Women's History Month

February 24, 2025

The Hebrew Ladies Society

by Marilyn Weinberg

When we consider Women’s History Month, we often think of individuals who, through their acts of courage, really made a difference in our communities and our world.

And yet sometimes we overlook the acts of a group of women, who through their commitment and hard work, also made a difference.

In 1919 in Bath, according to a local newspaper, the Jewish men met and agreed to start the process of building a synagogue of their own after having used multiple venues throughout the city including a pool hall.

What was not published in the newspaper was that the women of the budding Jewish community decided they would form their organization to raise money for this huge project.

They called themselves the Hebrew Ladies’ Society and began a group that lasted for over 50 years. Women from Bath and Brunswick totaled over 30 members. Meetings initially were held weekly and soon moved to every other week. They paid 10¢ per meeting dues and raffled off homemade items at each meeting to make more money. Most of them had families and worked alongside their husbands in the family business. They were busy, but this was important for them. In 1920, after putting in hours of work, they were able to donate $500 to the building fund. They continued this work, organizing social events, rummage sales, and holiday events year after year. Without their efforts, the Beth Israel Congregation would not have survived.

Beth Israel has amassed minutes of the Hebrew Ladies Society from 1919 until 1962. The minutes give us a slice of Jewish life experienced in our small communities over time. Some are funny and some very serious. My favorite is the constant battle of the women trying to get the men to clean up the kitchen. These anecdotes tell us a story of the importance of women in our Jewish communities.

A sample from the minutes:

Bath, Maine - December 31, 1921

Mrs M.S. Povich - recording secretary.

The Hebrew Ladies’ Society held a social whist party…A large crowd attended...the whole Jewish population of Bath and Brunswick with only a few absent. Whist was enjoyed by all, and prizes were distributed including a necktie donated by Mrs. N. Povich and there was even a booby prize (a hairpin) donated by Mrs. M. Cohen. The food remaining was auctioned off. The party was a financial success having raised $21.60.

You can find the full minutes of the Hebrew Ladies Society as part of the Judaica Collection at the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine.

< Older Post

Gaza's Future is at a Crossroads

February 20, 2025

Gaza's Future is at a Crossroads

Here's the Schitck

February 14, 2025

We hope you have been staying warm and dry this week! We wanted to share a few items of news in addition to our upcoming events. Yesterday we celebrated Tu B’Shvat, the “new year for trees”. Although it seems strange to us with all of our snow, Tu B’Shvat represents the start of Spring in Israel. We celebrate by planting seeds of hope and renewal. To learn more about Tu B’Shvat, click here . In response to the memorandum released last Friday by the Trump administration directing Federal Agency executives to review all federal funding allocated to NGOs, Jewish Federations of North American (JFNA) put together an issue brief outlining its key points and implications. We continue to work with HIAS on the continuation of our refugee work. We’re grateful to those who have donated to our refugee programs to help combat the cuts that have been made; we’ll be highlighting more news and those donors in our monthly update later this month (see below to sign up). Follow our social media over the weekend for updates on additional hostage releases and updates on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Despite lack on mainstream coverage and reports to the contrary from Hamas, there is growing concern about the treatment of the hostages during their captivity. JFNA has more details . Times of Israel has coverage of President Trump’s plan for rebuild in Gaza, including other Arab countries’ attempts to come up with an alternate plan and response by a number of American rabbis and Jewish celebrities who disapprove of the administration's plan . The JCA Weekly newsletter is sent out every Friday afternoon, featuring upcoming events and important updates from our leadership. Additionally, we now offer five other newsletters you can subscribe to! Simply click this link and answer a few quick questions to customize your preferences.