Brith Sholom (Baltimore, Md.)

The Independent Order Brith Sholom of Baltimore, a fraternal organization, was formed in 1902 in East Baltimore by a group headed by Calman Cohn. Initially, its primary purpose was to assist new Jewish immigrants with jobs, learning the language and customs, and finding friends. Three lodges were formed under the umbrella of the Grand Lodge. The number of constitutent lodges gradually increased to eight with over 3,000 members, and Brith Sholom became the largest Jewish fraternal organization south of New York. Branches were opened in Washington, D.C., Richmond, and Norfolk, Va. In 1926, the Ladies Executive Assembly was organized as a separate group under the Grand Lodge. Eventually there were six constitutent women's lodges under its leadership. Over the years, both the men's and women's organizations supported a number of charitable and educational institutions both in Maryland and in Israel. Among its local activities were the establishment of the first synagogue at Rosewood State Hospital and the preparation of Passover seders for patients at Rosewood; the initiation of fundraising for the erection of a monument to Thomas Kennedy, the author of Maryland's "Jew Bill", and the selling of war bonds. When the State of Israel was formed, Brith Sholom was the first fraternal order to buy ambulances for the new state, and it helped supply money and materiel for the ship Exodus. In 1950, it supplied funds for Brith Sholom Neabola, a self-operating settlement for Yemeni Jewish immigrants. In 1969 its lodges and auxiliaries raised $25,000 to build a medical clinic in Israel. Brith Sholom of Baltimore ceased to exist in 1995.