Landsmanshaftn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A landsmanshaftn (also landsmanshaft, landsmanschaft, or landsmanschaftn) is a Jewish benefit society of immigrants from the same town or region. These aid organizations were established to deal with social, economic, and cultural problems, and provided a social framework for mutual assistance. In the early 1900's there were thousands of landsmanshaftn in the New York City area, but few if any are active today. While landsmanshaftn were often based around a common region they could also be based on a common political affiliation, such as the Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring (socialist), the International Workers Order (Communist), or the Farband (labor Zionist).
