Newton Hebrew Ladies' Aid Association records

Item Information

Title:
Newton Hebrew Ladies' Aid Association records
Description:
A small collection containing certificates of membership and gratitude; thank-you letters from charities to which the Society contributed; membership cards to other organizations to which the Society belonged; a typewritten verse, “To Jane on the Completion of Ten Years as Secretary for the Newton Hebrew Ladies’ Aid Society,” by Rose F. Silverman; and a black-and-white photo of guests at a gala event, dated April 30, 1958 and enclosed in a folder advertising Blinstrub's Village Club in Boston. (*Note: The organization is variously called the "Newton Hebrew Ladies' Aid Association" or "Newton Hebrew Ladies' Aid Society.") Also included is a a large hand-illuminated "Golden book" (no date) listing life members, presented to the Society by the Louis E. and Sarah Hellman on the occasion of their anniversary. A note in the collection indicates that the Newton Hebrew Ladies’ Aid Association was founded in 1902. Author Beryl Gilfix notes that it was founded to provide financial and material aid to poor Jewish families in Nonantum. "Members would contribute small amounts of money (perhaps 10 cents or 25 cents() at each meeting. The members would present information on needy families and decide to spend their modest treasury on coal for a family in the winter, or to buy shoes for the children in a family so the children could go to school, or to provide baskets of food." She adds that "the organization also served as a method of Americanization for immigrant women, teaching them how to 'entertain' by setting a nice table, the kinds of refreshments that were considered appropriate and offering programs of edifying and educational information." By the 1940s, the Association no longer gave money directly to families, contributing instead to various Jewish organizations. In the 1950s, the Association moved to Temple Emanuel. They held lectures by group members, book reviews, discussions of current events, and Yiddish poetry readings.
Format:
Documents
Genre:
Records
Location:
Historic Newton
Collection (local):
Jackson Homestead & Museum Archives
Subjects:
Temples, Jewish
Judaism
Benevolent societies
Shriberg, Jane
Quint, Rose
Fried, Celia (Perlmutter)
Levine, Sarah
Silverman, Rose
Temple Emanuel
Newton Hebrew Ladies Aid Society
Blinstrub's Village Club
Link to Item:
https://historicnewton.catalogaccess.com/archives/10112
Terms of Use:
Copyright Not Evaluated
Contact host institution for more information.
Identifier:
JHA-1986.4
10112