calsfoundation@cals.org
August 31, 1963
Rabbi Ira Eugene Sanders retired as leader of B’Nai Israel, the state’s largest Reform Jewish congregation, and served as rabbi emeritus until his death in 1985. Sanders was a popular speaker and an indefatigable leader in promoting social work and civil rights. In 1927, he initiated the Little Rock School of Social Work and led it under different sponsoring organizations for a number of years. In 1934, he organized the Pulaski County Public Welfare Commission, which became a project under the Works Progress Administration.