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B'nai B'rith, the global voice of the Jewish community, is the oldest and most widely known Jewish humanitarian, human rights, and advocacy organization. Since 1843, B'nai B'rith has worked for Jewish unity, security, continuity, and tolerance. Missouri Lodge #22 was chartered in 1855 and continues to serve St. Louis through cultural, educational, philanthropic, service, and social programs.

For 155 years, B’nai B’rith has served the St. Louis community, providing programs and services which have impacted individuals both Jewish and non.  Committed to the international organization’s mission of community service and social action, lodge members have planned events for youth in need, the homeless and disenfranchised, residents of elder care facilities, and offered both financial and physical support to a host of Jewish agencies.

Through “Guardian of the Menorah” dinners and other special events, members have raised funds for the agencies within the B’nai B’rith Family - the Anti Defamation League (ADL), the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), Covenant House, and Hillel - and historically have been active members on the boards of these organizations.

Collectively the lodges/units which now comprise what is commonly referred to as B’nai B’rith St. Louis have led the country in implementing new programs, as St. Louis has served as the Pilot City for a national membership campaign and “B’nai B’rith Cares for Kids”, as well as the site for the BBI Young Leadership Action Network (YLAN) training conference.  We were in the forefront of building senior housing (Covenant Houses I and II and Chai) and  were selected in 1994 to host a forum to generate recommendations for the White House Conference on Aging.  More recently, we facilitated an "Aging in Place" symposium in partnership with BBI, which was attended by more than 100 individuals.

When Missouri was devastated by the Midwest floods of 1993, B’nai B’rith St. Louis conceived and implemented “Campaign Clean-Up”, and with funding from both local donors and BBI, purchased and delivered $125,000 worth of cleaning supplies directly to flood affected communities.

B’nai B’rith St. Louis continues to be an active organization within the community, annually organizing “Unto Every Person There is a Name” - reading the names of those whose lives were lost in the Holocaust - for the community-wide Yom HaShaoh  memorial observance; participating in the St. Louis Jewish Film Festival and St. Louis Jewish Book festival;  and delivering an average of 500 “buddy bears” to children in hospitals and care facilities for “B’nai B’rith Cares for Kids ~ David and Betty Blumenthal Community Service Project”.  We support the Jewish Food Pantry through canned food collections, as well as Ronald McDonald House with our holiday toy drive.  Missouri Lodge members meet bi-monthly for a Kosher meal and program, and the Executive Council meets on alternate months.

Our December DecaDANCE attracts over one hundred guests; other annual activities include a bonfire/hayride to celebrate Sukkot, ethnic dining club excursions, team trivia, and holiday gift wrapping at Borders Bookstore to raise money for “B’nai B’rith Cares for Kids”.

For more information, or if you are interested in joining, please contact Diane Maier, 314-442-3190.