Object ID	XXXX.052
Object Name	Records
Abstract	The Montefiore Lodge No. 12 - Free Sons of Israel Collection contains clippings, correspondence, financial statements, newsletters, Irving Katz notes, meeting minutes, a Michelson Service Fund donation ledger, membership lists, brochures, pamphlets, news releases, photographs, certificates and ephemera.
Admin/Biog History	The Jewish Fraternal Orders in the United States, which came into existence in 1843, grew out of the needs among the Jewish Population who sought friendship, cultural expression and material benefits in an environment that reflected their respective social and economic backgrounds. The second oldest Jewish fraternal order in the United States was the Free Sons of Israel. It was started in New York City on January 18, 1849, by nine Jews who sought to remove from the Charter of the City of New York the restrictions against the consecration of grounds for burial purposes, so that they could own a Jewish cemetery. Montefiore Lodge No. 12, a lodge of the Free Sons of Israel, was organized in Detroit on December 4, 1864, the first and only lodge of the order in Michigan. Most members of the Lodge were members of Temple Beth El. Shortly after its founding, the Lodge purchased burial grounds at Mack Road and Mt. Elliot in Hamtramck. This was the first time in the history of the Jewish community of Detroit that an organization other than a synagogue purchased cemetery grounds for the internment of its members and families. In the 1880s, the Lodge acquired rights to burial in Section E of Woodmere Cemetery, and remains were transferred to Woodmere.
Catalog date	11/13/2001
Collection	Montefiore Lodge No. 12 - Free Sons of Israel
Container	2 MS, 1 OS boxes
Dates of Accumulation	c. 1999-2001
Finding Aids	A finding aid is available.
Level of description	Fonds
People	Haber, Jonathan/ Katz, Irving/ Michelson, Leo/ Pingree, Hazel/
Home location	Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archives Stacks.
Related unit of descrip	For more information on the Haber family see the Haber/Michelson Collection. For more information on other Temple Beth El members who were members of Montefiore Lodge No. 12 see the Family Files and Collections.
Search Terms	Michelson Service Fund/ Montefiore Lodge No. 12/ Free Sons of Israel/ Jewish Fraternal Orders/ fraternal orders/ burial societies/ Woodmere Cemetery/ Fresh Air Society/Mayor of Detroit/
Title	The Montefiore Lodge No. 12 - Free Sons of Israel Collection

The Rabbi Leo M. Franklin Archives, 7400 Telegraph Road, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301 (248) 851-1100, ext. 3137     franklinarchives@tbeonline.org
Last modified on: June 20, 2006