William Drettler’s Masonic Register

The recently opened in October 2025 exhibition in the library reading room, titled 2025 Recent Acquisitions at the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives, highlights several unique items. One object on view, a 1931 Masonic register for William Drettler, gives a glimpse into one man’s Masonic experience and his Jewish background. A commemorative record rather than an official membership certificate, this document incorporates Masonic symbols and a Star of David.
William Drettler (1902-1998) was a Jewish Austrian immigrant, a Mason, and a police officer in New York City. He immigrated from Austria to New York City in 1920 on the ship Leopoldina and petitioned for naturalization on May 27, 1925. He was involved with Jewish community life in New York City, joining the Shomrim Society, an organization for Jewish members of the New York Police Department, and Armistice Lodge, No. 1008, in 1931, which had a predominantly Jewish membership. Though there were no exclusively Jewish lodges, Jewish Masons would often join the same lodges, either because of being excluded from some lodges due to antisemitism or a desire for community, resulting in certain lodges with predominantly Jewish memberships. Established in 1924, Armistice Lodge No. 1008 grew quickly. It numbered over 300 members by the time Drettler took his degrees.
Drettler married Jean Blaustein on June 8, 1935, and they had a son, Stephen, in 1939. William Drettler died on June 8, 1998, and is buried in Montefiore Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Queens, New York. He and his wife were buried within the Shomrim Society plot at the cemetery.
Come see the certificate and other newly acquired items in the Van Gorden-Williams Library & Archives through April 3, 2026. This article was originally published on the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library’s blog. Visit srmml.org/blog to read more!