Who Are We?
Preamble to the Constitution of the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society: In all communities the means of alleviating the sufferings of the poor are considered of high importance by the benevolent and the humane. The original subscribers, members of the Hebrew Congregation of Philadelphia, and citizens of the United States and of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, sensible to the calls of their small society, and desirous of rendering themselves useful to their indigent Sisters of the House of Israel, associated themselves together for the purposes of charity; and in order to make the benefit permanent, adopted this Constitution.
Founded 190-years ago by the women of Congregation Mikveh Israel and guided by Rebecca Gratz, the Female Hebrew Benevolent Society remains the oldest Jewish charity in continuous existence in the United States. It is also the first independent organization established by Jews to serve Jews in the City of Philadelphia. Philly Firsts by Janice L. Booker, credits Gratz’s pivotal role in organizing FHBS as the start of Jewish charitable organizations in Philadelphia today.
The Society is overseen by a board of 13-managers who act in a volunteer capacity, assuming responsibility for administration and almost all overhead. There are no paid employees. Future board members serve as observers at semiannual meetings and gradually take on tasks as their knowledge of and commitment to our mission increases.
FHBS concentrates on four specific areas of assistance: emergency aid, monthly stipends, personal emergency response systems for frail, elderly women and camp scholarships. All cases are considered individually, taking into account any extenuating circumstances. Requests are filled as the treasury permits, often within a 24-hour period. Referrals come from communal professionals at Jewish agencies who must screen the client to verify and prioritize her needs before making a recommendation to FHBS.
During the fiscal year 2010-2011 over $103,641 was distributed to 161 unduplicated clients. Overhead not covered by directed donations was less than 1% of total expenditures.
FHBS: A VIEW FROM MIDDLE SCHOOL
My name is Lila Molder and I will be in the seventh grade at Bala Cynwyd Middle School in September. As part of my preparations for becoming a bat mitzvah, I had to choose a mitzvah project. My mom suggested that I look at the FHBS because it is based in Philadelphia, and it focuses on helping Jewish women in Philadelphia. I picked FHBS and I spent time with Eileen Sklaroff, the head of the Board of Managers in charge of the FHBS. With Eileen, I learned about some of the history of FHBS and about the types of women helped by the FHBS. I also learned more about tzedakah.
One of the things I did was try to read the reports of the FHBS meetings from the early 1800s. It was very hard to understand the reports because even though the women writing the reports were educated women, I could hardly understand they way they wrote! Eileen helped me understand some of the reports. I learned that when FHBS was founded in 1819, the women who donated money wanted to help poor Jewish women and their families.
That is still the same today. Eileen shared two case studies describing two different types of women being helped by the FHBS right now. When I was reading the case studies, I started to feel really sad. I did not know that people could need that much help. It broke my heart to read about an elderly Jewish woman who might lose her home because she could not afford to move. And I felt awful when I read about another woman who was beaten by her husband. It was all so depressing.
By becoming familiar with FHBS, I have learned about how the tzedakah that we give helps people. As a bat mitzvah I will continue to give tzedakah, and I will always try to remember the people who are being helped by organizations like the FHBS.
