B'nai B'rith Grand Prairie Lodge 281 Records, 1971-1977, 1992-2014 | Illinois History and Lincoln Collections

This collection contains records from the B’nai B’rith Grand Prairie Lodge 281 from 1971-2014. These materials are representative of B’nai B’rith Grand Prairie Lodge 281’s contributions to the Jewish community in Champaign-Urbana.

B’nai B’rith was founded in 1843 as a fraternal society dedicated to assisting new Jewish immigrants in adapting to their communities in the United States. Since then, B’nai B’rith has worked as a global Jewish organization within four major pillars: Human Rights and Public Policy, Supporting and Defending Israel, Senior Advocacy and Housing, and Helping Communities/Disaster Relief. Grand Prairie Lodge 281 was founded in 1877 in Champaign-Urbana part of District 6 in the larger B’nai B’rith organization. Members would meet in three rooms above Joseph Kuhn’s department store, Jos. Kuhn & Co., in downtown Champaign. Membership was extended to women in the late 20^th century. From 1971-2014, Grand Prairie Lodge 281 met at the Hillel Foundation on the University of Illinois campus.

This collection contains local membership information, meeting programs, publicity and press packets, national and regional constitutions, and membership information of B’nai B’rith District 6 and B’nai B’rith International. Meeting programs provide information about organizing committees, speaker events, and volunteer activities. Membership information includes address and phone lists, receipts, and correspondence. The collection also contains two plaques of Certificates of Honor awarded to the Grand Prairie Lodge 281 by the B’nai B’rith National Fund-Raising Cabinet in 1977.

This collection was donated by Allen Avner. Avner and his wife, Elaine Avner, were secretaries of B’nai B’rith Grand Prairie Lodge 281.