"At the turn of the century, South Portland was the heart of the Jewish community, and Neighborhood House was the heart of South Portland. Founded in 1905 by the Portland Section of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), Neighborhood House offered a broad range of opportunities. For the American-born, privileged women of the council, it provided a “rare and socially acceptable opportunity for Jewish upper-class women to be responsible directly and in control of significant work outside the home.”' For the immigrant newcomers, it provided an array of educational, recreational, and social opportunities, as well as serving as a clearinghouse for philanthropic aid. In a Jewish community rich in organizational life, Neighborhood House stood out as a focal point, providing an institutional center for South Portland’s immigrant community, as well as a point of contact between that community and the established, Reform Jews who created and ran it. " - Ellen Eisenberg