From collection Person List
Maurice Bisgyer served as the Chief Administration Officer of B'nai B'rith from 1937 to 1964. Described as "the balance wheel," Bisgyer felt a strong affinity for B'nai B'rith's work with young people and was a crucial figure in uniting AZA and BBG under the BBYO umbrella. He began his career in Jewish communal service, graduating from New York University in 1918. A year later, Bisgyer became the Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Education Alliance. In the 1930s, Bisgyer obtained sponsors to facilitate the entry of Jewish refugees into the United States, which brought over 15,000 Jewish refugees from Europe.
Upon his retirement, Bisgyer was named Honorary Vice President of B'nai B'rith. He was a pioneer of Jewish social service, a critical component of President Harry S. Truman's meeting with Israeli President Chaim Weizmann in 1948, and served on committees for U.S. Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, and John F. Kennedy.
Today, outstanding BBYO chapters are rewarded with the Maurice Bisgyer Chapter Excellence Award for BBYO chapters, the most prestigious honor a BBYO chapter can earn.
