Philanthropy in Boston’s Jewish Community at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: The Origins and Impact of the First Jewish Federation in the US 

Join our 2025 Genevieve Geller Wyner Research Fellow Benjy Maor to learn about how and why Jewish community leaders in Boston founded, in 1895, the first federation in the United States, The Federation of Jewish Charities of Boston (today known as Combined Jewish Philanthropies). In this lecture, Maor will discuss the first community-wide fundraising campaign, the key players in this early history (including Jacob Hecht, Abraham C. Ratshesky, Rabbi Solomon Schindler, Martha Silverman, and Morris D. Waldman), and the wider context for these large-scale changes, in philosophy and approach, from charity to philanthropy.

Attendees will have the special opportunity to view and interact with archival materials that Benjy Maor used in his research.

About the Genevieve Geller Wyner Research Fellowship

The Genevieve Geller Wyner Research Fellowship is awarded annually and provides an opportunity to a scholar to conduct research in the archives of the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at American Ancestors. The fellowship was endowed by Jerry Wyner in honor of his late wife, Genevieve, who shared his and the JHC’s commitment to Jewish history, education, and community. The fellowship culminates in a public talk: The Genevieve Geller Wyner Annual Lecture.

Benjamin (Benjy) Maor

Benjamin (Benjy) Maor is a PhD Candidate in the Department of History at the University of Haifa. He is a Doctoral Fellow and Graduate of the Ruderman MA Program in American Jewish Studies, also at Haifa University. Benjy's academic interests focus on the connection between philanthropy and capitalism. His current research project is a case study of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston from its founding in 1895 (then called the Federation of Jewish Charities) through the end of the New Deal in 1939.