The Cleveland Section of the National Council of Jewish Women is a women's service organization founded in 1894, in Cleveland, Ohio, as a local chapter of the National Council of Jewish Women. Its services to Cleveland's Jewish and general communities include hot meals delivered to the elderly, homes for the elderly and working girls, scholarships, day nurseries and thrift shops. The collection consists of individual and group portraits of women active in the organization, including Ruth Einstein, credited with the idea of Council Gardens, and past presidents Isabelle Brown, Iris Curtis, Ernestine Greenberger, Maddy Joseph, Betty Mintz, Barbara Sobel, Jo Tramer, Yetta Wasserman, and Peggy Wasserstrom. Group portraits and views document the varied activities taken on by the Cleveland Section in the 1960s and 1970s, including the preparation of the Access Guide to Cleveland Disabled and Elderly Individuals, volunteer work at Mount Pleasant Community Center, Thrift Shops, and the establishment of Council Gardens in 1963 and Council House in 1979. National activities are represented by views of various conventions and legislative meetings with congressmen Tom Lantos and Charles Vanik and senators John Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum. International activities include Ship-a-Box, which sent toys to Israel. Also included are views of fashion shows and luncheons, popular social and fundraising events. Important early views include the "Beehive Booth," a fund raising event at Grays Armory in 1897, a Camp Wise view form 1907, and a Big Sister scene from 1919.
