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The Filson Historical Society Digital Projects

Browse Items (4 total)

  • National Council of Jewish Women, Louisville Section, open meeting minutes for March 18, 1935. The minutes announce that "Cecilia Rasovsky will be in Louisville on March 19th to confer wit the Louisville Committee on the placement of German Jewish children in homes. A meeting of the Executive Board with Miss Rasovsky is planned." There was an extended discussion of the fourteenth Triennial Convention in New Orleans, which was themed “What Do We Owe the Next Generation.” The minutes refer to “Resolutions concerning Munitions, World Court, Military Training in Schools and Colleges, Disarmament, League of Nations and Racial Relation.” National dues were increased “to $1.50 per person in order to carry on a broader social program which embodied the field work, a Nat’l quarterly bulletin for each Council member, birth control clinics, radio programs, continuation in work for German Jewish Children, and a religious educational project for the home teaching of children by mothers.”
  • National Council of Jewish Women, Louisville Section, open meeting minutes for December 18, 1934. During the correspondence portion of the meeting, the Council read a letter from National President Fanny Brin “requesting further co-operation in securing additional passage money for Jewish children of Germany to this country and for the securing of private homes for the placement of the children.” The Council also received acknowledgement for the money already donated “for the passage of two German Jewish children.” The minutes also recount expenses and remaining Council funds for October through December. The Penny Lunch Committee reported that 38 lunches per week and 5 breakfasts per day were being served each day to children in the lunchroom. The total cost of the lunches per week was $9.50. Updates were given regarding the next book review meeting and “Contemporary Jewish Problems Class conducted by Rabbi Solomon N. Bazell.” Reports were also given by the Committee on Drives regarding the Red Cross Drive, the Student Loan fund, the Membership Committee, the Committee on Ways and Means regarding the Council cookbook, and the Memorial fund. The Council read letters relaying appreciation for various local efforts, including “jellies and preserves” donated to the Jewish Children’s Home, and updates on local happenings, including Y.M.H.A. performances and the availability of a report on Public Schools by Griffenhagen Associates. Many of the letters pertained to national matters. The Louisville Board of Trade, Civic and Welfare Endorsement Committee, sent a letter “advising the presence in the community of undesired individuals soliciting funds under false representations.” Letters also covered the National Conference on the Cause and Cure of War in Washington, D.C., National Council efforts to reach out to former members who may rejoin and non-members in small communities, and upcoming National Council elections.
  • National Council of Jewish Women, Louisville Section, Board meeting minutes for April 8, 1935. Mrs. Theresa Bernheim was announced as the new “Chairman of the local Jewish Committee on the placement of German Jewish Children in homes,” and it was reported that “five children are to be placed in this community.” The Council discussed changes in the bank used for a safety deposit box and contributions to the Hadassah. There was an extended discussion of the fourteenth Triennial Convention in New Orleans, which was themed “What Do We Owe the Next Generation.” The minutes refer to “resolutions concerning munitions, World Court, Military Training in Schools and Colleges, Disarmament, League of Nations and Racial Relation.” National dues were increased “to $1.50 per person in order to carry on a broader social program which embodied the field work, a Nat’l quarterly bulletin for each Council member, birth control clinics, radio programs, continuation in work for German Jewish Children, and a religious educational project for the home teaching of children by mothers.” Additional discussions concerned charitable funding for a Women’s Club float, a joint tea and musical event with the Adath Israel Sisterhood and Bi-state Sisterhood, and clothing donations for the Council birthday party at Waverly Hills Sanatorium. The Penny Lunch fund and the Committee on Ways and Means both reported positive financial situations for free lunches and cookbook sales. The correspondence read at this meeting concerned letters of appreciation to and from the Council, “changes in immigration and naturalization laws pending for consideration in Congress,” charitable contributions, and upcoming events. The minutes conclude with a reminder to Board Members “to keep secret all matters discussed at the Board meetings until presentation of these matters had been made at Open Meetings.”
  • Summary of an oral history interview conducted with Ethel Baer (1924-2012) on October 26, 2010. The interview was part of the Louisville Jewish Family and Career Services's project to document the lives of Jewish seniors in Louisville, Kentucky.

    Ethel C. Baer was born to Polish immigrant parents and was raised in a practicing Jewish household in which she spoke Yiddish and English. Her neighborhood, in which very few other Jewish families lived, accepted her and she made many good friends. She attended Atherton High School and enjoyed going to drugstores with friends, walking Cave Hill Cemetery, and getting groceries locally from farmers and butchers. The Baers were not severely affected by the Great Flood; however, they did assist others in escaping the floodwaters and finding food. Each side of the family lost relatives in the Holocaust. Ethel’s husband served in WWII when he was 19-21 years old. Ethel was heavily involved in religious life and practice, observing feasts such as Passover at home, keeping strictly kosher, and her daughter had a Bat Mitzvah at age 50. Her interests include playing Bridge, playing piano for senior citizens at the Jewish Community Center, and living life by the mantra of “Live and Let Live.”
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