Eureka Benevolent Society (San Francisco, Calif.)

The Eureka Benevolent Association, one of San Francisco's earliest philanthropic organizations, was formed in 1850 "[to] afford aid and relief to indigent, sick, and infirm Jews; to bury the dead; and in general to relieve and aid co-religionists who might be in poverty or distress." In 1907, the organization changed its name to the Eureka Benevolent Society (EBS). As the city's Jewish population grew in numbers and diversity, the EBS was joined by other social service agencies that broadened the scope of service and eventually formed the nucleus of the San Francisco Jewish federation movement that took place in the early twentieth century. After the incorporation of the Hebrew Board of Relief, in 1901, the EBS, the First Hebrew Benevolent Society, the Jewish Ladies' Relief Society, and the Ladies' United Hebrew Benevolent Society all became constituent agencies. In 1918, after the Hebrew Board of Relief was officially disbanded, the three other societies along with the Hebrew Ladies' Sewing Circle and the Helpers merged into the EBS. In 1910, the EBS authorized the formation of the Federation of Jewish Charities. The 1920s brought a decided change in the way welfare agencies dealt with family problems. The EBS launched a complex and sophisticated program that was characterized by "a scientific approach to the problem by thorough investigation," and it became known as the Jewish Family Service Agency, although it still remained incorporated under its old name. Another major consolidation occurred in 1955, when the Federation of Jewish Charities and the Jewish National Welfare Fund merged and became the Jewish Welfare Federation of San Francisco, Marin County, and the Peninsula. In November 1977, when the Jewish Family Service Agency merged with Homewood Terrace, which had formerly been the Pacific Hebrew Orphan Asylum, this new organization became known as the Jewish Family and Children's Service. At this time, the EBS books were closed.

From the description of Eureka Benevolent Society records, 1850-1977. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 84669148

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