Adolph Moses Radin (August 5, 1848 – February 5, 1909) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

-born American

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

Life

Radin was born on August 5, 1848, in Neustadt-Schirwindt,

Congress Poland Congress Poland or Congress Kingdom of Poland, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland, was a polity created in 1815 by the Congress of Vienna as a semi-autonomous Polish state, a successor to Napoleon's Duchy of Warsaw. It was established w ...

, the son of Marcus Radin and Hinde Ritow. Radin received his Talmudic education in

Volozhin Valozhyn or Volozhin (, ; ; ; ; ) is a town in Minsk Region, Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Valozhyn District. It is located northwest of the capital Minsk, on the Valozhynka River in the Neman, Neman River basin, and the begi ...

and Eiseshok. He then went to

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

and studied in the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

, the

University of Königsberg The University of Königsberg () was the university of Königsberg in Duchy of Prussia, which was a fief of Poland. It was founded in 1544 as the world's second Protestant Reformation, Protestant academy (after the University of Marburg) by Duke A ...

(where he edited the "Jüdische Grenzbote"), and the

University of Greifswald The University of Greifswald (; ), formerly known as Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Founded in 1456, it is one of th ...

(where he received his Ph.D.). He then worked as a rabbi, first in Prussia at Mewe and Kempen and then in Poland at

Kalisz Kalisz () is a city in central Poland, and the second-largest city in the Greater Poland Voivodeship, with 97,905 residents (December 2021). It is the capital city of the Kalisz Region. Situated on the Prosna river in the southeastern part of Gr ...

and

Łódź Łódź is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located south-west of Warsaw. Łódź has a population of 655,279, making it the country's List of cities and towns in Polan ...

. He immigrated to America in the fall of 1886, and within a month he became rabbi of the Jewish congregation at

Elmira, New York Elmira () is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in and the county seat of Chemung County, New York, United States. It is the principal city of the Elmira, New York, metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses Chemung County. ...

and visiting Jewish chaplain of the New York State Reformatory in that city. Radin then became rabbi of the Congregation Gates of Hope in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In 1890, he was designated chaplain of all penal institutions in New York and Brooklyn. He served in that position for the rest of his life. In 1905, he became rabbi of the People's Synagogue of the

Educational Alliance Educational Alliance is a leading social institution that has been serving communities in New York City's Lower Manhattan since 1889. It provides multi-generational programs and services in education, health and wellness, arts and culture, and civ ...

, a position he held until his death. He worked to rehabilitate Jewish criminal offenders and to educate and minister to poor immigrants in the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

. One notable educational achievements was founding the Russian American Hebrew Association. He was involved in a number of philanthropic and charitable causes. Radin contributed to a wide range of papers, including the Hebrew ''

Hamagid ''Hamagid'' (; ), also known after 1893 as ''Hamagid LeIsrael'' (), was the first Hebrew language weekly newspaper. It featured mostly current events, feature articles, a section on Judaic studies, and, in its heyday, discussions of social issue ...

'', ''

Ha-Melitz ''HaMelitz'' (Hebrew: ) was the first Hebrew newspaper in the Russian Empire. It was founded by Alexander Zederbaum in Odessa in 1860. History ''HaMelitz'' first appeared as a weekly, and it began to appear daily in 1886. From 1871, it was publis ...

'', '' Hakarmel'', ''Ibri Anochi'', and ''Hatofesh'', the German ''

Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums ''Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums'' (until May 1903: ''Allgemeine Zeitung des Judenthums'') was a Jewish German magazine devoted to Jewish interests, founded in 1837 by Ludwig Philippson (1811–89), published first in Leipzig and later in Berli ...

'' and ''Die Neuzeit'', the Polish ''Israelita'', and American Jewish papers. He wrote, among other works, ''Offener Brief eines polnischen Juden an

Heinrich von Treitschke Heinrich Gotthard von Treitschke (; 15 September 1834 – 28 April 1896) was a German historian, political writer and National Liberal member of the Reichstag during the time of the German Empire. He was an extreme nationalist, who favored Ger ...

'' in 1885, ''Asirei Oni u-Varzel'' in 1893, and a report on Jews in New York prisons. An ardent advocate of

Zionism Zionism is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnocultural nationalist movement that emerged in History of Europe#From revolution to imperialism (1789–1914), Europe in the late 19th century that aimed to establish and maintain a national home for the ...

, Radin was an executive member of the American Federation of Zionists. He was married and had three sons, Herman T., Max, and Paul. Max Radin was a jurist and historian, and

Paul Radin Paul Radin (April 2, 1883 – February 21, 1959) was an American cultural anthropologist and folklorist of the early twentieth century specializing in Native American languages and cultures. The noted legal scholar Max Radin was his older brothe ...

was an anthropologist. Radin died at his home in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

from heart disease on February 5, 1909. A private funeral service was held in his home with his close friends and family, led by Rabbi Elias L. Solomon of the Temple Kehilath Israel. The public funeral took place immediately after the private funeral in the People's Synagogue of the Educational Alliance and was led by the Synagogue's cantor Rev. A. Abramson, who was assisted by the seventy-five members of the Hebrew Cantors' Association. Dr. Paul Abelson delivered the eulogy, with other speeches given by Radin's assistant Rev. H. Masliansky, President of the

Jewish Maternity Hospital Jewish Maternity Hospital was an obstetrics hospital located at 270–272 East Broadway, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. History Jewish Maternity Hospital was chartered in 1906 and opened on February 15, 1909. It catered to the ...

Rev. Philip Jaches, and secretary of the American Federation of Zionists Dr. J. Jason. Forty-one organizations that comprised the main Jewish organizations in lower Manhattan, participated in the service, and it was attended by, among other people,

Jacob Schiff Jacob Henry Schiff (born Jakob Heinrich Schiff; January 10, 1847 – September 25, 1920) was a German-born American banker, businessman, and philanthropist. He helped finance the expansion of American railroads and the Japanese military efforts a ...

, Judge Otto A. Rosalsky, Justice Samuel Greenbaum, and Congressman

Henry M. Goldfogle Henry Mayer Goldfogle (May 23, 1856 – June 1, 1929) was an American lawyer and politician who served seven terms as a United States representative from NYCongDel, New York from 1901 to 1915. Biography Born in New York City, he attended t ...

. The pallbearers were members of the immediate family, with representatives of Jewish organizations from upstate New York serving as a guard of honor. Over 25,000 Lower East Side residents stood in the streets to watch the funeral procession, with over 5,000 of them walking with the procession to Williamsburg bridge and over 300 policemen called in to keep order and prevent a repeat of the violent clash from Rabbi Jacob Joseph's funeral several years beforehand. He was buried in

Salem Fields Cemetery Salem Fields Cemetery is a Jewish cemetery located at 775 Jamaica Avenue in the Cypress Hills neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, United States, within the Cemetery Belt. It was founded in 1852 by Congregation Emanu-El of New York. Salem Fie ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Radin, Adolph Moses 1848 births 1909 deaths People from Kudirkos Naumiestis Emigrants from Congress Poland to the United States People from Suwałki Governorate American people of Polish-Jewish descent 19th-century Polish rabbis Humboldt University of Berlin alumni University of Königsberg alumni University of Greifswald alumni 19th-century German rabbis Clergy from Łódź People from Kalisz 19th-century American rabbis 20th-century American rabbis People from Elmira, New York Rabbis from New York City American Zionists Burials at Salem Fields Cemetery