Leader Lodge 25th anniversary
The Jewish Encyclopedia
of Western Pennsylvania
A project of the Rauh Jewish Archives at the Heinz History Center
The Knights of Pythias is an international fraternal order that was active in Western Pennsylvania in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The nonsectarian order attracted many Jewish supporters, leading to several local lodges with mostly Jewish membership.
A group of young Jewish men who had recently emigrated from Eastern Europe founded Mt. Sinai Lodge 480 in 1882. Banner Lodge 399 was founded in 1892 and increasingly gained Jewish membership toward the middle of the decade. The lodge split in the mid-1890s, with the Reform members joining Hesperus Lodge 57. Other lodges were predominately Jewish membership include Madoc Lodge 229 and Leader Lodge 342.
While the Knights of Pythias remained active in Pittsburgh into the mid-20th century, membership declined, leading to mergers. Madoc-Leader Lodge 229 was formed in 1930 and became Madoc-Leader-Keystone Lodge 229 in 1953. Mt. Sinai-Banner Lodge 399 was formed as late as 1937. Madoc-Leader-Keystone Lodge 229 and Mt. Sinai-Banner Lodge 399 merged with other local lodges in 1972 to create Pittsburgh Lodge 5.
