- Details
THE STORY OF B'NAI B'RITH
B'nai B'rith was founded in New York, in a coffee house, on Wednesday, October 13, 1843 by 12 German-Jewish immigrants led by Henry Jones.
The purpose of the newly formed organization was to protect the Jews of the local community, to visit and take care of sick people, to protect and help widows and orphans.
It was called Bene Berith "the children of the covenant" and had as its purpose the triptych: "Kindness - brotherly love - and Harmony".
Very quickly it spread to North, but also to South America, while at the beginning of the 20th century, this organization began its establishment in old Europe, first in London, then in Paris, but also in many European cities with an ever-increasing number of members.
October 4 by 1924
Distinguished Greek Jews founded a new Brotherhood in Athens naming it after the Alexandrian Greek-Jewish philosopher Philona.
During the war of 1941-1945, all existing records were destroyed therefore today there is no evidence of the activities at that time.
After the war and despite the destruction of the records, the Brotherhood functioned again with an emphasis not only on helping the needy, the sick and the orphans, but also on finding sponsorships for those who wanted to go to Israel.
Over the years, the work of "FILONA" began to slow down, mainly due to the age of its members, and from the beginning of the 1970s, until the 1990s it lay dormant.
In the late 1990s, a small group of Brotherhood members attempted to revive it by re-approaching and informing young Jews about the vision of B'nai B'rith.
Indeed, on 27 November 1995, 22 new members were added to its strength and a strong nucleus was created to this day, always within the framework of the principles of B'nai B'rith.
The 1999 B.B. is founded. of Europe with headquarters in Brussels and representation in the European Parliament. One of the first Fraternities to join the new European organization was FILONAS. We have participated in all international conferences and Young Adult Forums held abroad.
Since then, many events have taken place in Greece, such as visiting synagogues in small communities, as well as providing support to the needy and the sick.
We are very proud to report that we organized Mitzvah Day, Ladino Day and Jewish Heritage Day for the first time in Greece.
As we grow older we try to teach the vision of B'nai B'rith to the younger generation so they can continue the work of our Brotherhood.
The goals of B'nai B'rith are:
- Combating racism, anti-Semitism and xenophobia
- Support of the State of Israel
- Aid to the needy
- Promotion of Jewish identity
His motto B'nai B'rith is "Kindness - Brotherly Love - and Harmony"
The current administration of B'nai B'rith “PHILON” is:
President: Victor Batis
Vice President: Rita Gabay
Mentor: Leon Gavrielidis
Members: Matathias Borbolis – Ilias V. Borbolis
Email: