Pisgah Lodge Centennial
100 Years of Bnai Brith in Detroit
Banquet Sunday to Climax
Pisgah Lodge Centennial
BY RUDOLPH MEYERSOHN' creased J e wish immigration closed and the activities of the
Past President, Pisgah Lodge and extension of the frontiers. lodge were curtailed. As eco-
Fr
When Pisgah Lodge received
its charter in 1857, it became
the 34th lodge in a national or-
ganization which had its start
in New York City on Nov. 12,
1843. At the time of Pisgah's
formation, by German - Jewish
pioneers, who seven yea Ts
earlier had established Teniple
Beth El,• Detroit had only 200
Jews. The lodge membership
then was 25.
The founders and officers of
Pisgah Lodge and Cong. Beth
El were the same in the early
years and for many years after-
wards. In fact the synagogue
and the lodge were so closely
allied that the sole difference
lay in their immediate aims
and purposes. Both were rever-
- ently religioUs and devoted to
everything concerning Judaism.
The members of the cdngrega-
tion felt the need of an organi-
zation that would give help and
support not only to members of
the community, but also to the
newcomer and stranger. The
need to augment the congrega-
tion by charitable and social
means became apparent and
when an opportunity was pre-
sented to organize a lodge of
Bnai Brith with its broader
principles and wider scope, Pis-
gah Lodge had its inception.
In selecting a name for the
lodge the founders chose
Pisgah, which is a mountain
Moses climbed to view the
Promised Land as recorded
in the Book of Deuteronomy,
Chapter 31, Verse 1, "And
Moses went up to the plains
of Moab unto the mount of
Nebo, on the top of Pisgah,
that is before Jericho; and
the Lord showed him all the
land from Gl'ad unto Dan."
The pillars of Jewish religi-
ous and communal life in De-
troit appear as the petitioners
e.
r
s oric document
which bears 'the date of Novem-
ber 24, 1857, lists the following:
Jacob Silberman, Marcus Coh-
en, Louis Benfy, Herman Freed-
man, Samuel Sykes, Simon Hea-
venrich, Emanuel Schloss, Se- .
ligman Schloss, Louis Bressler,
S. Schwab, A. Hart, Morris
Hershman and M. E. Fech-
heimer.
The charter was signed by
Isaac M. Wise, founder of Re-
form Judaism in America, as
president of District Grand
Lodge No. 2. The charter was
countersigned by Julius Bien,
president of the Constitution
Grand Lodge of Bnai Brith.
Although the charter does not
list the name of Dr. Liebman
Adler, rabbi of Temple Beth El
from 1854 to 1861, the records
disclose that he was one of the
prime movers for' the forma-
tion of a Bnai Brith lodge in
the city.
Jacob Silberman was elected
the first president of Pisgah
Lodge and also served as presi-
dent of Temple Beth El from
its inception in 1850 to 1857.
(A list of past presidents ap-
peared in the Sept. 6 edition of
The Jewish News).
In its early years, Pisgah
Lodge like all other Bnai Brith
lodges combined mutual aid
benefits with fraternal features.
There was a sick benefit fund
for members and their families
as well as a fund for the sup-
port of widows and orphans of
deceased members. Another im-
portant feature was an endow-
ment insurance plan. Lodge
revenues in this era were de-
voted exclusively to concrete
helpfulness.
The initiation of members
was given with elaborate re-
galia in ceremonies comprising
three degrees and was strictly
oathbound to secrecy. Today
there is but one initiatory de-
gree which is given with open
doors, all secrecies have been
removed.
Bnai Brith and its lodges, in-
cluding Pisgah, grew with in-
The immigrant might peddle nomic conditions improved so
his way through life, or toil did the progress of Pisgah
with his hands, or engage in Lodge.
retail trade; once a week, how-
In 1933 a concerted effort
ever, he forgot that he was a was made by Pisgah to or-
stranger in a land he did not ganize a ladies auxiliary. In
understand and that did not un- that year a charter was
derstand him. He went weekly granted to Pisgah Auxiliary.
to the place of his lodge meet- In 1942, by action of the Su-
ing where social relations preme Lodge the Auxiliaries
among members was encour- were encouraged to change
aged and distinctions along eco- their designation and the
nomic lines were opposed. For group is now officially known
a good number of years the pro- as Pisgah Chapter. From an
ceedings of the lodge were car- original membership of 42,
ried on in German. English re- Pisgah Chapter has grown
placed German as the official and today is the largest Wo-
langauge of the lodge at the men's Bnai Brith group.
insistence of the younger mem-
With the increased activity
bers.
In 18'77, a second Bnai and a rise in membership the
Brith lodge was organized in bylaws were revised and com-
Detroit, known as Peninsular mencing with July 1, 1937 the
Lodge No. 2'72. The competi- presidents of the lodge were
tion of two Bnai Brith lodges elected for a period of one year
in a small community, instead of six months.
prompted Pisgah Lodge to
With the assistance of Pisgah
reorganize and strengthen its Lodge and the transfer of some
forces. History records that of its members, Louis Marshall
a few years later Peninsular Lodge was created in March
Lodge was merged with Pis- 1935; Detroit Lodge, June 9,
gas Lodge chiefly through 1939; and Theodore Herzl, June
the efforts of Adolph Freund, 22, 1939. East Side Lodge. was
a leader in Pisgah Lodge and founded March 15, 1941. Pisgah
Bernard Ginsberg, a leader Lodge was also active in the
of Peninsular Lodge.
organization of a governing
At the beginning of the twen- body to coordinate the activi-
tieth century a concerted effort ties of lodges in the city and
was made to interest all facets the Greater Detroit Bnai Brith
of the Jewish Community to Council was founded in 1939.
join Pisgah Lodge. Several
In 1942, in honor of the 85th
meetings and drives with this anniversary of the lodge, a quo-
objective as the goal were in- ta of 850 members was set, ten
stituted. A "revival meeting" members for each year of the
was called in 1902 to encourage lodge's existence. The quota
younger men to join. About this was made, being the largest
time the mutual aid and insur- membership gain in many
ance benefit program of Bnai years. Pisgah; at that time, had
Brith was abandoned.
the largest paid-up membership
In 1908 Pisgah Lodge was in its history. It also embarked
host to the fortieth annual con- on a war service program and
vention of District Grand Lodge engaged in War Bond Drives.
No. 6. At this meeting it was
The following year wao
proposed that a new standin ,
Irtflth. The
arges membership drive in
anti-semitism in. the United the lodge's history was launched
States. The plan was accepted in honor of Bnai Brith's one
and out of this committee grew hundred years. The quota was
the present Anti - Defamation ten members for each year of
League, founded in 1913.
Bnai Brith's existence. The
A ladies Almiliary of Pisgah drive went over the top and
Lodge was, organized in 1922 more than 1,000 members were
and received its charter from brought into the lodge. War
the Supreme Lodge in 1923. Bond Drives and War Service
This auxiliary functioned up to were the primary programs of
1929 when it went out of exist- the year.
ence.
The formation of additional
The movement to attract new lodges was undertaken
younger men into Pisgah Lodge with the sponsorship of the
gained momentum shortly be- Greater Detroit Bnai Brith
fore World War I, but the out- Council; Harry B. K e i d a n
break of hostilities interfered Lodge, Feb. 1945; Louis D.
with this plan. Many members Brandeis Lodge, May 31, 1945;
joined the armed forces and Rabbi Mandel Zager Lodge,
the lodge joined in the war ef- June 1946; Downtown Lodge,
fort as the local unit of the July 1,' 1946. The following six
American Soldier's and Sailor's were organized one year later:
George Gershwin, Ivan S. Bloch,
Welfare Board.
From the close of World War Henry Morganthau, Cinema
I to 1924, Pisgah - Lodge passed Lodge, Tikvah and Dov Frenkel.
Pisgah Lodge's B owling
through a period of reconstruc-
tion and rehabilitation. In 1924 League was created in 1938 by
work was commenced on a com- Sam Maza. From a small begin-
munity building. On May 2, ning it now ranks as one of the
1926, Bnai Brith Community largest Bnai Brith leagues in
Center, the home of Pisgah the country, and has won top
Lodge on Ferry Avenue, was honors in the national Bnai
opened. It was the first lodge Brith Bowling Congress as well
in the District to have its own as state and city tournaments.
building. The building soon be-
During the past ten years the
came the center of social, cul- following Bnai Brith lodges
tural and philanthropic activi- were 'founded: Israel Lodge,
ties.
June 1948; Philip Handler, June
One of the highlights of this 1948; Donald Fox Lodge, June
era was the organization of a 1949; Rex Lodge, December
70-piece Bnai Brith Symphony 1949; Motor City Lodge, March
Orchestra under the direction 1952; Oak-Woods Lodge, June
of Dr. Mark Gunsburg. During 1952; Louis Stone Lodge, June
this period of activity Pisgah 1953; Eddie Jacobson Lodge,
Lodge had the distinction of April 1956; Detroit Suburban
being the largest lodge in the Lodge, May 1956; Albert Ein-
world.
stein Lodge, June 1956; and
Pisgah Lodge formed and Yuster-Rosenberg Lodge, Feb.
sponsored the first two AZA 1957.
Pisgah Lodge has succeeded
Chapters in the city which were
housed in the Bnai Brith Com- in maintaining an enviable rep-
munity Center. The boys had utation in the life of our city
the advantage of all the facili- by virtue of bearing its proper
ties of the building making share of all undertakings. To
good use of the large audito- recite the intellectual, cultural,
rium, the gymnasium, the li- civic, social and charitable ac-
brary, the lounges and the tivities of the lodge during its
many other club room features. lengthy career, would without
During the depression of exaggeration fill a large vol-
1929, the community center was ume.
.
At a Lodge birthday party celebrating its centennial
anniversary, Pisgah Lodge of Bnai Brith presented a plaque
to HYMAN CRYSTAL (center), executive director of the
Greater Detroit Bnai Brith Council and assistant secretary of
District Grand Lodge No. 6, for "consecrated devotion to Bnai
Brith." Making the presentation is JACK LEEDS, Pisgah pres-
ident, while MILTON M. WEINSTEIN, a past president, looks
on.
* * *
Several months of activity in
celebration of the 100th anni-
versary of Pisgah Lodge, Bnai
Brith, will culminate this week-
end with a Centennial Banquet
and Dance.
The banquet, scheduled for
6:30 p.m., Sunday, in the Grand
Ballroom of t h e Sheraton.,
Cadillac Hotel, will mark 100
years of continuous Bnai Brith
service in Michigan.
The affair is jointly spon-
sored by Pisgah Lodge and the
Greater Detroit Bnai Brith
Council.
Sen. David A. Croll, one of
Canada's leading political fig-
ures, will be the principal
speaker. The first Jew to serve
in the Canadian Senate, he has
been Mayor of Windsor, a mem-
ber of Parliament and a lieu-
tenant colonel in the Canadian
- 4.47440440- 44v400.61e*Waroadr.,- -
The banquet will open with
the singing of the National
Anthems, led by Alf r e d H.
Bounin, member of the District
No. 6 board of governors, and
the invocation by Dr. Richard
C. Hertz, rabbi, of Temple Beth
El.
Samuel W. Leib, chain/Ian of
the centennial committee and a
past president of Pisgah Lodge,
the Detroit Council and District.
6, will be toastmaster.
Following dinner, there will
be a welcome extended by Jack
Leeds, current Pisgah pres-
ident, and greetings from Gov.
Williams, Sen. Charles E. Pot-
ter and Mayor Louis C. Miriani.
Bnai Brith greetings will be
extended by Dr. Abe Greenberg,
representing the Supreme
Lodge; Harry Epstein, pres-
ident of District Grand Lodge
No. 6; Harry C. Katz, president
of the Detroit BB Council; and
Mrs. Philip Fealk, president of
the Women's Council.
Others in the community who
will offer felicitations are •
Judge Theodore Levin, pres-
ident of the Jewish Welfare
Federation; and Samuel J.
Rhodes, president of the Jewish
Community Council.
Vocal selections will be
rendered by Cantor Nicholas
Fenakel, of Adas Shalom Syna-
gogue, accompanied at t h e
piano by Betty Kowalsky. A
special presentation will be
made by Harry Yudkoff, past
District president. The benedic-
tion will be given by Rabbi
Morris Adler, of Cong. Shaarey
Zedek.
.Dinner music will be played
throughout the evening and for
dancing at the conclusion of the
banquet program.
Guests at the banquet will
receive a bound volume called
"The Pisgah Story," edited by
Rudolph Meyersohn, a past
Pisgah president, who is the
author of the story at the left.
Working with Leib as his co-
chairmen for the Sunday pro-
gram were Milton M. Weinstein
and Elias Goldberg.
Others are Aaron Droock and
Harry Yudkoff, honorary chair-
men; Milton M. Weinstein and
Hy Crystal, banquet chairmen;
Victor Bloomfield and Meyer
W. Leib, se a tin g; Nathan
Rubenstein and Sol Steinberg,
tickets; Louis Barden, special
guests; and Rudolph Meyer-
sohn, publicity.
Nixon Lauds BB at Dedication
of New Headquarters in Washington
•
WASHINGTON, (JTA)—The
activities of the Bnai Brith
were lauded by Vice President
Richard Nixon in an address
'delivered at ceremonies mark-
ing the dedication of Lie organ-
ization's new $1,600,000 nation-
al headquarters building here.
President Eisenhower, in a
message addressed to Bnai
Brith president Philip. M. Klutz-
nick, said that the new struc-
ture "is a welcome addition to
the nation's capital.",
Nixon drew attention to the
fact that .Bnai Brith charitable
activities were not limited to
the Jewish area. . Such charit-
able assistance is extended to
the world at large, he said. Mrs.
Eleanor Roosevelt spoke later
at a dedication luncheon. A.
number of • dignitaries partici-
pated in the ceremony.
The service organization ad-
opted a resolution at its 114th
annual meeting here ' saying
that President Eisenhower's
new Civil Rights Commission
can give "powerful support" to
"law-abiding millions in the
South who, regardless of their
feelings about integration, have
displayed a fundamental respect
for constitutional authority and
the decencies of American life."
In other resolutions, .Bnai
Brith condemned "the growing
tendency" toward sectarian reli-
gious instruction in public
schools and criticized Congress
for failing to deal with "funda-
mental inequities" in the Mc-
Carran-Walter Immigration Act.
Klutznick told the annual
meeting that "the Bill of Rights,
as the core of American policy,
can travel faster than sputniks."
A record' budget of $5,290,000
was adopted for activities in
1958. Among other projects,
it was announced that Bnai
Brith will start publication of
a "great books" series and a
quarterly, "Jewish Heritage."
Bnai Brith may hold its next
triennial convention in, Israel •
in the spring of 1959 as a re-
sult of a decision taken at the
annual meeting. An invitation
to meet in Israel, issued by -
President Ben-Zvi, was present-
to the Bnai Brith board by
Prof. Joseph, Rivlin, president
of Bnai Brith in Israel.