Marking 60 years of B’nai B’rith New Zealand
Marking 60 years of B’nai B’rith NZ
To mark the occasion of the 60th anniversary of B’nai B’rith in New Zealand on 21 September 2021, President Jules Gaddie outlines the good work being done
BB USA was founded in Aaron Sinheimer’s café in New York on 13 October 1843 by a group of German Jewish immigrants led by Henry Jones. It is now the oldest Jewish organization in the world. BB has members and supporters in countries around the world making it truly ‘the global voice of the Jewish community’.
New Zealand has two lodges - BB Wellington, established 1960 and BB Auckland, established 1961.
On 21 September 1961 BB Auckland Lodge was established by the granting of a charter by BB Supreme Lodge. The inaugural membership numbered 35, all of whom have passed except for two, Bob Narev and Laurie Reynolds, who is 106. Bob was the youngest member at the inauguration and immediately took on the role of Treasurer. There are many descendants of those who passed, one of whom is Jim Salinger, whose uncle, Leo Manning, was the first President.
The beginnings of BB were in a very formal era, where men wore dress suits and bow ties and women wore long dresses at functions. The Charter certificate uses old style English starting with the words, written in Old English Script “Know ye that the BOARD OF GOVERNORS of B’NAI B’RITH etc. The first Lodge was men only.
On 20 June 1968, the BB Women Auckland Chapter was established under the banner ‘dedicated to humanitarian service’. There were 53 women who joined the chapter with Olive Manning as the President.
In 1965, the young adults formed a separate group known as BB Young Adults. BBYA organized many activities and interestingly a few marriages sprung out of this group. Geoff and Valerie Levy met and were married as were Barrie and Veronica Meltzer.
In 2020 BB Auckland resolved to bring services to all Jews anywhere in New Zealand and changed its name to B’nai B’rith New Zealand. With the advent of sophisticated communication systems, especially platforms like Zoom, it is possible to hold meetings and functions which will include people in areas outside of Auckland.
SERVICES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The main pillars of services that BB provides are Anti-defamation and Gemilut Chassadim, acts of loving kindness. These objects are in line with the objects of BB International.
Throughout the past sixty years BB has accomplished a great deal. It has been an ‘upstander’ against antisemitism in New Zealand with positive results. Notable are:
· Joel Haywood resigned his position as professor at Massey University in June 2002 after objections were lodged against his biased writings on the Holocaust.
· In January 2017, BB placed an advertisement in the NZ Herald condemning New Zealand for being one of the sponsors of the UN resolution 2334. That Resolution was one sided, citing Israel’s settlements in the West Bank as the primary impediment to peace.
BB supports Israel, including financial support to Magen David Adom, support for educational programs for New Zealand youth, and teaching English to children in under-privileged schools in Israel.
Throughout the years BB has held many varied cultural and social activities and events, to name a few: educational lectures, quizzes, walks, musical evenings, culinary events, weekends away and a book club. Events are always inclusive and welcoming to new members.
The Lodges undertake a wide range of hands-on care and assistance projects for the community including support for the needy, finance and mentoring, and food parcels. They also raise funds for scholarships and other worthy Jewish and non-Jewish charities.
A major accomplishment for the benefit of the elderly in the community was the opening in 1985 of the new B’nai B’rith wing at Shalom Court.
In 2020, in response to the covid pandemic, BB launched a Hardship Fund to assist those who were hard pressed by the covid restrictions. We are grateful and delighted to have received such great support from the community. Those that received support were relieved and exceptionally grateful. To date BB has assisted individuals and families numbering twenty-five adults and twenty-seven children. Support is given by way of advice on how to reduce expenses, how to obtain employment, and financial aid. To date the financial support totals $27,600.
GOVERNANCE
The Board of Governors govern BB Australia/New Zealand. The lodges in Australia and in New Zealand are governed by Lodge Councils and are bound by resolutions taken by BB Australia/New Zealand.
FUTURE
In the past, BB New Zealand has delivered meaningful services and support and our trust is that we will continue to do so.
Jules Gaddie
President
A celebration to mark the 60th Anniversary of the founding of B’nai B’rith Auckland Lodge 2345 was held earlier this month via Zoom on 7 November 2021, due to covid restrictions still being in place.
Some of the main areas of activity were outlined - support of youth groups, young adults, Orthodox and Progressive congregations, educational projects, support of Israel, sending students to Israel, the teaching of English to Israeli children, assisting immigrants, and many more.
These activities have been the work of B’nai B’rith New Zealand for what is now six decades – illustrating one of the most successful organisations serving both Jewish and wider causes, while at the same time providing satisfaction and enjoyment for its members.
Bob Narev, one of the founding members, gave a short address. Only Bob and Dr Laurie Reynolds, (now aged 106), are still with us out of the 32 original founders. Bob was appointed as the first Treasurer of the Auckland Lodge.
Bob arrived in New Zealand in 1947 with his late mother, as Holocaust survivors. Freda, Bob’s wife for the last 62 years is also a survivor. Bob’s father, who died in Theresienstadt, had been a member of B’nai B’rith in his native Germany, so when he was approached to become a founding member in 1961, it was logical for Bob to carry on the family tradition.
In his address Bob looked back over the six decades of activity and the people involved both as office holders and as active participating members:
· there were four who at various times were Presidents of the Zionist Council of New Zealand, now the Zionist Federation of New Zealand: Gerhard Perl, Eugene Hirst, Ernest Markham and Bob Narev.
· Vernon Levy’s father, Dr Geoffrey Levy and Bob Narev were Presidents of the Auckland Zionist Society at various times when Israel was fighting for its survival.
· Leo Lichtenstein was the face in Auckland of Keren Hayesod, the United Israel Appeal, and David Stern was the JNF maestro from his fur shop in Queen Street.
· Another founding member, Diane Levy’s father, Dr Manny Hift, would recall that he attended the last meeting of his B’nai B’rith Lodge in Vienna before the Nazis added Austria to the list of their conquests and it became too dangerous for Jews to hold meetings. He told of the famous author Felix Salten, better known for his stories about Bambi, providing some encouragement at that meeting by saying ‘We Jews have always stood at the graves of our enemies’.
· Eric Freed, a car dealer from Te Awamutu, always a major contributor to the United Israel Appeal, would drive up from Waikato for every B’nai B’rith meeting.
· On the Congregational side, there were four Presidents of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation in Lawrence Nathan, who held that office for 24 years and was Chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board; Pharmacist Natie Ross and lawyers Phil Stone and Bob Narev, the latter also holding the office of Treasurer of the Congregation for a number of years.
· Other founding members included Frank Briess, Auckland’s kosher butcher; Sol Filler the renowned K Road baker; Sol’s father-in-law, Philip Adler. Another father-in-law /son-in-law combination was Huntly farmers Ernst Koerbchen and Wolf Apt.
This year, on the 60th Anniversary of the founding of B’nai B’rith Auckland Lodge 2345, we look back on six decades of activity and on the people involved both as office holders and as active participating members.