Pittsburgh Lodge No. 44 50-year members
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
B’nai B’rith Jericho Lodge No. 44 was the first chapter of the International Order of B’nai B’rith fraternal organization established in Western Pennsylvania. It was chartered in December 1862, operating under Grand District Lodge No. 3 in Philadelphia.
The charter members of Jericho Lodge No. 44 were Julius Adler, M. Amberg, Rev. William Armhold (president), S. Baerman, J. Baum, E. Bernstein, M. Brilles, Josiah Cohen, L. Einstein, M. Good, Gustave Grafner, A. Greenwald, Meyer Hanauer, L. Heilbronner, L. Jonas, M. Kraus, Moses Oppenheimer, H. Rosenbach, J. Stern, Simon Straus (secretary), and M. Weille.[1]“The B’nai B’rith in Allegheny County,” Jewish Criterion, Jan. 28, 1898, p. 11 (online). It had grown to 35 members by the following year,[2]Wise, Rev. Isaac Meyer. “Editorial Correspondence,” The American Israelite, Jan. 1, 1864, p. 212 (online—Newspapers.com). 68 members by 1898, and “several hundred” members by its 50th anniversary in 1912, becoming the second-largest lodge in the district.[3]“Fiftieth Anniversary Celebrated by Jericho Lodge,” Jewish Criterion, Dec. 13, 1912, p10, 22 (online). It contributed at least three presidents to the District Grand Lodge.
Jericho Lodge No. 44 served a charitable, social, and cultural role within the local Jewish community. It hosted gatherings and brought speakers to the city, and it provided various benefits to members including help with medical and funeral expenses. The lodge attempted to find unity among the various factions of the Jewish population during that era and also to encourage the Jewish community to interact with other groups in the Pittsburgh area.
Jericho Lodge No. 44 was followed several others in the city. In early 1921, it merged with the local Saar Sholem Lodge No. 154 and Abraham Lippman Lodge No. 672 to create the Pittsburgh Lodge No. 44 with a combined membership of approximately 1,000.[4]“Pittsburgh Lodge No. 44 I.O.B.B.,” Jewish Criterion, March 25, 1921, p. 11 (online).
References
| ↑1 | “The B’nai B’rith in Allegheny County,” Jewish Criterion, Jan. 28, 1898, p. 11 (online). |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Wise, Rev. Isaac Meyer. “Editorial Correspondence,” The American Israelite, Jan. 1, 1864, p. 212 (online—Newspapers.com). |
| ↑3 | “Fiftieth Anniversary Celebrated by Jericho Lodge,” Jewish Criterion, Dec. 13, 1912, p10, 22 (online). |
| ↑4 | “Pittsburgh Lodge No. 44 I.O.B.B.,” Jewish Criterion, March 25, 1921, p. 11 (online). |
