A national membership campaign conducted during the past year by the National Federation of Temple Brotherhoods has added 2,132 new names to the organization’s roster, it was announced yesterday.
The Federation, which has a membership of 120 brotherhoods, has just concluded the eleventh year of its existence. It aims to promote religious interests of men, to advance Jewish culture through study and to intensify social life under temple auspices.
A report issued yesterday by the Federation reviews the organization’s activities during the past year. Credit for the successful membership drive is accorded Jesse Cohen, a vice-president, who lives in Brooklyn.
A national survey on the layman’s attitude toward the Reform religious service is described as one of the year’s outstanding projects undertaken by the Federation. The survey was launched by a committee on synagogue service study. Satisfaction is expressed in the report for the results achieved. It is stated that almost 2,000 responses have been received to date. They are now being compiled and final results of the survey will be announced shortly.
The institution last Spring of a Passover rally by New York groups, to supplement annual chanukah rallies which have become a national institution, was another highlight of the Federation’s activities. It is added that next season Passover rallies will likewise be celebrated by brotherhoods in all parts of the country.
In addition to the increase in individual members, six new brotherhoods became affiliated with the Federation during the past year. These include groups from Wichita, Kan.; Glencoe, III.; Buffalo, N. Y.; Lynn, Mass.; Huntington, W. Va., and Philadelphia.
A large percentage of the brotherhoods participated last year in the layman’s services held in congregations in all sections of the country. The National Committee on Brotherhood Services, of which Isaac Joffe, Lawrence, L. I., is chairman, also carried on special work in the Metropolitan area, where a large number of clubs held services conducted solely by the laity.
The brotherhoods also publish a monthly magazine. The Jewish Layman, which contains cultural and educational articles.
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