Order Shield of David
Jewish friendly society formerly called the Hebrew Order of Druids
Order Shield of David was a Jewish friendly society, described in the 1924 Jewish Year Book as “Order Shield of David (formerly called the Hebrew Order of Druids)”, at Bank Chambers, 151 Whitechapel-rd., E.1. It was distinct from the Grand Order of Israel; the two orders subsequently became the Grand Order of Israel and Shield of David Friendly Society.[1][2]
Officers and activities
The Echo of 9 August 1929 reported the annual conference at Derby Hall, Manchester, on 4–5 August. Bro. Ogus, Grand President, presided, assisted by Bro. A. Jacobs, Vice-President. Delegates voted for closer co-operation with other orders to establish an institute in Manchester, and for an effort to attract young members. A meeting under the auspices of Judean Memorial Lodge and Morris Bloch Lodge was to hear a report of proceedings.[3]
Grand President Bro. J. Goldberg and Grand Secretary Bro. M. Lipton, M.A., of London visited Glasgow for the ceremonies of Queen Esther Lodge and Judean Memorial and Maurice Bloch Lodge reported in March 1933. The Chronicle’s August 1934 national report printed Jack Goldberg, Grand President, and John Bearman, Grand Vice-President, on the O.S.D. side.[4][5]
The Echo’s 24 August 1934 conference report claimed that four new O.S.D. lodges had been established during the preceding year. Eva Bloom Lodge in Birmingham had gained over eighty new members and received the Order’s Silver Shield. These were reports of expansion and a particular lodge’s recruitment, not a national lodge or membership total.[6]
Scottish branches
On 27 July 1934 the Echo named Judean Memorial Lodge and Queen Esther Lodge as “the two Scottish branches of the Order Shield of David”. They were to be represented at the 5–6 August conference at the First Avenue Hotel, London. Mr. W. Mundlak, president of the men’s lodge, and Mr. Hyman, described as one of its oldest members, were delegates; Mr. W. Mundlak was also selected to vote by proxy for the ladies’ lodge.[7]
- Judean Memorial Lodge was the men’s lodge. The Echo printed No. 78 in January and December 1928 and in August 1934, with the expanded name Judean Memorial and Maurice Bloch Lodge in the latter report. The 1942 Echo and Chronicle merger reports instead printed No. 78a.[8][9][6][10][11]
- Queen Esther Lodge was the ladies’ lodge, named at its March 1933 consecration. The Echo printed No. 77 in 1933 and still on 31 December 1937, but No. 77a on 18 March 1938. The 1947 Jewish Year Book listed No. 77a under the combined order.[4][12][13][14][15]
That report does not name a third Scottish lodge of the order.
Amalgamation with the Grand Order of Israel
The newspaper reports describe successive decisions, rules conferences and implementation, rather than a single announcement ending the O.S.D.
Ratification reported in January 1933
Under “Amalgamation carried between G.O.I. and O.S.D.”, the Chronicle of 6 January 1933 stated: “The amalgamation between the Grand Order of Israel and the Order Shield of David has now been ratified by the contracting bodies.” The G.O.I. conference approved terms for the two Orders and their Health Insurance Sections with one dissenter. The O.S.D. met concurrently; its Grand President, Jack Goldberg, outlined proposals, and its poll was reported as 57 to 17. The combined Health Insurance Sections were to have a membership roll of 14,400; that was not an O.S.D.-only membership figure. The report did not state that the O.S.D. had ceased.[16]
The Echo’s retrospective account, July 1934
The Echo of 27 July 1934 said that “the decision to amalgamate was ratified at the London conference in December of last year at the Adler Hall”. In that article’s wording, “last year” means December 1933. This retrospective statement is separate from the Chronicle’s January 1933 report.[7]
Resolution and rules, August 1934
In its 17 August 1934 report of a meeting of the Jewish Ex-Servicemen’s Branch, the Echo said the conference had formally accepted a resolution recommending amalgamation of the two orders. Bro. Benjamin said the combined bodies would be known as the “Grand Order of Israel and Shield of David Friendly Society”, with headquarters at the G.O.I. Institute, Adler Street, London. A further conference to accept new rules was still “to be held shortly”. The article then gave total membership of “the Order” as 6,000. That figure followed the combined-name passage and cannot be assigned to the pre-merger O.S.D. alone.[17]
The Chronicle of 17 August 1934 reported that special conferences had approved the terms as embodied in rules framed under the auspices of the Registry of Friendly Societies and Ministry of Health. The G.O.I. vote was unanimous; the O.S.D. resolution passed 75 to 9. Confirmatory conferences were still due later in August, with complete fusion expected “by the beginning of 1935”. The O.S.D. confirmatory meeting was set for 26 August.[5]
The Echo of 24 August 1934 reported Bro. Mundlake’s account to Judean Memorial and Maurice Bloch Lodge of the London conference held on 5–6 August: the rules governing amalgamation had been accepted almost unanimously. On the local position, he said that the five G.O.I. and two O.S.D. Glasgow lodges would “continue to function separately until the New Year”, with ultimate fusion into one body “highly probable”. This was a forecast, not proof of local fusion at New Year.[6]
“Amalgamation Accomplished”, January 1935
The Chronicle of 11 January 1935 reported “Amalgamation Accomplished”. A celebration dinner was held at the Institute, Adler Street, E.; a joint conference that morning elected officers of the united Orders:
- Grand Master — E. Goldman
- Grand Vice-Master — Jack Goldberg
- Joint Grand Treasurers — G. Jones and J. F. Sagar
The reported combined membership of 22,000 belonged to the united Order, not the O.S.D. alone.[2]
The 15 February 1935 obituary of E. Goldman called the amalgamated Order “formed early this year”. Its Club and Institute in Adler Street, Commercial Road also housed headquarters. Mr. J. Solomon was named Grand Secretary of the Grand Order of Israel and Shield of David Friendly Society. These statements describe the combined body without erasing the earlier ratification and rules stages.[18]
First annual conference reported in August 1935
The Echo of 16 August 1935 reported a meeting of the Scottish Subsidiary Grand Lodge at Abbotsford Place which heard an account of the first annual conference of the amalgamated order, held the previous week in London. It welcomed completion of the long negotiations and stated: “Many fusions of local G.O.I. and O.S.D. Lodges had also taken place”, calling such a step highly desirable in Glasgow. It also recorded affiliation of the two Glasgow O.S.D. lodges to the Scottish group. Bros. B. Linskill and J. B. Schain represented Judean Memorial Lodge; Sis. S. Brodie represented Queen Esther Lodge.[19]
Distinct local amalgamations
These local events were separate from the national order’s merger:
- 1931: Judean Memorial Lodge and Morris Bloch Lodge, both O.S.D. lodges, united under the name Judean Memorial and Morris Bloch Lodge, according to the Echo of 10 April.[20]
- 1933: the Echo of 24 March said Bro. Lipton complimented Judean Memorial and Maurice Bloch Lodge “upon its far-sightedness in amalgamating with the local Lodge of the Grand Order of Israel” and upon establishing the ladies’ lodge. The other local lodge was not named; the passage does not identify Lord Rothschild Lodge or Glasgow Amalgamated Lodge, No. 18.[4]
- 1942: Lord Rothschild Lodge accepted a merger with “the Judean Memorial Maurice Bloch Lodge, No. 78a”, to commence on 1 July 1942, according to the Echo of 29 May. The Chronicle reported agreement on 12 June and a completed merger on 14 August, but gave no effective date. The Echo of 6 November treated the union as completed. The details belong to the history of Judean Memorial Lodge, not the national amalgamation.[10][11][21][22]
See also
- Judean Memorial Lodge
- Queen Esther Lodge
- Grand Order of Israel
- Grand Order of Israel and Shield of David Friendly Society
- Scottish Subsidiary Grand Lodge
- Grand Order of Israel Lady Rothschild Lodge, No. 67
- Lord Rothschild Lodge
Notes
- ↑ The Jewish Year Book, 1924, p. 75, entry headed ‘Order Shield of David (formerly called the Hebrew Order of Druids)’.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Jewish Chronicle, 11 January 1935, pp. 18/19, archive.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 9 August 1929, p. 4, BNA.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Jewish Echo, 24 March 1933, p. 6, BNA.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Jewish Chronicle, 17 August 1934, pp. 24/25, archive.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jewish Echo, 24 August 1934, p. 6, BNA.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Jewish Echo, 27 July 1934, p. 6, BNA.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 6 January 1928, p. 5, BNA.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 7 December 1928, p. 5, BNA.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Jewish Echo, 29 May 1942, p. 7, BNA.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Jewish Chronicle, 12 June 1942, p. 12, archive.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 5 May 1933, p. 6, BNA.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 31 December 1937, p. 9, BNA.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 18 March 1938, p. 13, BNA.
- ↑ The Jewish Year Book, 1947, pp. 87–89 Grand Order of Israel and Shield of David, Glasgow list.
- ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 6 January 1933, p. 16, archive.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 17 August 1934, p. 7, BNA.
- ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 15 February 1935, p. 10, archive.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 16 August 1935, p. 6, BNA.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 10 April 1931, p. 6, BNA.
- ↑ Jewish Chronicle, 14 August 1942, pp. 10/11, archive.
- ↑ Jewish Echo, 6 November 1942, p. 4, BNA.