programs, flyers, and photographs. The materials in each scrapbook are arranged chronologically and cover the spectrum of B’nai B’rith lodges and related organizations. There are a few editions of BBYO Grapevine, Pittsburgh Lodge News, Forty-Four’s Fortitude, and Freedom’s Voice. The news clippings are taken from The Jewish Criterion, American Jewish Outlook, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Volume six has been copied because it is fragile. The photocopies are available for use.

Statement of Acquisition: Gift of Florita Sonnenklar in 2004 Accession #2004.0090

Preferred Citation: Pittsburgh Council of B’nai B’rith Scrapbooks, 1944-1959, MSS815 Rauh Jewish Archives, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Restrictions: Volume six has been copied and wrapped because it is fragile. The photocopies are available for use.

Related Material: Herman Fineberg Papers and Photographs, MSS0730; B’nai B’rith Women Citadel Chapter Records, MSS0321; B’nai B’rith Women Emma Lazurus Chapter Photographs, MFQ2068; B’nai B’rith Women Emma Lazurus Chapter Records, MFF2068; B’nai B’rith Women Photograph, PFF0032; B’nai B’rith Records, MFF2042; Gloria Elbling Gottlieb Papers, MSS0545; Harry Goldstein Papers, MSS0300; Harry Goldstein Photographs, MSP0300; Irving N. Elbling Papers, MSS0572; Jewish Women International Records, MSS0338; Jewish Women International Photographs, MSQ0338; Nathan M. Katz Papers, MSS0280.

Processor: Processed by Kelly J. Smith in August 2012

Container List:

Box 1 Volume 1 1959-1960 Volume 2 1958-1960 Volume 3 1958-1959 Volume 4 1953-1957 Volume 5 1948-1949 Folder 1 Volume Six Copy 1944-1945 Pittsburgh Council of B’nai B’rith Scrapbooks Page 3 of 3

Volume 6 1944-1945