Sisterhood
In 1919, Mrs. Rae Rosenberg returned from a visit to her native England with the inspiration to form a Ladies’ Aid Society for Beth Jacob. Among the women who joined the new group were Bertha Brown, Bessie Roseman, the Rebbetzen Mrs. Levine, Bessie Papernick, Rebecca Wolynetz, Rebecca Taraday, Anna Weiss, Dora Siderson, and others. Mrs. Rosenberg was the first president.
The Ladies’ Aid motto was, “help wherever and whenever it is needed.” The women worked very hard to raise money for local families in need, yet they were very discreet about the aid given out: Joel Cohen recalled that his mother would hear telephone conversations in which chesed was being discussed, but she could never figure out just who the women were talking about, so high was the standard of dignity and privacy. The women held banquets and raffles and went door-to-door collecting for the Hebrew school. In the 1920s, they raised $500 to purchase a Czechoslovakian crystal chandelier that still hung in the synagogue fifty years later.
After the Second World War, the Ladies’ Aid’s work focused on supporting the community’s children, education and the beautification of the synagogue. The organization was renamed the Beth Jacob Sisterhood in 1950. Sisterhood began organizing an annual “Showcase” with booths rented by different companies. At regular “Birthday Banquets,” candles were auctioned off to raise money. A “Couples’ Club” was held monthly to nurture community spirit. There were Chanukah parties for the Hebrew school students, Welcome Teas for new brides, and a Sisterhood Gift Shop established in 1956.
