Forty Jewish refugees from Germany founded the "Society of Friends" (Gesellschaft der Freunde) in Milwaukee on 8 September 1935 to aid Jews fleeing
the Nazis by helping them assimilate into American society. The group changed its name to
the "New Home Club" in 1941. After the U.S. entered World War II, the club worked with the
Red Cross on blood drives and on the production of surgical dressings, and assisted members
in changing their "enemy alien" status.
After the war, the club helped displaced Jews, and created a relief fund to help Jews in
Austria and Germany. The club provided financial assistance for Israel, and purchased an
ambulance for use in the 1967 Six-Day War. Throughout its existence, the New Home Club
actively promoted social events such as dances, dinners, and lectures. The club's
membership, which was never very large, gradually declined as fewer persons required its
assistance. The organization ceased operations in 1985, although it came together for a 50th
anniversary celebration in 1987.
New Home Club Presidents
| 1937-1940 |
Alfred Beutler
|
| 1940-1944 |
Herman Weil
|
| 1944-1947 |
Ernest F. Florsheim
|
| 1947-1948 |
Fred Sanders
|
| 1948-1950 |
Curt D. Sallinger
|
| 1950-1953 |
Herman Weil
|
| 1954-1955 |
Ernest F. Florsheim
|
| 1956-1957 |
Herman Weil
|
| 1958-1959 |
Erwin Dewald
|
| 1959-1960 |
Harri Hoffman
|
| 1960-1961 |
Ernest F. Florsheim
|
| 1961-1963 |
Rudy Heyman
|
| 1963-1965 |
Curt Loeser
|
| 1965-1967 |
Thomas Herz
|
| 1967-1987 |
Walter Jacobsohn
|
