The Denver Jewish news., 1920-11-03
How the Natl Council of Jewish Women
was Organized in Chicago in 1893
MRS HANNAH G. SOLOMON HONORARY PRESIDENT AND
FOUNDER OF THE COUNCIL, TALKS OF THE
ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOPMENT
AND ACHIEVEMENTS
Council First Body for Jewish Wonanhood in Country

mittee to assist me IN carrying our
my plans.
I'VE organized mass meetings thru
out the country where women dele
gates were elected. We correspondcd
with every prominent Rabbi in every
city. asking for suggestions. and when
the Congress met in 1893. we had IL
representative gathering Of Jewish
women ON the last day of the Con
sress, the late Julia Richman of New
York. presented n resolution calling
for the formation of n :iafional Jewish
womcnS organization. and every wo-
man present at the Congress pledged
/ herself to support any organization
that might he formed. Officers were
elected and | WIS chosen prcsider'
We set about to formulate n constitr
tion and II tentative plan for organi.
"ation. and in 1S1 our first TricnniaI
Convention was held.
THE women of the Council had Wis.
ion and they had IA definite plan Of
work. which looked far ahead of the
generation in which they themselves
were working. At our first triennial
we had two aims: rcligi,-is work and
philanthropy. We hoped to establish
Sabbath schools and to extend tho
study of Jewish literature and history.
( IN philanthropy we wanted to intro
duce preventive work. making the
family rather than the individual the
object of our care by these plans.
you can readily understand how lin.
! tied was our field of endeavor in 1S9G.
! Charity and religion-th-Sc two were
he sprYince of wemnnkind Womnn.s
7 sphere Is in the home, they told us
The last thirty years have been de-
voted to prove our boast that wom-
ems sphere is the whole wide world.
without limit.
SO well We're these original pur-
poses carried out. that today there
are thousands of Jewish children in
the Sabbath Schools of the Council
all over thr country. There have been
many successful study circles. and in
many cities where the Council now
exists. they are the only Jewish az
tivity in the community Our work
in philanthropy resulted in the cstab.
llShmcnt of scores of new phlan-
'hropics To carry ont our plans.
In looking back from 1920. we find
that the Council was the first or
ganized body to claim ii place for
Jewish -,
the country 1t has furnished OPP
fortunities for womcn's development
and has aided them in devolpins their
tnlents. 1t has aided many other ma
tional organizations it has furnished
plans of study for small communities
and assisted in the formation of Jew
ish sabbath schools for girls, in many
instances paying for Instructors Ii
has carried on preventive and corrcc-
tive work for the blind and deaf. Often
these activities are carried on by tI,,.
sections themselves and operated ut
lhc cost of thousands of dollars. The
National Council carries on immigrant
aid work with workers at Ellis Island.
New York. Baltimore. Philadelphia.
Seattle and San Francisco. Recently
work was undertaken for Jewish
women .on farms.
In addition. the Council takes an az
tive interest in legislation that is OF
community and womcn's welfare. L:
maintains committees on Purity and
the Press. Peace and Arbitration. So
/ cial Hygiene. Civic a:ld Communal
sisted in every national activity
Even the ambitious pioneers of
1898 did not dream of such u scop..
of work. They could hardly foresee
that during the war. the National
Council of Jewish Women would be-
/ The only organization permitted IL
/ AIRY on welfare work mt Ellis Island.
/ They could scarcely foresee the hon
cred place the Council holds in the
4 National Council of Women of til"
I,nited States. the National Fedora
ton of Womcn's Clubs and Intcrna-
1ional Council of Women.
But our pioneers huilded well. and
so carefully that they may vet rec
ugnizc in the Council of Jewish
Women of today. the foundations
which they themselves iaid-for the
/ spirit Of the work has remained I'M
] changed with changing times.