Racie (Friedenwald) Adler (August 5, 1872 - March 20, 1952) was a Jewish community leader in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

and a major officer of Philadelphia

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

during and after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Early life

Adler was born to Moses and Jane (Alborn) Friedenwald of Baltimore. Her grandfather was German immigrant Jonas Friedenwald, her uncle was prominent physician Aaron Friedenwald, and her brother was librarian and historian

Herbert Friedenwald Herbert Friedenwald (September 20, 1870 – April 28, 1944) was a Jewish-American librarian and historian. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he graduated from Johns Hopkins University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Friedenw ...

. Adler was educated at Goucher College. In September 1905, when Adler was 33, she married Cyrus Adler, then 42. They corresponded frequently, and through these letters it is proved that Adler assisted her husband in his work, including proofreading his manuscripts and accompanying him on travels to Egypt, Palestine, and throughout Europe. Adler and Cyrus had one daughter, Sarah.

Career

In conjunction with the Jewish Welfare Board, during

, Adler served in many roles. She was the Chairman of the North Philadelphia

Liberty Loan A liberty bond (or liberty loan) was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financi ...

Drive Committee to help fund war efforts. Under her leadership, her committee raised millions of dollars for the war. She was also a supervisor of the North Philadelphia workrooms for the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

knitting clothing and surgical dressings for the American armed forces in World War I. Her work also included repair of soldiers' clothing as well as appeals for donations and funds for equipment. She held this post until 1918. In 1918, Adler was one of the founding members and directors of the Women's League of the United Synagogue of America. She was also President of the Hebrew Sunday School Society. In 1924, Adler was the original chair of the weekly radio Jewish educational program on New York's WEAF-WIN station. The show focused on ritual instructions, Jewish and classical music, poetry, and lectures. Adler was a founder of the Jewish Students' Houses (now "Hillel") at

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

and

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

. In 1944, Adler was part of the founding leaders of the

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...

chapter in Philadelphia. In 1949 she was awarded a plaque from the Armed Services Committee of the Jewish Welfare Board for completion of 25 years of service.

End of Life

Adler died at age 79 after suffering from an illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Racie 1872 births 1952 deaths American Red Cross personnel 20th-century American Jews Goucher College alumni People from Philadelphia