Remembering the Women’s Division annual campaign

Seena Dittleman

It’s Elul, the month of introspection, and August has ended. Summer is over, and the school year is beginning. It’s time to prepare for the High Holy Days and Sukkot. And, way back when there was a separate Women’s Division of the General Jewish Committee and the Jewish Federation (the antecedents of the Jewish Alliance),  it was time to get ready for the annual fundraising campaign.

The campaign was part of my Jewish life cycle as far back as my teen years. I was not unique. Seena Dittleman, of Cranston, stated in a recent conversation that it was in her DNA to do something in a religious way as well as for the community.

“Being involved in the community was part of my inheritance…. Having breakfast and Jewish activities were part of the daily routine,” she said during a recent conversation.

Seena’s mother, Anne Kovitch, was very active at Temple Beth Israel, in Providence, serving on many projects as well as becoming Sisterhood president. She also took a leadership role in the earliest days of the women’s campaign.

“My mother was an area chairman. Back then, calls were made from the GJC office. When someone made a pledge, my mother sent me to pick it up. I was 16 and was driving, and I had my own car. I would go to pick up the money and bring it back to the office. [On one trip] I went to Willard Avenue. This was before all the changes. There were Jewish stores, Kosher butchers and bakeries ….

“The houses were very close together, and the porches were right on the sidewalk. The little old ladies – they were probably younger than I am now – would save their change all year long and give me the money. I can still see them sitting on the porches waiting for me. That was how I got started at 16.”

After their marriage, Seena and her husband, Martin Dittleman, were involved in the community and fundraising. Seena took a particular interest in ORT and the National Council of Jewish Women, as well as their temple. She lamented that neither of the two women’s organizations exist in Rhode Island at this time. Our conversation then returned to some of her experiences with the Women’s Division.

Seena began taking a more active role in the Women’s Division when Sylvia Hassenfeld was the campaign chairwoman. “Sylvia raised the level of our thinking and our ability to do things. She encouraged us to reach a little higher, to give and to ask for a little bit more even when it was uncomfortable …. You could not say no to Sylvia. Marion Goldsmith was another person to whom you could not say no.”

When asked to head the campaign in Cranston, Seena accepted and was successful in her efforts.

Looking back on her experience, she shared some candid observations. The same volunteers worked on the campaign every year. They were not very excited about the job that had to be done, but they did it. Attracting new people to make calls was difficult. Friends who did not participate in any way were a disappointment.

The Women’s Division Campaign held individual events, where donors and perspective donors were invited to a private home for lunch and a motivational speaker. Which invitation you received depended on your level of giving. Although the underlying emphasis was on fundraising, attendance became more a matter of status, Seena stated. “Beautiful homes attracted people.”

One such lunch was held at a beautiful estate.

“It was packed. People came to see the house and grounds, not to hear the speaker.”

As it happens, the event was held in a tent on a sweltering day. The house was not opened for the assemblage. As people gathered, Seena noticed someone standing alone and invited the woman to sit with her. She accepted and later said she knew no one there and would have left but for that kindness. Although not a hostess at the event, Seena saw being hospitable as her job at community events, even at someone else’s home. Making people feel welcome has always been important to her. And she does so with panache.

These days, Seena volunteers with the Jewish Seniors Agency, an organization in which Martin is very involved. And since she cannot say no, Seena still takes cards for the Jewish Alliance’s fundraising campaign. It’s in her DNA.

GERALDINE FOSTER is a past president of the Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association. To comment about this or any Rhode Island Jewish Historical Association article, email info@rijha.org.