B'nai B'rith Women, Inc. Records

The first permanent chapter of B'nai B'rith Women (BBW) was founded in 1909 in San Francisco. Its aim was "to promote sociability among [B'nai B'rith] lodge members and their families." B'nai B'rith, American Jewry's oldest and largest fraternal and service organization, did not permit women's auxiliaries until 1897, when Ruth Lodge No. 1, Daughters of Judah, enjoyed a very brief existence. Before the outbreak of World War I, over a dozen B'nai B'rith women's auxiliaries were scattered from San Francisco to New Jersey. They expanded into cultural activities, philanthropy, and community service, such as financial support of orphanages and homes for the elderly. Their announced aims were to perpetuate Jewish culture, enrich their communities, and ensure the religious survival of their sons and daughters. Their unannounced goals included sociability and the first steps toward personal independence. At the beginning of World War II, BBW included 248 chapters with more than 40,000 members, and produced its first monthly publication, B'nai B'rith Women. In 1941, voteless women delegates protesting their status created a stir at the B'nai B'rith Supreme Lodge convention. The 1960s became the turning point in B'nai B'rith Women's activism. Inspired by the presidency of John F. Kennedy, BBW became involved in the War on Poverty's anti-illiteracy and antipoverty programs, as well as in the needs of senior citizens, including senior housing. However, the burgeoning women's movement and the early Jewish feminist movement of the 1970s became even more critical influences, turning the organization toward feminist issues. BBW transformed itself into a politically conscious and activist feminist organization, campaigning for such issues as free choice in abortion, equal Social Security benefits for women, assistance for the displaced homemaker, women's and infants' health care, and reducing teenage pregnancy. The organization also focused on programs to meet the growing needs of women on their own, career women, older women, and young family women juggling families and careers. B'nai B'rith Women fully declared its independence by changing its name to Jewish Women International in 1995. It announced its intention of continuing "cordial relations" with B'nai B'rith, and maintaining its support of the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, Hillel, and the Anti-Defamation League. Today, Jewish Women International continues its effective programs and political advocacy on issues of concern to women. Nevertheless, it struggles with the same dilemma as other women's organizations: the difficulty of recruiting new members from women juggling families and careers, with little time left for volunteerism. (Source: Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia, "B'nai B'rith Women," Jewish Women's Archive, http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/bnai-brith-women)