United Hebrew Charities of the City of New York, The: 35th Annuel Report and Proceedings, WITH Fifty Years of Social Service. (2 vols.)
The United Hebrew Charities Of The City Of New York
[Judaica]. Thirty-fifth Annual Report and Proceedings of the Thirty-fifth Annual Meeting of the United Hebrew Charities of the City of New York. New York: Clarence S. Nathan, 1909.
8vo.; stapled; green wrappers, loose at top, lightly rubbed, tips and edges chipped.
Together with:
Fifty Years of Social Service. The History of the United Hebrew Charities of the City of New York. Now the Jewish Social Service Association, Inc. New York: (Clarence S. Nathan, Inc.), (1926).
8vo.; tan paper-covered boards, cloth spine, light edge-wear and chipping to top, browned, some rubbing to rear panel.
First editions that together give a comprehensive overview of the leading New York Jewish philanthropic organization. The United Hebrew Charities grew out of the Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum Society in 1874 as a different type of charity. Two principles grounded the new federation: assistance designed to foster self-support and cooperation among charities. To help regulate the constituent societies—which remained independent—the city was divided into districts, each with a committee overseeing relief efforts. As the Thirty-fifth Annual Report shows, Sisterhoods comprised the majority of the federation.
While the Charities still gave much relief in the form of cash, food, and clothing, they also made loans and provided work and child-care for women. Another way in which the Charities attempted to end simple handouts was by studying those who came for help. Therefore, the Thirty-fifth Annual Report contains unusually detailed data in two sections: “Analysis of cases treated” and “Statistics of immigration.” Also, instead of opening the volume with the list of officers, it begins with a “summary of work done,” breaking down the over 45,000 individuals requesting help from 1908 to 1909 by nationality, demographic features, and cause of distress. This emphasis on the applicants preserves a wealth of data hard to find elsewhere. Fifty Years of Social Service charts the changes in charitable methods that the Charities pioneered and the shifts in the Jewish population as immigrants settled. The 1926 name-change reflects the twentieth-century professionalization of social work.
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