Lilian Helen "Lily" Montagu, CBE (22 December 1873 - 22 January 1963)[1] was the first woman to play a major role in Reform Judaism.
She was the sixth of ten children born to Ellen Cohen Montagu (1843–1919) and Samuel Montagu (né Montagu Samuel), a self-made millionaire by the age of thirty, Samuel Montagu (1832–1911) was a wealthy banker and bullion broker, a member of the House of Commons and later, as the 1st Baron Swaythling, in the House of Lords. She was the sister of Edwin Samuel Montagu and cousin to Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel. Although she grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family, she was influenced by Claude Montefiore, a reform-oriented philanthropist and scholar. Until the age of 15, she was educated at Doreck College, and privately educated thereafter.[1]
In 1893 she founded the West Central Jewish Girls Club[1] (which subsequently merged into the Jewish Girls' Brigade[2]). She was active in social improvement; particularly in respect to unemployment, sweat shops and bad housing.[1]
In 1901 and 1902, Montagu lay the groundwork for the establishment of the Jewish Religious Union in London. The Union set up the first synagogue in Liberal Judaism in the UK and helped found the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Following the retirement of Leo Baeck, Montagu served for a brief stint (1955–1959) in her 80s as president of the WUPJ, before handing the reins over to Solomon Freehof.