The B'nai B'rith Interlodge Council of Greater Cleveland was formed in 1942 to coordinate lodge activities of the Cleveland, Ohio, chapter of B'nai B'rith. The Cleveland chapter of B'nai B'rith (f. 1853) is Cleveland's oldest service organization. The national organization was founded in 1843 in New York City with the goals of "uniting Israelites in the work of promoting their highest interests and those of humanity," and using philanthropy and other activities to alleviate suffering and poverty. Simson Thorman became the Cleveland group's first president. Various lodges were established, reaching twelve in number in the 1930s. The organization's service activities included the establishment of the first B'nai B'rith library in America (1863) and the Jewish Orphan Home (1863), as well as fundraising for national and international disasters.
In addition to its service functions, B'nai B'rith provided a social and fraternal outlet for the growing Jewish population of Cleveland.
The B'nai B'rith Interlodge Council of Greater Cleveland Records, 1945-1992, consist of certificates, correspondence, minutes, lists, and newspaper clippings. A small amount of material from two individual lodges, Gateway and Lakeshore (f. 1945) is also part of the collection.
This collection is of value to researchers studying fraternal service organizations in general, and specifically in the Cleveland, Ohio, Jewish community. The collection illustrates B'nai B'rith's concern with social and political issues that were local, national and international.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by document type, and then chronologically.
The researcher should also consult MS 4833 B'nai B'rith Interlodge Council of Greater Cleveland Records, Series II; and PG 511 B'nai B'rith Interlodge Council of Greater Cleveland Photographs.
Processed by Harold Friedman and Jane A. Avner in 1998
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[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4773 B'nai B'rith Interlodge Council of Greater Cleveland Records, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
B'nai B'rith Interlodge Council of Greater Cleveland, 1986 and 1993
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.