The Workmen's Circle of Cleveland (f. 1904) is a secular Jewish fraternal organization formed in the United States to perpetuate Yiddish language and culture, support and promote the liberal political agenda, offer both health and death benefits, and provide a meeting place for fellowship. Its Yiddish cultural programming includes lectures, readings, concerts, third Passover seders, and the I.L. Peretz Workmen's Circle School, a supplementary program for children. Branch 1030, one of a number of Cleveland branches, was the first English speaking branch and was founded in 1939. Following World War II and the Holocaust and the continuing acculturation into American life of the descendants of its Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrant founders, the Workmen's Circle, in Cleveland, Ohio, and nationwide, has been experiencing significant and continuous loss of membership. The Workmen's Circle's group health plan and death benefits, both of which are available on a non-sectarian basis, are the major source of membership. These programs have had difficulty attracting members since the proliferation of health maintenance organizations and health insurance plans.
The Workmen's Circle of Cleveland Records, Series III, 1916-2004 and undated, consist primarily of correspondence, ledgers, membership lists, minutes, and programs.
This collection is of value to researchers studying ethnic groups and institutions in the United States in general, and in Cleveland, Ohio, in particular. Of interest are minutes from Branch 671E, the I.L. Peretz School, and Circle Resort, all of which discuss the current status of the organization and express thoughts about the future of the organization. Those interested in Yiddish language and culture in Cleveland during the twentieth century will find this collection useful. The collection will also be useful to researchers studying the history of the Jewish community of Cleveland, Ohio.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by document type and then chronologically.
The researcher should also consult MS 4026 Workmen's Circle of Cleveland Records; MS 4891 Workmen's Circle of Cleveland Records, Series II; PG 317 Workmen's Circle of Cleveland Photographs; PG 523 Workmen's Circle of Cleveland Photographs, Series II; and PG 560 Workmen's Circle of Cleveland Photographs, Series III.
Processed by Sean Martin, Arthur Diamond, and Jessica Marra in 2011.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 5088 Workmen's Circle of Cleveland Records, Series III, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of Workmen's Circle of Cleveland in 2006.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.