League of Jewish Women

In 2018, three books were returned from libraries belonging to the League of Jewish Women in Germany (Jüdischer Frauenbund, JFB)

The JFB was founded in 1904 on the initiative of Berta Pappenheim and Sidonie Werner and was based in Berlin. Its members were organised throughout Germany in regional and local groups, associations and other organisations, and carried out charitable and welfare work.

By 1932, the association had around 52,000 members. Alongside its commitment to women’s equality, social and welfare work was one of its main tasks. It ran kindergartens, home economics schools, old people’s homes, warming rooms as part of its winter relief programme, advice centres for people of all social classes and in all circumstances, and much more.

From 1933 onwards, the work of the JFB became increasingly vital for the survival of the Jewish population in Germany, and new facilities were established, including the women’s clubhouse at Marburger Straße 5 in Berlin – see the stamp shown.

In 1938, the JFB was banned and ordered to disband. In 1939, it was incorporated into the Reichsvertretung der Deutschen Juden (Reich Representation of German Jews). After the Second World War, the JFB was re-established in Frankfurt am Main in 1953.

The route by which the books entered the collection of the Berlin City Library (Berliner Stadtbibliothek, BStB) is largely unknown. One book was added to the collection shortly after the end of the war in 1946. The supplier listed in the accession register, ‘Kulturamt’, is presumably connected to the Berlin City Council; however, this supplier designation was also used, amongst other things, for Nazi-loot that was already in the BStB’s possession. One volume was found in the unprocessed storage holdings of the library, whilst another was purchased second-hand as late as 1986.