The Hebrew Education Society, founded in 1848 by Rabbi Isaac Leeser and Major Mordecai Noah “to enable all Israelites of this city and county to receive instruction in religion, the Hebrew and the English languages, the usual branches of education, etc, ” will cease operations on August 31, it was announced today.
In recent years, the Society’s principal activity had been to provide recreational facilities for young people in the Northern Liberties area. Decision to suspend activities was due to the fact that the number of children using its facilities had “dwindled to a point where there no longer is validity for the continuance of the agency in that area.” The 100 children using these facilities will be accommodated by other agencies in the district.
The society which began operations 111 years ago as an educational agency, shifted after a half-century to vocational training for the young Jewish immigrants settling in Philadelphia. When the need for these services lessened, the society developed a re-creation program for the young people of the Northern Liberties area, formerly a populous Jewish district. The Society’s board will continue in existence and will administer its assets.
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.
