National Council of Jewish Women. Louisville Section Photograph Collection, ca. 1920s, 1950s-2010s
Held by The Filson Historical Society
Creator: National Council of Jewish Women. Louisville Section
Title: Photograph Collection, ca. 1920s, 1950s-2010s
Rights: For information regarding literary and copyright interest for these photographs, contact the Collections Department.
Size of Collection: 2 cu. ft. and 400 digital files (1.11 GB)
Location Number: 023PC2
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of photographs, copy prints, negatives, and slides relating to the Louisville Section of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).
Folders 1-27 contain photographic items documenting NCJW Louisville Section officers and members, conventions, meetings, community projects, and miscellaneous events. Folder 23 includes a 1920s studio portrait of an unidentified group of forty-two individuals (men, women, and children, likely an extended family), removed from a Bon Art Studios folder.
Folders 28-50 contain photographs removed from NCJW Louisville Section photo albums from the 1960s-2000s and include printouts of scans of the album pages before they were deconstructed.
Folders 51-59 hold photographs, negatives, and slides from the 1970s-2010s relating to the Nearly New Shop and the annual Fashion Encore sale.
Folder 60 holds photographs disassembled from collages of NCJW Louisville Section officers and events, ca. 1980s-1990s.
Folder 61 holds a mounted and matted reproduction of a painting signed by Suzanne Solomon, picturing the inside of the Nearly New Shop on East Market Street.
Folders 10, 13, and 62-69 include or consist of born-digital files of photos originally housed on CDs, which are stored separately in Box AVD-0004. Born-digital files can be viewed using Filson library computers. Please speak to staff about how to access digital files.
Related Collections:
National Council of Jewish Women Louisville Section records [Mss. BJ N277a].
National Council of Jewish Women promotional and political buttons [2023.38.1-.6].
Jewish Community of Louisville records [Mss. BD J59].
Jewish Community of Louisville photograph collection [022PC1].
Helman-Victor family papers [Mss. A H478a].
The First Fifty Years: A History of the National Council of Jewish Women, 1898-1943 (NCJW, 1943) [296 C189].
Proceedings of the First Convention of the National Council of Jewish Women (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society of America, 1895) [296 N277].
Rabbi Adolph Moses, Yahvism and Other Discourses (Louisville Section of the National Council of Jewish Women, 1903) [296 M911].
Historical Note
In 1893, Hannah G. Solomon, a member of one of the earliest Jewish families to settle in Chicago, organized the Congress of Jewish Women for the World’s Columbian Exposition’s Parliament of Religions. That group of women was renamed the National Council of Jewish Women. Its motto was “Faith and Humanity,” with aims to “seek to unite women interested in the work of Religion, Philanthropy and Education,” “organize and encourage study of principles of Judaism,” and “apply knowledge gained in this study to the improvement of Sabbath Schools, and in the work of social reform.” Within three years, the NCJW had fifty local sections.
The Louisville Section of NCJW was organized in 1895 by Rebecca Rosenthal Judah, who served as its first president. In its first few decades, the local chapter worked with Adath Israel Temple to encourage attendance at religious services and Sabbath School. It also took on the work of providing critical educational and social services in Louisville. It opened the city’s first free public baths for women in 1895 and supported the city’s first summer kindergarten in 1897. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it established the Jewish Corner Library at the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA), provided financial and volunteer assistance to Jewish Hospital and the Jewish Children’s Home, and contributed to immigrant aid for Jewish refugees. In 1914, the organization set up and managed the kosher Penny Lunch at George Morris Elementary School. In 1921, Rebecca Judah started the Student Loan Fund from the memorial fund of Helena Bloom Goldsmith “for the purpose of furthering higher education for local Jewish boys and girls.”
During the years of the Great Depression and World War II, the Louisville Section joined the Louisville Conference of Jewish Organizations and worked to combat rising antisemitism and help German Jewish refugees. In 1939, a joint committee of the NCJW and the Jewish Welfare Federation opened a Nursery School at the Jewish Children’s Home to provide day care and early educational experiences to the children of working parents and new immigrants. During and after WWII, NCJW members hosted hundreds of Jewish soldiers from Fort Knox for Sunday night and Seder dinners, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur.
In the second half of the twentieth century, the Louisville Section took on new community service projects and expanded its political advocacy to provide support for Israel, reproductive rights, mental health treatment, education, and the needs of older adults. In 1946, the Louisville Section began its long involvement in the NCJW Ship-a-Box program, sending supplies to Jewish schools and youth abroad, especially in Israel. In 1950, the mental health committee launched a pilot mental health project using volunteers in the psychiatric ward of Louisville General Hospital. In 1955, the organization started the Golden Age program for senior adults, later renamed Club 60, at the newly opened Jewish Community Center. The following year, under the leadership of Helen Helman, the Louisville Section opened the Nearly New Shop, a consignment store that would become the organization’s main source of fundraising. The store started at 733 E. Market St. and moved to 632 E. Market in 1969, to 815-817 E. Market around 1980, and to Mid City Mall in 1988. The annual Fall Fashion Encore Sale began in 1976. NCJW Parkside, a Senior Adult Day Center, opened in 1986 at Four Courts.
The Louisville Section has helped to establish many social agencies in Louisville and Kentucky that continue to provide services in the 2020s. In 1958, an NCJW study of mental health needs in Kentucky led to the opening of Bridgehaven, a community program in Jefferson County to provide mental health services outside a hospital setting. In 1969, the Louisville Section provided the impetus and funding to establish 4-C (Community Coordinated Child Care). In the following decade, the Louisville Section, the Junior League, and the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) opened Shelter House, a safe place for runaway and troubled youth. The Louisville Section sponsored the creation of Kentucky Youth Advocates in 1977, helped establish CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) in 1985, initiated Court Watch in 1995, started the Adopt-a-School program in 2000, and raised funds for the opening of the Jefferson Family Recovery Court in 2018.
The year 2025 marks 130 years of the Louisville Section’s active and committed efforts to fulfill the NCJW mission, stated in 2024 as the following: “The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a grassroots organization of volunteers and advocates who turn progressive ideals into action. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW strives for social justice by improving the quality of life for women, children, and families and by safeguarding individual rights and freedoms.”
Sources:
Faith Ragow, “National Council of Jewish Women,” https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/national-council-of-jewish-women
NCJW, Louisville Section timeline, https://ncjwlou.org/home/ourwork/about/timeline/
Barbara G. Zingman, “National Council of Jewish Women, Louisville Section,” entry in The Encyclopedia of Louisville, ed. John E. Kleber (University Press of Kentucky, 2001), p. 646.
Folder List
Box 1
Folder 1: Louisville Section presidents
Includes copy-print photographs of former presidents of the Louisville Section.
Folder 2: District and national conventions, 1960s-1990s
Includes photos of NCJW biennial and central district conventions; Hillary Clinton was a speaker at the 1996 convention and is pictured in a few of the photos.
Folder 3: Louisville Section and NCJW anniversaries, 1971, 1993
Includes photos of the Louisville Section’s 75th anniversary; NCJW National centennial, 1993 quilt squares.
Folder 4: Louisville Section centennial events, 1995-1996
Includes negatives.
Folder 5: Junior Council, 1980s-1990s
Folder 6: Louisville Section meetings, 1990s
Includes photos of installation of officers; presidents past and present; awards ceremonies.
Folder 7: Louisville Section meetings, 2000s
Folder 8: Community projects, 1920, 1950s-1960s
Includes a copy of a Louisville Courier-Journal newspaper image of the penny lunch project at George D. Morris School, 1920; photos from the 1950s-1960s of volunteers with signs behind them reading Children’s Home, New Americans, Ship-a-box, and Lending Library; volunteers and children at Jewish Children’s Home, later Jewish Children’s Convalescent Home, at 1135 S. 1st Street.
Folder 9: Community projects, ca. 1970s-2000s
Includes photos of the 5th anniversary of Senior House West; HIPPY; NCJW ParkSide; Close Harmony choir; California Daycare Center; Four Courts; ElderServe; Take Back the Night; Run/Walk.
Folder 10: Adopt-a-School, ca. 1990s-2000s (includes born-digital files)
Includes print and digital photos of Cochran Elementary; Lowe Elementary volunteer club.
Folder 11: Women Helping Women, 1999-2000
Includes photos of Women Helping Women project – the NCJW partnered with Liz Claiborne Inc. to organize clothing drives for women who were victims of domestic violence.
Folder 12: Vagina Monologues, 2002
Folder 13: Stop the Violence Women’s 5K Run/Walk, 2004-2005 (includes born-digital files)
Folder 14: Advocacy and public affairs, 1970s-2000s
Includes photos of Public Affairs brunch; “Education Pays” group; Legislative Day in Frankfort.
Folder 15: Study Group: Education (school vouchers), 1989
Folder 16: Frankfort trips, ca. 1968-2000s
Includes photos of meetings with Gov. Louie Nunn, ca. 1968-1971; Lt. Gov. Steve Beshear, photo signed by Beshear, ca. 1980s; Gov. Ernie Fletcher, ca. 2003-2007.
Folder 17: Washington D.C. trips, ca. 1970s-2000s
Includes photos of delegates to JPI (Joint Program Institute) in Washington, 1976, 1980; meeting with Senator Mitch McConnell, photo signed by McConnell, 1987.
Folder 18: Washington Institute, 1995, 1998, and 2001
Includes photo of Louisville Section members greeting President Bill Clinton; negatives.
Folder 19: NCJW National publicity and speakers, ca. 1960s-1990s
Includes photos of NCJW presidents and officers; NCJW speakers; the opening of Hebrew University High School in Israel; Ship-a-Box; Council Fellowships.
NOTE: The Filson does not hold reproduction rights to these photographs.
Folder 20: Individuals, identified (click to access PDF of index of individuals)
Folder 21: Individuals, unidentified
Folder 22: Individuals, 8×10 photographs, both identified and unidentified (click to access PDF of index of individuals)
Folder 23: Miscellaneous groups and events, ca. 1920s, 1960s-1990s
Includes studio portrait of an unidentified extended family, removed from a Bon Art Studios folder, 1920s; photos of Betty Jane Fleischaker and Maud Fliegelman; Betty Jane Fleischaker and Esther Lander; Carol Leibson and Judy Shapira; past section presidents’ visit; NCJW members in front of the Capitol.
Folder 24: Miscellaneous events, ca. 1990s
Includes photos of Women’s Seder; Conference on Aging with Betty Friedan; book club; NCJW directors; Emerging Leaders Luncheon; Day of the Working Parent, Court Watch Forum; Jewish Film Festival; cooking demonstration.
Folder 25: Miscellaneous events, 2000s-2010s
Includes photos of Community Science Fair; Chanukah parties at Four Courts; dedication for the Rebecca Judah historical marker; Center for Women and Children; Gilda’s camp; cooking program with Chef Nancy Russman.
Folder 26: Miscellaneous events, unidentified, ca. 1970s-1980s
Folder 27: Miscellaneous events, unidentified, ca. 1990s
Folder 28: Photos removed from NCJW album (1 of 2), ca. 1950s-1990
Includes photos by Gus Frank and Sam Hinerfeld; Central District Convention, St. Louis, 1974; Senator Wendell Ford with Louisville Section members; skits.
Folder 29: Photos removed from NCJW album (2 of 2), ca. 1950s-1990
Folder 30: Photos removed from NCJW album (1 of 4), ca. 1960-1991
Includes photos of National Convention, Louisville, 1981; Trip to Israel, photo with Mitch McConnell; Marcia Roth’s installation; Ship-a-Box recipients; Renee Loeb’s installation; Mary Travers visit, 1984; National Convention, New Orleans, 1987.
Folder 31: Photos removed from NCJW album (2 of 4), ca. 1960-1991
Includes photos of Family Focus; Mary Travers visit, 1984; Hannah Solomon awards; National Convention, New Orleans, 1987; Elaine Weinberg’s installation; Lynn Meckler’s installation; Junior Council at Colonial Gardens; Nearly New Shop at 815 E. Market; Shopping Spree; Family Day Care conference; National Convention, 1990; Washington Institute; Jewish Resource Center.
Folder 32: Photos removed from NCJW album (3 of 4), ca. 1960-1991
Includes photos of Claire Wolf visit and workshop; past section presidents’ luncheon; National Convention, 1990; California Area Family Development Center; “A Half Century of Social Action.”
Folder 33: Photos removed from NCJW album (4 of 4), ca. 1960-1991
Includes photos of Shopping Spree; moving into new office, 1990; Mayor Burke and Minx Auerbach, 1961; Central District Convention, Kansas City, 1970; Louise Flarscheim and Natalie Polm with Mayor William Cowger.
Folder 34: Printout of scan of NCJW album, ca. 1960-1991 (click to access PDF of scan)
Folder 35: Photos removed from NCJW album (1 of 3), ca. 1970-1990
Includes photos of book tea, 1971-1972; National Convention, 1981; Helen Banks receiving award for NCJW, 1992; Bella Abzug, 1983; Marcia Roth’s installation, 1983; and Close Harmony intergenerational choir.
Folder 36: Photos removed from NCJW album (2 of 3), ca. 1970-1990
Includes photos of Washington, D.C., trip and meetings with Senator Dole, Rep. Mazzolli, 1983; National Convention, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1984; Nearly New Shop, mid-1980s; 90th anniversary; Renee Loeb’s installation and honoring life members, 1985; past presidents; Junior Council president; Mary Travers at Keneseth Israel; District Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 1986; Washington Institute, 1987; Elaine Weinberg’s installation, 1987; CASA volunteers, 1987.
Folder 37: Photos removed from NCJW album (3 of 3), ca. 1970-1990
Includes photos of Jane Weinberg being told of Henrietta Herzfeld award, 1989; NCJW ParkSide opening, 1986; new member party, 1988-1989; Central District Convention; Junior Council style show, 1988; Sandy Linker tutoring New Americans, 1989; Pro Choice rally, Frankfort, 1989; Washington Institute, 1989; National Convention, 1990.
Folder 38: Printout of scan of NCJW album, ca. 1970-1990 (click to access PDF of scan)
Folder 39: Photos removed from California Area Family Development Center (CAFDC) album, 1983-1984
Includes photos of atrium, indoor play area; classrooms; Preschool I, II, III, IV, and Kindergarten; Christmas play; “A Visit with Santa.”
Folder 40: “Accomplishments” and “Goals,” printout of scan of CAFDC photo album (click to access PDF of scan)
Box 2
Folder 41: Photos removed from NCJW ParkSide Senior Adult Day Center album (1 of 2), 1988-1991
Folder 42: Photos removed from NCJW ParkSide Senior Adult Day Center album (2 of 2), 1988-1991
Folder 43: Printout of scan of NCJW ParkSide album (click to access PDF of scan)
Folder 44: Photos removed from Four Courts album (1 of 2), 1988-1989
Folder 45: Photos removed from Four Courts album (2 of 2), 1988-1989
Folder 46: Printout of scan of Four Courts album (click to access PDF of scan)
Folder 47: Copies of manuscript items removed from Four Courts album, 1988-1989
Folder 48: Miscellaneous loose photos from Four Courts album, 1988-1989
Includes photos of unidentified NCJW events not related to Four Courts.
Folder 49: Photos removed from Vagina Monologues events album (1 of 2), 2002
Includes photos of Take Back the Night; Bearing Witness to Violence against Women; Vagina Monologues; Domestic Violence prevention; T-shirt project.
Folder 50: Photos removed from Vagina Monologues events album (2 of 2), 2002
Folder 51: Photos removed from Nearly New Shop/Fashion Encore album, ca. 2010s
Folder 52: Nearly New Shop at 632 East Market, ca. 1970s
Includes photos and negatives.
Folder 53: Nearly New Shop at 815-817 East Market and Mid-City Mall, ca. 1980s
Photos include exterior views; one photo taken out of a frame was sleeved along with an unidentified aerial photo that was also in the frame.
Folder 54: Fashion Encore, ca. 1980s
Includes photos, negatives, and slides.
Folder 55: Fashion Encore, 1990-1992
Folder 56: Fashion Encore, 1994-1996
Folder 57: Fashion Encore, 1997-1999 and ca. 1990s
Folder 58: Fashion Encore, ca. 2000-2004
Folder 59: Miscellaneous Nearly New Shop and Fashion Encore, ca. 1980s-2000s
Folder 60: Individual and group photos disassembled from oversized collages, ca. 1980s-1990s
Folder 61: Reproduction of painting of Nearly New Shop, ca. 1970s-1980s
Digital materials
These digital files were originally housed on CDs, which are stored separately in box AVD-0004. Born-digital files can be viewed using Filson library computers. Please speak to staff about how to access digital files.
Folder 62: Fashion Encore (includes born-digital files), ca. 2002
Folder 63: Fashion Encore (all born-digital files), October 2013
Folder 64: NCJW unidentified event (all born-digital files), undated
Folder 65: NCJW unidentified event (all born-digital files), 8 September 2004
Folder 66: NCJW women’s seder (all born-digital files), 2005
Folder 67: NCJW intergenerational book club (all born-digital files), 3 February 2008
Folder 68: Gilda’s Club (all born-digital files), 17 March 2008
Folder 69: “NCJW Goes Green” (all born-digital files), 2 April 2008
Subject Headings
Children – Services for – Kentucky.
Four Courts Louisville Hebrew Home.
Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (U.S.)
Jefferson County Public Schools.
Jewish Children’s Home (Louisville, Ky.)
Jewish film festivals – Kentucky – Louisville.
Jewish Home for Convalescent Children (Louisville, Ky.)
Jewish Hospital (Louisville, Ky.)
Jewish women – Political activity.
Judah, Rebecca Rosenthal, 1866-1932.
National Council of Jewish Women.
Nearly New Shop (Louisville, Ky.)
Reproductive rights.
Social service – Kentucky.
Women – Societies, etc.
Women in charitable work.