B'nai B'rith Leo Baeck Lodge No. 1531 (New York, N.Y.) Collection
Scope and Content Note
This collection contains materials relating to the Leo Baeck lodge, a New York lodge of the Jewish fraternal benevolent society B’nai B’rith. This lodge was founded by German-Jewish émigrés in 1944.
The collection includes the charter announcing the formation of 'Independence Lodge No. 1531' in New York on April 13, 1944 (5704). The document lists the names of about 400 brethren.
Other materials include a one-page circular invitation to the lodge’s meeting and a lecture by Julius Bab on Feb. 28, 1954, signed by Benno Liegner, President; three certificates presented to the women's chapter in the early 1980s; photographs of Leo Baeck; a wooden plaque presented to the Leo Baeck Chapter no. 450 on its 25th anniversary (1969); a first edition of the military newspaper "The stars and stripes" (January 8, 1918), given to lodge 1531 by the B'nai B'rith War Service Council in 1944 in recognition for its service; and a copper printing plate featuring a photograph of two members of the lodge. The photo was published in the 10th anniversary pamphlet in 1954 (held by the LBI Library).
Dates
- Creation: Undated, 1918-1984
Language of Materials
This collection is in English.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open to researchers.
Access Information
Readers may access the collection by visiting the Lillian Goldman Reading Room at the Center for Jewish History. We recommend reserving the collection in advance; please visit the LBI Online Catalog and click on the "Request" button.
Historical Note
B’nai B’rith (Sons of the Covenant) is a Jewish fraternal benevolent society founded in New York in 1843. In the 1940s, recent German-Jewish émigrés voiced a desire to establish their own lodge of brethren within the order of B’nai B’rith District No. 1 in New York. After initial opposition, the president of District No. 1, Myron Sulzberger, granted a charter for such a lodge under the name "Independence Lodge No. 1531." Soon after the installment on April 23, 1944, the name was changed to "Leo Baeck Lodge." There was an associated women's chapter, the Leo Baeck Chapter no. 450, B’nai B’rith Women.
Extent
5 Folders ((OS 18); 1 OSXL folder)
Abstract
This collection contains materials relating to the Leo Baeck lodge, a New York lodge of the Jewish fraternal benevolent society B’nai B’rith. This lodge was founded by German-Jewish émigrés in 1944.
Separated Material
A photograph album entitled "In Memoriam; Portraits of members of B’nai B’rith, Leo Baeck Lodge No. 1, New York" (ALB-OS 4) was removed to the LBI Photo collection and has been digitized.
The original banner of the Leo Baeck Lodge No. 1531 (New York) has been placed in the LBI Art and Objects Collection. Two money collecting boxes for charity (tzedakah) and one wooden mace, formerly part of AR 4087, were removed to Art and Objects Collection.
Processing Information
Collections AR 4087, AR 11809, and AR 11917 were evaluated and reprocessed together. Two collections were created: AR 4087, relating to B'nai B'rith chapters of founded in Germany in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and this collection, AR 11917, relating to the Leo Baeck Lodge in New York, founded by German-Jewish émigrés in 1944.
Small collections AR 11917 and AR 11809 were combined, and added to a folder of material and all of the oversize items from AR 4087 to form this collection.
Subject
- B'nai B'rith (Organization)
- B'nai B'rith. Leo Baeck Lodge No. 1531 (New York, N.Y.) (Organization)
- Title
- B'nai B'rith Leo Baeck Lodge No. 1531 (New York, N.Y.) Collection Undated, 1918-1984 AR 11917
- Author
- Processed by LBI Staff and Kevin Schlottmann
- Date
- © 2012
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is in English.
- Sponsor
- as part of the Leon Levy Archival Processing Initiative, made possible by the Leon Levy Foundation
Revision Statements
- March 2013: Link(s) to digital objects added in Container List.
Repository Details
Part of the Leo Baeck Institute Repository
