Order of Ancient Maccabeans (also Maccabaeans) is an Anglo-Jewish society. The order is a friendly society established in 1894, and registered on 8 May 1901, under the Friendly Societies' Act, as amended 1896. History When Theodor Herzl came to England before the First Zionist Congress the members of the Society, who then belonged to the "Lovers of Zion" movement, pledged their adherence to the Zionist cause. The Society was an avowedly Zionist Order, and every member on admission had to declare his willingness to be a Zionist, to pay the shekel and to assist generally through the Order in the work of resettling the Jews in Palestine. Membership consists primarily of people in the professions, with aims to provide "social intercourse and co-operation among its members with a view to the promotion of the interests of Jews, including the support of any professional or learned bodies and charities." All persons "of the Jewish faith who declare themselves adherents to the Zionist Movement" can become members; membership also includes similarly minded, non-Jewish 'honorary' members. Past presidents 1891–1903 Raphael Meldola (in whose honour the society awards the Meldola medal for Chemistry) 1903–04 Albert Goldsmid 1904–27 Solomon Joseph Solomon 1927–32 Herbert Bentwich 1932–54 Selig Brodetsky 1982–90 Sir Alan Marre 1990–2000 Sir John Balcombe 2000–present Sir Ian Gainsford Other notable members have included: Louis Barnett Abrahams Chief Rabbi Hermann Adler Norman Bentwich Sir Ernst Boris Chain Marcus Hartog Rev. Morris Joseph Chief Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz Waldemar Haffkine Sir Ian Heilbron Sir Bernard Rix Charles Kensington Salaman Isaac Snowman Rev. Joseph Stern Rev. Charles Voysey (Not Jewish; hon. member) Chaim Weizmann Lucien Wolf Israel Zangwill References Further reading Encyclopaedia Judaica, art. Maccabaeans Jewish Year Book, 2005, p. 104 Who was Who Charities based in England Jewish charities based in the United Kingdom Jewish clubs and societies Jews and Judaism in England Zionism in the United Kingdom Zionist organizations