Jewish center helped many
Philadelphia's Jewish community has a long history of patriotic and philanthropic commitment. The cemetery of Mikveh Israel - the "Synagogue of the American Revolution" - counts the names of many Continental Army soldiers. And the oldest continuously operating Jewish charitable organization in the country, the women-led Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, was established in Philadelphia in 1819.
Philadelphia's Jewish community has a long history of patriotic and philanthropic commitment.
The cemetery of Mikveh Israel - the "Synagogue of the American Revolution" - counts the names of many Continental Army soldiers. And the oldest continuously operating Jewish charitable organization in the country, the women-led Female Hebrew Benevolent Society, was established in Philadelphia in 1819.
This legacy was upheld during the tumultuous decades of the early 20th century by Joseph Emanuel Beck (1904-1981). The fifth son of Romanian Jewish immigrants who settled in Racine, Wis., Beck pursued social work during his graduate studies, developing a keen interest in helping immigrant families. After a stint as executive director of the Family Welfare Association of Scranton, Beck became executive director of Philadelphia's Jewish Welfare Society (JWS).
At the time of Beck's arrival, the JWS provided services such as counseling, work relief, small-business loans, and shelter for the homeless, as well as aiding Jewish refugees from Europe.
When Beck took charge in 1934, the organization had plenty of funding for its small number of refugee cases.
As the scourge of Hitlerism spread across Europe, though, the number of Jewish refugees grew. Initially, the society couldn't cope financially with the influx and had to halt its resettlement services in late 1939. Beck then went on a personal crusade to help secure funding and resources for JWS's constituents. This led him to the National Refugee Service (NRS) in New York City, which aided JWS. Beck served the society until about 1942, and then became the executive director of the NRS.
In 1950, Beck moved to California, where he continued to serve various Jewish organizations and civic agencies until his death in 1981.
On Tuesday, HSP will host Docs & Drinks, featuring a lecture by Judith Guston, curator and director of collections at the Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia, and a document display relating to the Jewish community in Philadelphia and beyond. For more information, please visit hsp.org/calendar.