Jewish Chautauqua Society
The Jewish Chautauqua Society is the interfaith education program of the Men of Reform Judaism, a U.S. nonprofit organization. It defines its mission as seeking "the dissemination of knowledge of the Jewish religion by fostering the study of its history and literature, giving popular courses of instruction, issuing publications, establishing reading-circles, holding general assemblies, and by such other means as may from time to time be found necessary and proper."[1]
The Jewish Chautauqua Society was conceived and founded in 1893 by its chancellor, Henry Berkowitz of Philadelphia, and modeled on the mother Chautauqua of New York. In 1897 the first assembly was held in Atlantic City, and this focusing of the work has so greatly prospered that the original session of two weeks was extended to three. Here the creation of departments for study and entertainment is similar to those of other Chautauquas. More than this, the influence of the society has resulted in the London Jewish Study Society.
The official organ of the Society is the Menorah Magazine of New York City, and there is also an Assembly Record, published at Philadelphia, besides special series of various publications. The Society was incorporated in 1899, and is administered by the following officers: a chancellor, a president, a treasurer, a secretary and director, a field secretary, a board of trustees, and an educational council.
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References
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This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gilman, D. C.; Thurston, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Jewish Chautauqua Society, The". New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead. This work in turn cites:
- Special Series No. 7, Jewish Publication Society of America (Philadelphia, 1902)
- Menorah Magazine (New York, since 1897)
- Reports of the United States Commissioner of Education.