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Female Hebrew Benevolent Society (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records
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Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Female Hebrew Benevolent Society (FHBS) is a non-profit organization founded in 1819 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Mrs. Aaron Levy and Hannah Levy of Congregation Mikveh Israel. FHBS is the first independent, communal organization established by Jews to serve Jews in the city of Philadelphia and is the oldest continuously operating Jewish charitable organization in the United States. The creation of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society grew out of a concern for women in need in the Jewish community who were turning to Christian missionaries for assistance. The Levy women reacted by organizing FHBS with the help of Rebecca Gratz who committed to operating the organization in a manner that would aid Jewish women in need, without requiring its clients to participate in organized religious activities in exchange for the assistance provided. The first elected board consisted of Rebecca J. Phillips, Belle Cohen, S. Bravo, and Rebecca Gratz. Gratz served on the Board of Managers as secretary for nearly forty years, until 1858. Under the auspices of the Board of Managers, the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society served as a launch pad for a Jewish educational program modeled after Christian Sunday Schools. This educational program became known as the Hebrew Sunday School Society of Philadelphia and opened on March 4, 1838, under the direction of Rebecca Gratz.
Since its inception, FHBS has been operated by a staff of volunteers. In addition to an unpaid staff, the Board of Managers also saw fit to organize committees that were charged with overseeing a particular section or district in the city in order to render aid to those in need, quickly and directly. Each committee would investigate applicants to determine what if any relief was warranted. Initially, the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society saw fit to provide needy women with basic necessities rather than monetary assistance. Over time, the scope of assistance offered expanded to include coverage of medications, utility expenses, monthly rent, summer camp fees, day care expenses, educational costs and assistive devices such as wheel chairs and artificial limbs. FHBS became an agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, a coordinating organization for volunteer and financial social service organizations and an affiliate of the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
The collection consists of records related to the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society's philanthropic fundraising efforts and the subsequent distribution of those monies to the community of people it serves. This includes but is not limited to case files documenting the process of financial assistance to Jewish women and their families; fliers and brochures announcing FHBS projects and associated programming on poverty in the Philadelphia community; and correspondence from members, allied organizations, and clients. Nearly half of the records are restricted for 75 years due to the contents containing detailed personal information about the clients the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society serves. There is a small amount of material in Hebrew, typically words or phrases scattered throughout the materials.
The collection is arranged into 23 series as follows:
- Series 1: Board of Managers, 1984-2005
- Series 2: Annual campaign, 1991-2005
- Series 3: Donations (Portions Restricted), 1989-2006
- Series 4: Disbursements (Restricted), 1991-2006
- Subseries 4.1: Client files (Restricted), 1993-2006
- Subseries 4.2: Monthly stipends (Restricted), 1991-2006
- Subseries 4.3: Case files (Restricted), 1992-1999
- Series 5: Camp scholarships (Restricted), 1995-2006
- Series 6: Correspondence (Restricted), 1986-2002
- Series 7: Financial records (Portions Restricted), 1969-2006
- Subseries 7.1: Tax returns and financial statements, 1996-2005
- Subseries 7.2: Accounts and investments, 1984-2003
- Subseries 7.3: Endowments and memorial funds (Portions Restricted), 1991-2004
- Subseries 7.4: Miscellaneous financial reports and documents (Portions Restricted), 1969-2006
- Series 8: Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, 1988-2006
- Series 9: Programs and initiatives, 1993-2006
- Series 10: Poverty Conference, 2000-2004
- Series 11: Regional organizations, 1988-2006
- Series 12: Website versions in Archive-It, 2014-2021
- Series 13: Accession 1884-170 (Portions Restricted), 1875-2003
- Series 14: Accession 1884-341 (Portions Restricted), 2006-2009
- Series 15: Accession 1884-342 (Portions Restricted), 2009-2011
- Series 16: Accession 2014-19 (Portions Restricted), 1981-2003
- Series 17: Accession 2015-41 (Portions Restricted), 1989-2014
- Series 18: Accession 2016-50 (Portions Restricted), 2009-2015
- Series 19: Accession 2017-28 (Portions Restricted), 2014-2016
- Series 20: Accession 2019-2 (Portions Restricted), 2015-2017
- Series 21: Accession 2019-31 (Portions Restricted), 2016-2018
- Series 22: Accession 2020-09 (Portions Restricted), 2017-2019
- Series 23: Accession 2021-14 (Portions Restricted), 2018-2021
Additions to this collection are expected. Websites are captured using Archive-It periodically, and the latest additions may not yet be included in this finding aid. For information on material-physical and digital, including captured websites-that may have been added since the last finding aid update, please contact the Special Collections Research Center.
Donated by the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society (Philadelphia Pa.) between 2006 and 2021. Further accruals are expected. A portion of this collection was previously administered by the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, acquired by Temple in June 2009. A portion of this collection was previously administered by the National Museum of American Jewish History, acquired by Temple in 2010.
Collection processed and finding aid prepared in 2012 by Jessica M. Lydon, Project Archivist. Finding aid revised in October 2020 to include accruals to collection described in Series 13-22 by Jessica M. Lydon, Associate Archivist. Finding aid revised in October 2021 to include accruals to collection described in Series 23 and several series reprocessed to reflect changes in appraisal priorities by Casey Babcock, Associate Archivist. Series 13-23 contents are in original order; some papers are not in folders; descriptive information for these series provided by the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society.
People
Organization
Subject
- Faith-based human services -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Fund raising -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
- Jewish women -- Societies and clubs
- Jews -- Charities
- Philanthropy-- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
Place
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- May 2024
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research. Access to files containing names and personally identifying information on clients served by the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society and their donors is restricted for 75 years from date of creation. Restrictions, where applicable, are noted at the series, subseries or file levels.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Female Hebrew Benevolent Society (Philadelphia, Pa.) Records are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The creator/donor has not assigned their rights to Temple University Libraries. Other creators' intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to them or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Collection Inventory
Series 1 is arranged alphabetically and includes annual and semi-annual meeting agendas and minutes, organization constitution and bylaws including reproductions of the 1825 and 1838 constitution, and organization histories written by members of the Board.
Series 2 is arranged chronologically and consists of materials related to the annual campaign, primarily correspondence, but also includes lists of donors and corresponding financial contribution.
Series 3 is arranged chronologically and consists primarily of correspondence regarding donations made by members of the organization and philanthropic minded individuals in the community.
Series is arranged chronologically in three subseries and documents the identities of clients served by FHBS, when they received aid, and the manner and type of assistance given. There is some overlap in informational content with Series 6.
Subseries 4.1 consists of records documenting disbursement of funds to clients usually receiving a one-time payout. These client files are typically grouped in folders covering a three or four month period.
Materials in subseries 4.2 pertain to clients that receive a monthly stipend.
Subseries 4.3 consists of a small number of individual client files.
Series 5 consists of materials related to assistance provided by the FHBS to families and their children for the purposes of sending them to summer camp. This series is arranged alphabetically according to the name of the camp with some miscellaneous folders containing documentation regarding less frequented camps.
Series 6 is arranged chronologically and is primarily communications between members of the Board of Managers such as Ruth Sarner Libros, Bertha Braude and Eileen Sklaroff and other social service agencies and social workers regarding potential or existing clients receiving benefits from the FHBS, but also includes direct correspondence from clients. There is some overlap in informational content with Series 4.
Series 7 is arranged chronologically in four subseries and documents the financial assets and cash expenditures of FHBS. There is some overlap in informational content with Series 8.
Subseries 7.1 contains tax returns and financial statements for fiscal years 1995-2004.
Subseries 7.2 consists of materials related to investments and accounts held by FHBS such as treasury notes and bonds.
Subseries 7.3 includes information on named endowments and funds, some of which are funded in part by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.
Subseries 7.4 contains summary financial reports and statistics on aid disbursements and expenditures.
Series 8 is arranged alphabetically and consists of materials related to FHBS and its relationship with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, particularly the allocation of monies to supplement donations for the purposes of disbursement to community members. There is some overlap in informational content with Series 7.
Series 9 is arranged alphabetically and documents the internal and external projects FHBS has participated in to promote and educate the community about the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, Jewish history, and the Jewish poor in Philadelphia.
Series 10 is arranged alphabetically and consists of materials related to a three part conference held in Philadelphia between 2001 and 2003 to address the needs of the Jewish poor in the Greater Philadelphia region.
Series 11 is arranged alphabetically and includes materials on social service organizations in the Greater Philadelphia region that FHBS is either affiliated or shares similar service missions. The bulk of the series consists of materials related to the fundraising campaign done in partnership with the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Series 12 contains preserved versions of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society's website. To access these sites, see the Temple University Special Collections Jewish Archives Archive-It web page: https://www.archive-it.org/collections/4280
Series 13 contains 1 box of records consisting of board meeting minutes, agendas, correspondence, financial records, and reports. This series contains the earliest dated material in the collection.
Series 14 contains 4 boxes of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence for fiscal years 2006-2009.
Series 15 contains 2 boxes of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence for fiscal years 2009-2011.
Series 16 contains 2 boxes of records of financial records, committee meeting minutes, correspondence, project files, and client questionnaires, primarily for fiscal year 2011-2012 and sporadic dates between 1981 and 2004.
Series 17 contains 2 boxes of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence, primarily for fiscal years 2012-2013 and 2013-2014.
Series 18 contains 1 box of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence, primarily for fiscal year 2014-2015.
Series 19 contains 1 box of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence, primarily for fiscal year 2015-2016.
Series 20 contains 1 box of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence, primarily for fiscal year 2016-2017.
Series 21 contains 1 box of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence, primarily for fiscal year 2017-2018.
Series 22 contains 1 box of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence, primarily for fiscal year 2018-2019.
Series 23 contains 1 box of administrative files, financial records, and correspondence, primarily for fiscal year 2019-2020.