Carrie Simon (March 5, 1872 – March 3, 1961) was a Jewish-American communal leader from Washington, D.C.

Life

Simon was born on March 5, 1872, in

Uniontown, Alabama Uniontown is a city in Perry County, Alabama, in west-central Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city is 2,107, up 18.7% over 2010. Of the 573 cities in Alabama, Uniontown is the 207th most populous. Uniontown has four sites l ...

, the daughter of Leo William Obendorfer and Mary Wise. A few years after her birth, she moved with her family to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

, where her father began a successful jewelry business and her mother founded a local chapter of the

National Council of Jewish Women The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization. Founded in 1893, NCJW is self-described as the oldest Jewish women’s grassroots organization in the United States, now comprised by over 180,000 members. As of ...

(NCJW) in 1895. Simon graduated from the

Cincinnati Conservatory of Music The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a conservatory, part of a girls' finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It merged with the College of Music of Cincinnati in 1955, forming the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, wh ...

. She also served as section secretary of the NCJW chapter her mother founded, which made her aware of new possibilities that were opening for Jewish women in public life. Following her marriage to Rabbi Abram Simon, she went with her husband when he became a rabbi in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, in 1896,

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, in 1899, and

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in 1904. She continued to work with the NCJW while living in Sacramento, but as the NCJW struggled to reconcile its diverse members' different religious approaches, she turned her attention towards local congregational work. This led her, in 1905, to establish the Ladies Auxiliary Society of

Washington Hebrew Congregation Washington Hebrew Congregation (WHC) is a Reform Jewish synagogue in Washington, D.C. Washington Hebrew Congregation is currently a member of the Union for Reform Judaism. It is one of the largest Reform congregations in the United States, with 2,7 ...

in 1905. It later renamed itself a sisterhood that went from holding the occasional synagogue fundraiser to turning the synagogue into a true social center. Simon was a founder of the

National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), formerly known as the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, is the women's affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism. As the primary women's organization in the Reform Jewish movement, WRJ represents over 65,000 ...

in 1913 and served as its first president for the next six years. Under her, the Federation issued the Annual Jewish Art Calendar, established scholarship and education funds for Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, and collected religious ceremonial objects for what would later be the College's Museum. She later became chairman of the Federation's committee on the Hebrew Union College dormitory, helping the campaign raise funds for a dormitory on the College's grounds that was dedicated in 1925. In 1943, she was named honorary president of the Federation. She was also chairman of the Conference Committee of National Jewish Women's Organizations and would appear in numerous pulpits all across the country to speak on behalf of Jewish women. Simon used her position to encourage the

Union of American Hebrew Congregations The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America. The other two arms established b ...

to include more women on synagogue boards and to welcome intermarried couples into synagogues and sisterhoods. In later years, she devoted herself to the Jewish Braille Institute of America, which was founded in 1931 and transcribed English, Yiddish, and Hebrew books into Braille with the help of sisterhood volunteers. In 1896, she married Abram Simon, who she met while he was a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College. They had two children, Leo and David. Simon died at the

Washington Hospital Center MedStar Washington Hospital Center is the largest private hospital in Washington, D.C. A member of MedStar Health, the not-for-profit Hospital Center is licensed for 926 beds. Health services in primary, secondary and tertiary care are offered ...

on March 3, 1961, several weeks after she fractured her hip. Her funeral service took place in the Washington Hebrew Congregation, and she was buried in the Congregation's cemetery.

References

1872 births 1961 deaths People from Uniontown, Alabama People from Cincinnati People from Sacramento, California People from Omaha, Nebraska People from Washington, D.C. American Reform Jews 19th-century American Jews 20th-century American Jews Jewish American community activists {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Carrie Obendorfer