Israel H. Levinthal
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Israel Herbert Levinthal (February 12, 1888 – October 31, 1982) was a Lithuanian-born American rabbi from Brooklyn.


Life

Levinthal was born on February 12, 1888, in
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,
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, the son of Rabbi Bernard L. Levinthal and Minna Kleinberg. He immigrated to America in 1891. His brother was
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lawyer and judge Louis E. Levinthal. Levinthal attended
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
, graduating from there with a B.A. in 1908 and a M.A. in 1910. While there, he received the Curtis Medal for oratorical excellence in 1908. He then went to the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) is a Conservative Jewish education organization in New York City, New York. It is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism as well as a hub for academic scholarship in Jewish studies ...
, where he was ordained a rabbi in 1910 and received a L.H.D. in 1920. He also went to
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...
and received a J.D. there in 1914. Following his ordination, he served as rabbi of Temple B'nai Shalom in
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, from 1910 to 1915, Temple Petach Tikvah from 1915 to 1919, and the Brooklyn Jewish Center starting in 1919. Levinthal's time at Temple B'nai Shalom discouraged him from the rabbinate due to the constant pressure to raise funds. This led him to study law at New York University, but he never practiced law and he decided to remain a rabbi. He introduced a number of innovations at Temple Petach Tikvah, including late Friday night services, youth clubs, a daily Hebrew school, and congregation-affiliated organizations. He sought to establish a synagogue-center that would be responsive to American urban life like an institutional church. His reforms, as well as his Zionist and communal activities outside the Temple, provoked opposition from the congregation. This led him to leave the Temple in 1919 and join the newly-formed Brooklyn Jewish Center. He was later elected by the congregation as rabbi for life, and in 1974 the main sanctuary was named the Israel H. Levinthal Synagogue. Levinthal was considered a distinguished pulpit orator from the start of his rabbinic career and was especially adept in Midrashic interpretation. He was a founder of the Brooklyn Jewish Center, and under his leadership it became the largest and most influential Jewish center in Brooklyn, developing a model daily Hebrew school, a progressive school that combined secular and Hebrew education, an institute for adult studies, and weekly public forums. He also became a leader in Hebrew letters, Jewish unity, and Zionism. He visited
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on numerous occasions as both a Zionist and a representative of American organizations, including at the laying of the cornerstone of
Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...
and the dedication of the Jerusalem Synagogue Center. Levinthal was president of the
Rabbinical Assembly The Rabbinical Assembly (RA) is the international association of Conservative rabbis. The RA was founded in 1901 to shape the ideology, programs, and practices of the Conservative movement. It publishes prayerbooks and books of Jewish interest, an ...
from 1930 to 1932, chair of the United Synagogue's campaign to build the Jerusalem Synagogue Center from 1932 to 1935, a founder and first president of the Brooklyn Board of Rabbis from 1929 to 1931, chair of the Brooklyn Region of the
Zionist Organization of America The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA; ) is an American nonprofit pro-Israel organization. Founded in 1897, as the Federation of American Zionists, it was the first official Zionist organization in the United States. Early in the 20th century ...
from 1933 to 1935, and president of the Brooklyn Jewish Community Council from 1940 to 1944. He taught homiletics at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1937, and from 1947 to 1962 he taught there as a visiting professor. Jews were leaving Brooklyn for the suburbs in the 1960s, and by 1973 he had to curtail the Center's activities, close the Hebrew school, and cancel Friday night services. Although he never officially retired from the Center, he spent the last few years of his life quietly living with his daughter in
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. In 1908, Levinthal married May R. Bogdanoff over strong objections from both their parents. They had two children, Helen and Lazar. Helen graduated from the
Jewish Institute of Religion The Jewish Institute of Religion was an educational establishment created by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise in 1922 in New York City. While generally incorporating Reform Judaism, it was separate from the previously established Hebrew Union College. It ...
in 1939, making her the first American woman to complete the entire course of study in a rabbinical school, and preached and taught in synagogues. Levinthal died in the New Rochelle Hospital on October 31, 1982. He was buried at
Montefiore Cemetery Montefiore Cemetery, also known as Old Montefiore Cemetery, is a Jewish cemetery in Springfield Gardens, Queens, New York, established in 1908. The cemetery is called by several names, including Old Montefiore, Springfield, or less commonly, jus ...
in
Springfield Gardens, Queens Springfield Gardens is a neighborhood in the southeastern area of the New York City borough of Queens, bounded to the north by St. Albans, to the east by Laurelton and Rosedale, to the south by John F. Kennedy International Airport, and to th ...
.


References


External links


Israel Herbert Levinthal Papers
at 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 ...
'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Levinthal, Israel H. 1888 births 1982 deaths 19th-century Lithuanian Jews American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent Lithuanian emigrants to the United States Clergy from Philadelphia Columbia University alumni Jewish Theological Seminary of America faculty New York University School of Law alumni 19th-century American Jews 20th-century American rabbis Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients Rabbis from New York City American Zionists Religious leaders from Brooklyn People from New Rochelle, New York Burials at Montefiore Cemetery