B'nai B'rith

B'nai B'rith (bənā` brĭth) [Heb.,= Sons of the Covenant], oldest and largest Jewish service organization in the world, founded (1843) in New York by American Jews "to provide service to their own people and to humanity at large." The organization has branches throughout the world. Its divisions include the Hillel Foundation (for Jewish college students), the Anti-Defamation League (a civil-rights organization), and B'nai B'rith Women. B'nai B'rith has about 500,000 members in 58 countries. The national office, located in Washington, D.C., publishes the International Jewish Monthly and other periodicals.

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B'nai B'rith

(Hebrew: “Sons of the Covenant”) Oldest and largest Jewish service organization. Founded in New York City in 1843, it now has men's lodges, women's chapters, and youth organizations around the world. Its goals include defending human rights, aiding Jewish college students (mainly through the Hillel Foundation), sponsoring educational programs for adult and youth groups, helping victims of natural disasters, supporting hospitals and philanthropic institutions, and promoting the welfare of Israel. In 1913 it established the Anti-Defamation League to combat anti-Semitism.