1904
When the Great Baltimore fire tore furiously through downtown Baltimore, destroying more than 1,500 buildings and 70 city blocks over two days, the Strauses had not yet made their fortune. But, joining the response led by allied Jewish charities, their values were clear.
"From Mrs. Aaron Straus, a reporter of The Sun learned yesterday afternoon that the associated organizations will establish a soup kitchen in the neighborhood in which the destitute have taken refuge, if the occasion demands it. In the meanwhile, they are supplying food and other necessities where they are found to me most sorely needed."
"We are supplying the wants of those most desperately in need,” Mrs. Straus said, “as quickly as possible after we discover them. We are relieving all immediate distress, of course, but we are holding our forces somewhat in reserve for what we believe will be the most urgent need... Some may have a little to tide them over for a short time, but the worst suffering is bound to come when that is exhausted"
— Caring for the Needy, The Sun, Feb. 10, 1904
Broader context
Between 1880 and 1920, Baltimore's Jewish population grew from 10,000 to 65,000, with a major inflow of Eastern European Jews starting around the turn of the century. This influx of immigrants shaped the Strauses initial philanthropy, and continued to affect the Foundation’s work in subsequent decades as new waves of immigrants arrived, including refugees escaping Nazism in the 1930s, Holocaust survivors after World War II, Iranian Jews whose lives were threatened and others from former Soviet Union states in the late twentieth century.
$20M+ A century of giving to The Associated
Formed in 1920 through the merger of two social service agencies, Associated Jewish Charities was the central address for Jewish philanthropy, marshaling the community’s response to supporting immigrants—and more. The Associated raised and distributed money throughout Baltimore through a federation of agencies, setting the stage for the Foundation’s charitable support city-wide.
Lillie was known as the original guiding spirit of the Central Scholarship Bureau, founded in 1924. Over the years, the initiative provided financial aid, guidance and referral, and last-resort, interest free loans to students seeking undergraduate and graduate degrees, and vocational training. The Strauses funded the work for decades, with Lillie often offering personal funds to fill in deficits in a student’s aid.
"When we build, let us see that we build forever. Let it not be for present delight nor for present use alone; let it be such work as our descendants will thank us…”
—Rabbi Morris Lieberman at the ceremony
