Identifer: CJF - RFC2013192

Medium
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Description
This token was issued in cast Bronze (33 mm)
 
In 1923, Rabbi Samuel Hirsch, Rabbi of the Chicago Sinai Congregation from 1880 until 1923 and one of the leading voices of the Reform movement in America, headed a charity drive to raise $2,500,000.00 to aid the poor.  Contributors to this drive were awarded a token in appreciation for their contribution.
 
A Committee for $2,500,000 launched the drive on May 6, 1923, with the support of the new Jewish Charities of Chicago, to raise funds for the Michael Reese Hospital, Mount Sinai Hospital and the Jewish Peoples Institute, on the west side of the city.  The slogan of the campaign was “IF YOU WON’T…WHO WILL?” and it was brought to a brilliant conclusion on May 31, 1923, when the goal of $2,500,000 was realized, plus there was a surplus of more than $250,000!
 
The Chicago Jewish Historical Society has reported in its journal that there are similar medals in the possession of Temple Sinai, the home of the Society, but these medals do not bear the date 1923.  The medal serves well as a memorial to the memory of a great man and as a keepsake reminder of the very first successful multi-million dollar fund raiser in Chicago.
 
Emil Gustav Hirsch (May 22, 1851 – January 7, 1923) was a major Reform movement rabbi in the United States.  For forty-two years (1880–1923), Hirsch served as the rabbi of Chicago Sinai Congregation, one of the oldest synagogues in the mid-west.  At this post, he became well known for an emphasis on social justice.  From Chicago Sinai’s pulpit, he delivered rousing sermons on the social ills of the day and many Chicagoans, Jew and gentile alike, were in attendance.