New Home Club (Milwaukee, Wis.)

Founded by refugees from Nazi Europe as a social club.

Forty Jewish refugees from Germany founded the "Society of Friends" in Milwaukee on 8 September 1935 to provide aid and advice to people fleeing the Nazis. The group changed its name to the "New Home Club" in 1941. After the U.S. entered World War II, the Club worked with the Red Cross on blood drives and on the production of surgical dressings, and assisted members in changing their "enemy alien" status.

After the war, the Club helped displaced Jews, and created a relief fund to help Jews in Austria and Germany. The Club provided financial assistance for Israel, and purchased an ambulance for use in the 1967 Six-Day War. Throughout its existence, the new Home Club actively promoted social events such as dances, dinners, and lectures. The Club's membership, which was never very large, gradually declined and the organization ceased operations in 1985, although it came together for a 50th anniversary celebration in 1987.