B'nai B'rith
An international Jewish service organization focused on community service, human rights advocacy, combating antisemitism, and Jewish continuity.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
B'nai B'rith is an American-founded Jewish service organization established in New York City in 1843 by 12 recent German Jewish immigrants led by Henry Jones. Originally organized as a fraternal lodge, it was created to provide mutual aid and communal support to Jews who were building new lives in the United States. Its early constitution emphasized visiting the sick, assisting widows and orphans, and protecting members and their families. The organization first used the German name Bundes-Brüder, or Brothers of the Covenant, before adopting the Hebrew-derived name B'nai B'rith, commonly translated as Children of the Covenant. During the nineteenth century, B'nai B'rith combined fraternal life with philanthropy, insurance, education, disaster relief, and advocacy. It established or supported libraries, community facilities, hospitals, orphanages, homes for older people, and relief campaigns. Covenant Hall in New York, erected in 1851, was an early Jewish community center, while the Maimonides Library became an important educational resource. The organization responded to the Baltimore flood of 1868 and raised funds for victims of a cholera epidemic in Ottoman Palestine, illustrating the international dimension that would become central to its identity. B'nai B'rith expanded beyond the United States in the late nineteenth century, with lodges in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Its network became a channel for Jewish communication and collective action across national borders. The organization advocated for Jewish civil and political rights, including through petitions concerning discrimination against Jews in Switzerland and protests over persecution in the Russian Empire. In the early twentieth century, it participated in public campaigns responding to antisemitic violence, including the Kishinev pogrom of 1903. The organization is also associated with the creation or early development of several major Jewish institutions. It founded the Anti-Defamation League in 1913 in response to antisemitic attacks, including the Leo Frank case. B'nai B'rith later adopted Hillel, which developed into an international network serving Jewish students on university campuses. It also became connected with Aleph Zadik Aleph, B'nai B'rith Girls, and the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, although these youth and student institutions subsequently gained varying degrees of independence. B'nai B'rith Women, created as a women's auxiliary, became an independent organization in 1988 under the name Jewish Women International. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, B'nai B'rith evolved from a dues-based fraternal system into a broader membership, donor, and supporter organization. Its work now includes advocacy against antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, support for Israel and Zionism, Holocaust remembrance, Jewish education, senior housing, youth programming, disaster response, and public diplomacy. Its Center for Senior Services oversees or supports affordable housing initiatives for older adults, including properties developed in partnership with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Programs such as Diverse Minds, Enlighten America, None Shall Be Afraid, and Unto Every Person There Is a Name extend its work into education, tolerance, campus antisemitism awareness, and Holocaust remembrance. B'nai B'rith also publishes B'nai B'rith Magazine, one of the oldest continuously published Jewish periodicals in the United States. It remains an active international nonprofit rather than a commercial brand, with activities conducted through affiliated organizations, local units, programs, advocacy, and philanthropic partnerships.
History
B'nai B'rith was founded on 13 October 1843 at Aaron Sinsheimer's café on New York City's Lower East Side. Its 12 founders were recent German Jewish immigrants, led by Henry Jones, who sought to recreate the mutual-aid functions of Jewish societies in Europe while adapting them to the conditions of Jewish life in the United States. The organization was initially called Bundes-Brüder and operated as a fraternal lodge. English soon replaced German as its working language, and the group adopted the Hebrew-derived name B'nai B'rith. The founders defined the organization around practical assistance: caring for the sick, helping widows and orphans, and protecting members and their families. One early benefit provided funeral assistance to widows, continuing stipends, and support for members' children, including vocational training for boys. B'nai B'rith soon moved beyond member relief. Covenant Hall, completed in New York in 1851, served as an early Jewish community center, and the Maimonides Library, established the following year, supported Jewish learning and public education. After the American Civil War, the organization supported orphanages, hospitals, homes for older adults, and relief efforts for displaced families. It responded to the Baltimore flood in 1868 and raised funds for victims of a cholera epidemic in Ottoman Palestine. These activities established a pattern that continued throughout its history: local lodges used their resources to address immediate community needs, while the national and international organization coordinated broader Jewish causes. B'nai B'rith's lodge system spread rapidly. A Toronto lodge was established in 1875, followed by one in Montreal, and a Berlin lodge in 1882. Lodges later appeared in Cairo and Jerusalem. The Jerusalem lodge was notable for conducting its meetings in Hebrew. Expansion transformed B'nai B'rith from a New York-centered immigrant association into a transnational Jewish network. The organization also became active in public advocacy. In 1851 it circulated petitions urging U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster to address legal disabilities affecting Jews in Switzerland. In the early twentieth century, B'nai B'rith participated in Jewish delegations and lobbying efforts concerning immigration, antisemitism, Jewish rights, and international affairs. Following the Kishinev pogrom of 1903, B'nai B'rith President Simon Wolf presented President Theodore Roosevelt with a petition protesting the Russian government's response; Roosevelt agreed to transmit it to the Russian government. The arrival of large numbers of Eastern European Jewish immigrants after 1881 led B'nai B'rith to develop Americanization classes, vocational programs, and relief services. At the same time, the organization began adapting its fraternal culture to changing social conditions. Women and young people gained dedicated structures, and the group increasingly emphasized education and Jewish identity. B'nai B'rith Women originated as a women's auxiliary in 1897. In 1988 it became independent as Jewish Women International. B'nai B'rith's twentieth-century institutional legacy includes the Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913; Hillel, adopted and expanded under B'nai B'rith sponsorship in the 1920s; and the youth organizations that developed into BBYO. Hillel grew from a campus initiative at the University of Illinois into an international Jewish student movement. Aleph Zadik Aleph was adopted as a B'nai B'rith junior auxiliary in 1925, while B'nai B'rith Girls and related youth structures later formed BBYO. The organization expanded its camping and youth-leadership work during the postwar period. It acquired a Pennsylvania camp in 1953, later named B'nai B'rith Perlman Camp, and opened a second camp near Madison, Wisconsin, in 1976. Beber Camp subsequently became independent in 2010, while Perlman Camp continued as a Jewish residential camp and leadership facility. B'nai B'rith also operated a vocational service bureau from 1938, later developing career counseling and testing services before the program was dissolved or transferred to other agencies in the 1980s. The 1977 Hanafi siege brought the Washington headquarters into national focus. Armed gunmen occupied the building during a 39-hour hostage crisis involving three Washington locations. The hostages were eventually released after negotiations, and the incident became one of the most dramatic episodes in the organization's history. In later decades, B'nai B'rith increasingly operated through programs, advocacy, affiliated units, donors, and supporters rather than solely through traditional lodges. Senior services became a major area of activity, producing a network of affordable housing communities for older adults in the United States and other locations. Its advocacy work addresses antisemitism, discrimination, hate crimes, Israel-related issues, and Jewish political concerns. Educational and remembrance initiatives include B'nai B'rith Magazine, Diverse Minds, Enlighten America, None Shall Be Afraid, and Unto Every Person There Is a Name. The organization remains an active international Jewish nonprofit headquartered in Washington, D.C.
- 1988
B'nai B'rith Women separates
[6]The women's auxiliary became an independent organization later known as Jewish Women International.
- 1977
Hanafi siege
[2]The organization's Washington headquarters was occupied during a hostage crisis lasting 39 hours.
- 1953
Perlman Camp acquired
[1]B'nai B'rith acquired a Pennsylvania camp that later became B'nai B'rith Perlman Camp.
- 1944
BBYO formed
[5]B'nai B'rith's youth organizations for boys and girls were brought together as the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization.
- 1925
Hillel sponsorship begins
[4]B'nai B'rith adopted Hillel and helped extend Jewish student programming across American campuses.
- 1913
Anti-Defamation League founded
[3]B'nai B'rith founded the Anti-Defamation League, which later became independent.
- 1875
First Canadian lodge
[1]A lodge was established in Toronto, marking a major step in B'nai B'rith's international expansion.
- 1868
Disaster-relief expansion
[1]The organization organized relief after the Baltimore flood and supported cholera victims in Ottoman Palestine.
- 1851
Covenant Hall established
[1]B'nai B'rith opened Covenant Hall in New York, an early Jewish community center.
- 1843
Founding in New York
[1]Twelve German Jewish immigrants led by Henry Jones established the organization on New York City's Lower East Side.
Products and positioning
A global Jewish communal-service and advocacy organization combining philanthropy, Jewish continuity, human-rights work, antisemitism prevention, Israel advocacy, education, and support for older adults.
Affordable senior housing and services
Center for Senior Services
B'nai B'rith's senior-services work supports affordable housing and related services for older adults. U.S. properties developed with public housing partners serve people with limited incomes, generally using income-based rent structures. The program reflects the organization's long-standing commitment to aging, dignity, community life, and practical assistance.
Publication · 1886
B'nai B'rith Magazine
B'nai B'rith Magazine is the organization's principal periodical and has been published since 1886. It covers Jewish affairs, community service, advocacy, Israel, culture, and organizational activities, serving as a communication channel for members, supporters, and the wider Jewish public.
Holocaust remembrance
Unto Every Person There Is a Name
This annual remembrance program organizes public readings of the names of Holocaust victims, commonly around Yom HaShoah. Its purpose is to preserve individual memory and connect Holocaust education with communal participation.
Youth education
Diverse Minds
Diverse Minds is a writing competition inviting high-school students to create children's books addressing intolerance and bigotry. Winning entries receive college scholarships and are published and distributed in the students' communities.
Tolerance education
Enlighten America
Enlighten America promotes respectful language and opposition to prejudice. Its central pledge asks participants to avoid jokes and slang that demean people on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or physical or mental disability.
Marketing campaigns
- 1903Kishinev pogrom petition
United States · Russia
After the Kishinev pogrom, B'nai B'rith organized a nationwide petition protesting the Russian government's failure to protect Jews. Its president, Simon Wolf, presented the petition to President Theodore Roosevelt, who agreed to transmit it.
Outcome. The campaign brought American Jewish opposition to the pogrom into direct contact with the U.S. executive branch.
- None Shall Be Afraid
United States · International
An antisemitism-awareness initiative inspired by George Washington's letter to the Touro Synagogue community. It includes educational activity and an essay contest focused on antisemitism and anti-Zionism, including on college campuses.
Brand decisions
2010
Beber Camp independenceStrategyBackground
B'nai B'rith had operated a Wisconsin camp founded in 1976 and named for AZA founder Sam Beber.
Action taken
Beber Camp became independent of B'nai B'rith.
Aftermath
B'nai B'rith continued its camping role primarily through Perlman Camp and related leadership programming.
1988
Separation of B'nai B'rith WomenStrategyBackground
B'nai B'rith Women had operated as the organization's women's auxiliary since the late nineteenth century.
Action taken
The auxiliary separated from B'nai B'rith and became an independent organization.
Aftermath
The organization continued under the name Jewish Women International.
1925
Adoption and expansion of HillelStrategyBackground
Rabbi Benjamin Frankel had created a Jewish campus organization at the University of Illinois to provide religious services, classes, and social programming for students.
Action taken
B'nai B'rith agreed to sponsor and expand the Hillel movement.
Aftermath
Hillel developed into a large international network of Jewish student organizations and later became an independent institution.
Sources6 sources
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