Women's Auxiliary and Sisterhood
The first Jewish organization to emerge in St. Catharines was the Hebrew Ladies Aid Society. It was established in 1910 by a group of ten women who met in the home of Mrs. R.J. Hoffman. The primarily purpose of this group was to aid Jewish transients. The first president was Mrs. R.I. Friedman. Over time, its activities expanded to include other charitable pursuits. For instance, in 1914 Mrs. Cooperman and Mrs. Friedman sent over funds to the old country to help Jews in Eastern Europe. The Society also donated the Aron HaKodesh (Holy Ark) to the synagogue when it was built as well as the Bimah, which was constructed in 1937.
Another women’s organization was formed in 1931 called the Mother’s Club. Mrs. Maurice Morris headed the group. Their main mandate was that of funding local Jewish education. By the mid-1930s, they broadened the scope of their work and called themselves the Ladies Auxiliary. They played a pivotal role in improving the synagogue building by installing windows in the women’s gallery, benches in the sanctuary and by redecorating the walls. It consisted of approximately 40 members during this period.
In 1940, the Ladies Auxiliary was replaced by the Sisterhood Auxiliary. The first president was Mrs. J. Cooperman. They too raised funds to support Jewish education in the community. The group typically met in the home of the president or chair and pursued an ambitious mandate which included: contributing to the maintenance of the synagogue building; organizing special events and cultural programming; supporting Jewish education; and purchasing books and equipment required for the religious school.
In 1949, the Sisterhood Auxiliary helped organize a community celebration to mark the one-year anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. During the 1950s, they initiated a host of different activities intended to raise funds for a myriad of causes such as operating a gift shop and hosting events such as bake sales, tea parties, traveling bridge nights, meet the author evenings, a speaker series, rummage sales, couple socials, Simcha Torah celebrations, an annual hamburger night and New Years Eve parties. They also held an annual installation and closing dinners. By the 1960s, the ladies added some new activities to their roster. The B’nai Israel Sisterhood choir began that year and was led by Aida Herzog.
