Edith Altschul Lehman (1889-1974) – Philanthropist
Early in her marriage to Herbert Lehman, Edith Lehman successfully organized a lay social service committee to take care of the family needs of hospitalized patients, which later led to the establishment of Mount Sinai Hospital’s first professional social service department and to her many years of association with the hospital. She was involved with two other institutions that would become lifelong causes: the Henry Street Settlement, founded to improve conditions of life on the Lower East Side, and the Play Schools Association, organized to care for children of working mothers. A staunch supporter of Israel, she was an assiduous fund-raiser and benefactor to the United Jewish Appeal and the Federation of Jewish Charities of New York. After her husband’s death, Lehman’s larger philanthropic works were dedicated to him: the establishment of the Mount Sinai Hospital Medical School and the Lehman Professorship in Pediatrics; the Lehman Educational Fund for Afro-American college students; the Lehman School of Ethics at the Jewish Theological Seminary; and donations to Williams College, his alma mater. Lehman was awarded honorary doctor of humane letters degrees from Williams College and from Mount Sinai School of Medicine and a doctor of laws degree from Columbia University.
We honor Edith Altschul Lehman because her philanthropic work makes her a Legacy Champ. If you want to be a Legacy Champ in your own special way, then contact The Mendel Law Firm, L.P. for a free initial consultation on estate planning, trust planning, and/or probate issues.
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