What did the philosopher Franz Rosenzweig and the labour lawyer Hugo Sinzheimer, the social philosopher Max Horkheimer and the department stores' pioneer Hermann Wronker have in common? They were brothers of the Jewish order B'nai B'rith (‘Sons of the Covenant’) in Frankfurt am Main.

Twelve immigrants of German-Jewish origin had founded the order in New York in 1843. In 1882, the idea found its way back to Germany.

Under the presidency of Rabbi Leo Baeck, the German district united more than 100 individual lodges and sister organisations with around 30,000 members.

The different political and inner-Jewish religious attitudes of the brothers and sisters were regarded as valuable diversity. The history of the three Frankfurt lodges (founded in 1888, 1919 and 1922), which is told here for the first time, reflects not least the history of the Jewish bourgeoisie in Germany.

With their social and educational projects, such as the Gumpertz'schen Siechenhaus or the Freie Jüdische Lehrhaus, the lodge brothers and sisters contributed to the reputation of Frankfurt's urban society. As a social centre, the lodge was open to all Frankfurters.

Under National Socialism, the work of the lodges was violently destroyed and is largely forgotten today. In 2020, we at B'nai B'rith Frankfurt Schönstädt Loge e.V. initiated a scholarly reappraisal of the order and its lodges in Frankfurt am Main from the beginning in 1888 to the end of the 1930s.

With the support of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs, this resulted in a comprehensive study that analyses the development of the lodges in Frankfurt, Mannheim and Nuremberg in detail. The results have been published in 3 publications (for Frankfurt, Mannheim and Nuremberg respectively).

The scientific work is available as a comprehensive exhibition summarising the study. The history of the Jewish Order of B'nai B'rith in Frankfurt am Main, Mannheim and Nuremberg is illustrated on large-format panels with many photographs and illustrations of original documents.