B’nai B’rith International (/bəˌneɪ ˈbrɪθ/, from Hebrew: בְּנֵי בְּרִית, romanized: b’né brit, lit. ’Children of the Covenant‘)[1] is a Jewish service organization. B’nai B’rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and combating antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.

Although the organization’s historic roots stem from a system of fraternal lodges and units in the late 19th century, as fraternal organizations declined throughout the United States, the organization evolved into a dual system of both lodges and units.[2][3] The membership pattern became more common to other contemporary organizations of members affiliated by contribution in addition to formal dues paying members. B’nai B’rith has members, donors and supporters around the world.

History

B’nai B’rith was founded in Aaron Sinsheimer’s café in New York City‘s Lower East Side on October 13, 1843, by 12 recent German Jewish immigrants led by Henry Jones.[3][4] The new organization represented an attempt to organize Jews of the local community to confront what Isaac Rosenbourg, one of the founders, called “the deplorable condition of Jews in this, our newly adopted country”.[5] The new group’s purpose, as described in its constitution, called for the traditional functions performed by Jewish societies in Europe: “Visiting and attending the sick” and “protecting and assisting the widow and the orphan.” Its founders had hoped that it soon would encompass all Jews in the United States, but this did not happen, since other Jewish organizations also were forming around the same time.[6]

The German-speaking founders originally named the organization Bundes-Brüder (German for “Brothers of the Covenant”)[7] to reflect their goal of a fraternal order that could provide comfort to the entire spectrum of Jewish Americans.[8] Although early meetings were conducted in German, after a short time English emerged as the language of choice and the name was changed to B’nai B’rith. In the late 20th century, the translation was changed to the more contemporary and inclusive Children of the Covenant. … 

1843 to early 1900s

The organization’s activities during the 19th and 20th centuries were dominated by mutual aid, social service and philanthropy. In keeping with their concerns for protecting their families, the organization’s first concrete action was the establishment of an insurance policy awarding widows of deceased members $30 toward funeral expenses and a stipend of $1 a week for the rest of their life. To aid their children, each child would also receive a stipend and, for male children, the assurance he would be taught a trade.[5]

In 1851, Covenant Hall was erected in New York City as the first Jewish community center in the United States, and also what is widely considered to be the first Jewish public library in the United States.[3] One year later, B’nai B’rith established the Maimonides Library.[10] Immediately following the Civil War—when Jews on both sides of the battle were left homeless—B’nai B’rith founded the 200-bed Cleveland Jewish Orphan Home. Over the next several years, the organization would establish numerous hospitals, orphanages and homes for the aged.[11]

In 1868, when a devastating flood crippled Baltimore, B’nai B’rith responded with a disaster relief campaign. This act preceded the founding of the American Red Cross by 13 years and was to be the first of many domestic relief programs. That same year, B’nai B’rith sponsored its first overseas philanthropic project raising $4,522 to aid the victims of a cholera epidemic in Ottoman Palestine.[12].

Source: B’nai B’rith. Wikipedia. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0; additional terms may apply