B’nai B’rith Organization

Edit

Pronunciations

B’nai B’rith Organization (beh-NAY BRITH or-gun-ih-ZAY-shin) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. The oldest Jewish charitable organization in the United States.

Example Sentences

  • "B’nai B’rith involvement in international affairs dates to the 1870s when anti-Semitism reached new heights in Romania. Through the influence of B’nai B’rith, the U.S. government established a consulate there, and a former B’nai B’rith president, Benjamin Peixotto, was appointed the first consul." (source)

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • בְּנֵי בְּרִית 'lit. children of the covenant'

      • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements
      • Organizations: People involved in a professional or volunteer capacity with Jewish nonprofit organizations

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).

      Alternative Spellings

      B’nai B’rith, Bnai Brith Organization, Bnai Brith

Notes

  • "Founded in New York in 1843 by German Jewish immigrants, B’nai B’rith is the oldest Jewish charitable organization in the United States. It is also the largest Jewish fraternal organization in the country. In addition to social, intellectual, and fraternal activities, B’nai B’rith supports the activities of its Anti-Defamation League. It also sponsors a speakers bureau on topics of Jewish interest." (JPS)

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.