Greater Boston Jewry will take time out from an intensive Combined Jewish Appeal campaign for $6,950,000 on Monday, to observe the 65th anniversary of the founding of its Federation of Jewish Charities, now the Associated Jewish Philanthropies of Boston.
The nation’s first welfare federation and the model for similar organizations not only for other Jewish communities, including New York, across the country but for non-sectarian community chests, Boston’s Federation of Jewish Charities was created April 25, 1895 when five charitable organizations voluntarily merged their fund raising and social planning programs.
Simon J. Helman, Associated Jewish Philanthropies president, noted that the first unified fund raising effort in the United States produced $11,900 from 489 contributors in Boston which then had a population of 15,000 Jews. Since then, Federation has developed 22 outstanding health, welfare, education and social group work institutions including world famous Beth Israel hospital. The annual operating budgets of these agencies are close to $11,000,000.
Mr. Helman pointed out that in the past 65 years the organized Jewish community of Boston has contributed $125,000,000 for diverse local, national, overseas and Israel philanthropic services. The annual CJA campaign today receives support from 55,000 greater Boston Jews. Mr. Helman said that a gala community-wide celebration will be held after the 1960 Combined Jewish Appeal drive.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
