B'nai B'rith Houston Women's Council records

Collection

Identifier: MS 0748

Staff Only

Finding aid note: Forms part of the Houston Jewish History Archive. Stored off-site at the Library Service Center. Please request this material via woodson@rice.edu or call 713-348-2586.

Scope and Contents

Five boxes, 3.5 linear feet, of organizational papers, photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence and newsletters document the coordination and implementation of events organized by B'nai B'rith Women's Council including the annual Good Heart Humanitarian Awards dinners from 1952 to 2000. Of particular interest are photographs of the 1990 awards dinner honoring Houston's mayor, Kathy Whitmire, scrapbooks of early BBWC events, and a "Ritual for B'nai B'rith Women's Chapter" booklet from 1956.

Dates

Creation: 1952 - 2000

Creator

B'nai B'rith Houston Women's Council (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This material is open for research.

Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from the B'nai B'rith Houston Women's Council records must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

The Woodson Research Center use policy is that researchers assume sole responsibility for any infringement of privacy, literary rights, copyrights, or other rights arising from their use of the archival materials. In addition to any restrictions placed by donors, certain kinds of archival materials are restricted for the life of the creator plus 50 years. These materials include, but are not limited to, student grades, transcripts, and any job applications or recommendations.

Biographical / Historical

Founded in 1843, B’nai B’rith is the oldest and largest Jewish service organization in the world, with men’s lodges, women’s chapters, and youth chapters in countries all over the world.

The B'nai B'rith Women's Council of Houston launched its first Good Heart campaign in 1967. It was designed to be the only time during the year that members would be asked to contribute directly to B'nai B'rith Women. A culminating event was planned each year to celebrate the conclusion of this fundraising effort.

For the first time, in 1976, the Houston Council chose to add a new dimension to the Good Heart campaign by presenting the Good Heart Humanitarian Award to an individual who made outstanding contributions to the community in keeping with the ideas of B'nai B'rith women.

In 1990, B'nai B'rith Women and B’nai B’rith reached a formal agreement that clarified the nature of the relationship between the two organizations, recognizing B'nai B'rith Women as an independent organization, affiliated with B’nai B’rith.

In 1995, B'nai B'rith Women declared its full independence by changing its name to Jewish Women International (JWI).

Excerpted from: https://www.jwi.org/history/

Extent

3.5 Linear Feet (5 boxes) : Mostly in good condition with some water damage

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Organizational papers, photographs, scrapbooks, correspondence and newsletters document the coordination and implementation of annual events organized by B'nail B'rith Women's Council, including awards dinners to honor the Good Heart Humanitarian Award recipient.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in 8 series: Series I: Artifacts Series II: Correspondence Series III: Event Materials Series IV: Newsletters Series V: Organizational Papers Series VI: Photographs Series VII: Scrapbooks Series VIII: Oversize