The
Order of Knights of Pythias is an international non-sectarian fraternal order,
founded in 1864, and was the first such organization to be chartered by an act
of Congress.
The order of the Knights of Pythias
Benjamin N. Cardozo Lodge #163
Fair Lawn, New Jersey
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History of Lodge 163
HISTORY OF CARDOZO LODGE NUMBER 163
By Al Zuckerman
Benjamin N. Cardozo Lodge became a reality on a snow swept Sunday at the Fair Lawn Jewish Center On January 28, 1951. Joseph Freilich was our first Chancellor Commander and is now residing in Florida. After much discussion, the Lodge was named in honor of Benjamin Nathan Cardozo who was the first Jewish Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and very active in Jewish community affairs. The first edition of our newspaper, Cardozo Speaks, cost us the magnificent sum of $8. The deluxe refreshments for our installation meeting cost 75 cents per person with Sid Reisman on the committee. Mickey Lichenstein chaired our first social event, a dance which cost $162 in total. Cardozo’s first annual budget was $952, and our charity donations amounted to $30.
The establishment of the Cardozo Benevolent Association came about in 1954. Many of our members bought and paid for cemetery plots in order that the CBA would have the financial means to pay our installment plan obligations.
Cardozo charitable endeavors started with an annual pre-season visitation to Camp Marcella for blind Children. We prepared for the camp’s opening by cleaning the grounds, painting the buildings, docks and tables, and preparing the equipment. Later years, we also prepared the Camp for Brain Injured Children as well as Camp Rainbow for Retarded Children. We sponsored one of the first All Sports Little League Teams in town. Cardozo financed bus outings and attendance at big league baseball games for area orphans. We gave two scholarships to FLHS students in honor of two deceased sons of our brothers, Randy Radelman and Richard Polsky. The Fair Lawn Mental Health Center received a $2,000 donation to create a special senior citizens area, and at regular intervals, our membership painted and spruced up this area. Our goal for yearly donations to Deborah Hospital was $1 per member, per year.
At the end of our 25th year, our charity donations reached a total of $50,000, and our membership was the 3rd largest in the state.
Fourteen years ago our charity picture changed drastically. We started our Annual Circus which has earned $220,000 since its inception, all going to charity. Our Deborah Tag Days and raffles enabled us to make hefty donations and recently, the efforts of Dave Englander and our membership took us to the top of our state with our donations to Newark Beth Israel Hospital for Cystic Fibrosis. We still sponsor our little league baseball team. FL All Sports recently honored Cardozo for 35 years of consecutive participation.
We sponsor regular dances with entertainment and meals for the handicapped, many holiday parties for various handicapped groups, individually funded scholarships and regular donations to many worthy local and national organizations. The Fair Lawn Mental Health Center has honored us twice in recent years for our community activities. Thousands and thousands of free tickets are supplied for our Circus annually. While missing records do not allow us to come up with exact figures, a very educated projection shows that Cardozo Lodge has now donated $400,000 to various charities as well as $250,000 in free circus tickets and many thousands of hours of volunteer labor.
Socially, we have our Spring Dance, Officers’ Cotillion, Picnic, theatre parties, trips to Atlantic City and other locations. Also open meetings, New Years Eve Party, roasts, membership dinners, plus other assorted individual and Grand Lodge events. Many are subsidized by the Lodge.
Cardozo Lodge is truly a story of dedication, hard work and great success in the name of Friendship, Charity and Benevolence. While we now have the largest membership and are the most active Pythian Lodge in the state, with your cooperation, we look forward to even bigger and better accomplishments.
Our Charter
