Henrietta Bruckman | |
---|---|
Born | Henrietta Kahn April 1810 |
Died | April 1888 New York City, US | (aged 78)
Known for | Founder of the first fraternal organization for Jewish women in the United States |
Henrietta Bruckman (née Kahn; April 1810 – April 1888) was founder of the first fraternal organization for Jewish women in the United States.[1][2]
Bruckman was born in Bohemia in 1810 and immigrated to the United States with her husband, the physician Dr. Philip Bruckman, around 1842.[2] They settled in New York City and quickly became active members of the city's German Jewish immigrant community, supporting charitable causes and taking part in the community's cultural activities.[2] Philip was a founder of the Mendelssohnian Society, a forerunner of the Jewish fraternal order B'nai B'rith.[3]
In 1846, Bruckman had the idea to form a female counterpart to B'nai B'rith to support Jewish women in the city. She approached several women from Congregation Emanu-El with her proposal, and convened a informal meeting at her house. This led to the creation on April 21 of the secret benevolent society "Unabhängiger Orden Treuer Schwestern" (Independent Order of True Sisters),[2] later known as the United Order of True Sisters (UOTS).[4] The first lodge was named Emanuel Lodge #1, and Bruckman was appointed its first president.[5]
Though B'nai B'rith was not open to women, the UOTS received support from several influential members of the organization, as well as from Emanu-El's minister, Rabbi Dr. Leo Merzbacher.[6] The UOTS adopted a secret ritual, degrees, regalia, and an emblem.[7] Its meetings were initially conducted entirely in German.[8] By the mid-1860s, a central Constitution Grand Lodge had been formed, and the organization had grown to include five other lodges across New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.[5][9]