Philadelphia to Take Lead in 25th Anniversary Celebration of Brith Sholom Order

The Jewish Community of this city will lead in the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Independent Order Brith Sholom. It was in this city 25 years ago that 44 men came together in a private home, a stone’s throw from Independence Square, and laid the foundation for what later became one of the outstanding Jewish fraternal orders in this country. Out of these 44, the Order grew rapidly until at one time it had as many as 52,000 members in lodges scattered throughout the land. Its present membership is approximately 25,000. Judge William M. Lewis, national chairman of the United Palestine Appeal, is Grand Master and Martin O. Levy is Grand Secretary.

The celebration in this city has been planned on an extensive scale. It is expected that similar celebrations will take place in a number of communities throughout the country where the Order has a large following. The celebration will begin this Friday evening with exercises in a number of synagogues and will continue until Tuesday evening, February 25, reaching its climax in the Brith Sholom Silver Jubilee Ball at the Elks Ballroom. Several thousand people, many of them coming from various parts of the country, are expected to attend this social function. United States Senator Royal S. Copeland of New York will deliver the keynote address at the Silver Jubilee Banquet at the

Benjamin Franklin Hotel on Monday evening. Sunday morning will be given over to the unveiling of a bronze tablet dedicated to the memory of the past Grand Masters—Morris Rosenberg, Louis S. Rubinsohn, Joseph Rosenfeld, Solomon Adolph and Sol C. Kraus. These memorial exercises will take place in the auditorium of the Brith Sholom Building. The unveiling will be done by the past Grand Masters, Samuel Berkowitz, Benjamin F. Miller and A. Sigmund Kanengieser. The memorial prayer will be chanted by Cantor Joseph Morgenstern of the West Philadelphia Jewish Community Center and addresses will be delivered by Judge Lewis, and Rabbi B. L. Leventhal, one of the lodge’s oldest members.

There will be a concert of unusual excellence on Sunday evening, in the auditorium of the Academy of Music. Judge Lewis will be toastmaster at the banquet on Monday evening and addresses will be delivered by Senator Copeland, Mayor Mackey, Charles A. Waters, Auditor General of Pennsylvania, United States Congressman, Benjamin M. Golder and others.