
Bernhard Felsenthal (January 2, 1822 – January 12, 1908) was a German-born American rabbi.
Life
Felsenthal was born on January 2, 1822, in Münchweiler, near
Kaiserslautern
Kaiserslautern (; ) is a town in southwest Germany, located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate at the edge of the Palatinate Forest. The historic centre dates to the 9th century. It is from Paris, from Frankfurt am Main, 666 kilometers (414 m ...
, the
Rhenish Palatinate,
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, the son of Simon Felsenthal and Eva Gall.
As a boy, Felsenthal went to the secular school in Kaiserslautern and the Polytechnic High School in
Munich
Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...
. He then enrolled in the
University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...
in 1838 in order to pursue a career as a civil servant. But as he could not enter the Bavarian state administration because he was a Jew, he left the university and returned to his home region in 1840. He then attended a teachers' seminary in Kaiserslautern until 1842 and then worked as a teacher for the Jewish community in Münchweiler.
In 1854, Felsenthal immigrated to America and settled in
Madison, Indiana
Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the large ...
, where he worked as a rabbi and teacher for three years. In 1858, he moved to
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and began working in the Greenebaum Brothers banking house. The Jüdische Reformverein was founded that year and he became its secretary and one of its founders. He focused on rabbinical and theological study while working as a clerk with Greenebaum Brothers, and he was ordained a rabbi by
David Einhorn and
Samuel Adler. Influenced by Einhorn, he became one of the first advocates for
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...
in the Midwest. In 1859, he published a statement on Reform Judaism called ''Kol Kore ba-Midbar: Ueber Juedische Reform''. A strong opponent of slavery, he refused a pulpit in
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
. When the Reformverein developed into the Sinai Congregation in 1861, he became its first rabbi. In 1864, he became rabbi of the newly formed Zion Congregation. He served as rabbi there until his retirement in 1887.
He took an active part in the
Jewish Publication Society of America
The Jewish Publication Society (JPS), originally known as the Jewish Publication Society of America, is the oldest nonprofit, nondenominational publisher of Jewish works in English. Founded in Philadelphia in 1888, by Reform Rabbi Joseph Krauskop ...
since its founding in 1888, and he supported the creation of an
American Jewish Historical Society
The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish history and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation an ...
before its founding in 1892. He was one of the first Jews born in Western Europe to favor participation in the
First Zionist Congress
The First Zionist Congress () was the inaugural congress of the Zionist Organization, Zionist Organization (ZO) held in the Stadtcasino Basel in the city of Basel on August 29–31, 1897. Two hundred and eight delegates from 17 countries and 2 ...
in
Basel, Switzerland
Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's third-most-populous city (after Zurich and Geneva), with ...
in 1897. He was a member of the Zionist Executive Council and vice-president of the
Federation of American Zionists. He received an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1866, an honorary D.D. from
Hebrew Union College
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and remained in regular use as a first language until ...
in 1902, and an honorary D.D. from the
Jewish Theological Seminary in 1905. He wrote an elementary grammar on the Hebrew language in 1868, several pamphlets, and 250 miscellaneous essays for periodicals.
Felsenthal was opposed to
Isaac Mayer Wise
Isaac Mayer Wise (29 March 1819 – 26 March 1900) was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.
Early life
Wise was born on 29 March 1819 in Steingrub in Bohemia (today Lomnička, a part of Plesná in the Czech Republic). He was the son ...
and the establishment of a rabbinical seminary, as he did not believe American Jewry was ready for it, and in 1878 he declined an offer to teach at Hebrew Union College. He was an advocate for Jewish day schools. He became an ardent Zionist later in his career and became concerned that Reform Judaism was preparing Judaism for a "beautiful death." He participated in the Philadelphia Rabbinical Conference in 1869, but he was generally opposed to establishing an American Synod. A vocal community spokesperson, he headed a petition for systemic ethical instruction in public schools in 1881 and was opposed to an attempt to introduce Bible readings in public schools. While he generally was not politically active, in 1882 he declared himself a candidate in the
Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...
, writing in the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' that he was opposed to Sunday laws, prohibition, and blind party loyalty in local affairs. In 1879, he became an honorary member of the Free Religious Association. He was active in
B'nai B'rith
B'nai B'rith International ( ; from ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants to the United States. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the se ...
and the Zion Literary Association.
In 1862, Felsenthal married Caroline Levi. She died in 1863, and their only child, Ida, died young. In 1865, he married Henrietta Blumenfeld. They had five children. His daughter Emma wrote a biography on Felsenthal in 1924 called ''Bernhard Felsenthal, Teacher in Israel''.
Felsenthal died on January 12, 1908. His funeral took place in Isaiah Temple. He was buried in
Rosehill Cemetery
Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is a historic rural cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. At , it is the largest cemetery in the city of Chicago and its first private cemetery. The Entrance Gate and Administration ...
.
References
External links
Bernhard Felsenthal Papersat the ''
Center for Jewish History
The Center for Jewish History is a partnership of five Jewish history, scholarship, and art organizations in New York City, namely the American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute New York, Yeshiva Univ ...
''
Bernhard Felsenthal Papersat the ''
American Jewish Archives
The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives, founded in 1947, is committed to preserving a documentary heritage of the religious, organizational, economic, cultural, personal, social and family life of American Jewry. It has be ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felsenthal, Bernhard
1822 births
1908 deaths
19th-century German Jews
American people of German-Jewish descent
People from the Palatinate (region)
Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni
19th-century German educators
Bavarian emigrants to the United States
People from Madison, Indiana
Rabbis from Chicago
American Reform rabbis
19th-century American rabbis
20th-century American rabbis
American Zionists
Burials at Rosehill Cemetery