Joseph Breuer
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Joseph Breuer, also known as Yosef Breuer (March 20, 1882 – April 19, 1980) was a
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 ...
and community leader in
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and the
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. He was
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 ...
of one of the large Jewish synagogues founded by German-Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi oppression that had settled in Washington Heights,
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.


Life and career

Joseph Breuer was born in 1882 in
Pápa Pápa is a historical town in Veszprém county, Hungary, located close to the northern edge of the Bakony Hills, and noted for its baroque architecture. With its 28,549 inhabitants (2024), it is the cultural, economic and tourism centre of the r ...
,
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, to the local
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 ...
Solomon Breuer and Sophie Breuer ''née'' Hirsch, who was the youngest daughter of Rabbi
Samson Raphael Hirsch Samson Raphael Hirsch (; June 20, 1808 – December 31, 1888) was a German Orthodox rabbi best known as the intellectual founder of the '' Torah im Derech Eretz'' school of contemporary Orthodox Judaism. Occasionally termed ''neo-Orthodoxy'', hi ...
of
Frankfurt am Main Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...
,
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. After the passing of Hirsch in 1888, Solomon Breuer was elected his successor as rabbi of the ''Austrittsgemeinde'' (seceded community) of Orthodox Jews known as Khal Adath Jeshurun. Here, Breuer Sr. founded a
yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...
called the Torah Lehranstalt and became its first
Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and th ...
. Joseph studied at the Torah Lehranstalt until 1903, when he was awarded
semicha ''Semikhah'' () is the traditional term for rabbiinic ordination in Judaism. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 CE. Si ...
, and in 1905 he completed university studies at the
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with a PhD on the work of legal scholar Anselm von Feuerbach. He became a teacher at the Realschule (secondary school) and lecturer at the Torah Lehranstalt. He married Rika Eisenmann of
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, granddaughter of Eliezer Liepman Philip Prins in 1911. In 1919 he was also appointed rabbi of the Klaus synagogue of Frankfurt. Following Solomon Breuer's death, in 1926, Joseph Breuer succeeded him as
Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva or Rosh Hayeshiva (, plural, pl. , '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and th ...
which he practically had already been before his father's death. Joseph Jonah Horowitz succeeded Solomon Breuer as rabbi. In 1933, with the rise of Nazism, he briefly moved the yeshiva to
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,
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, where he had assumed the rabbinate, but this arrangement lasted only until the next year and the family and the yeshiva returned to Frankfurt. It was formally dissolved by the Nazis in 1935, but continued to function unofficially. On the day after
Kristallnacht ( ) or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from the Hitler Youth and German civilia ...
, Breuer was arrested but subsequently released. The family left Germany, initially to Antwerp. A former pupil was then, with the assistance of
Bernard Revel Bernard (Dov) Revel (; September 17, 1885 – December 2, 1940) was an Orthodox rabbi and scholar. He served as the first President of Yeshiva College from 1915 until his death in 1940. The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at ...
, able to procure an affidavit of support, which enabled Breuer and his family to relocate to New York in 1939.
Bernard Revel Bernard (Dov) Revel (; September 17, 1885 – December 2, 1940) was an Orthodox rabbi and scholar. He served as the first President of Yeshiva College from 1915 until his death in 1940. The Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at ...
offered Joseph Breuer a teaching position in his institution, which he brusquely turned down. He reportedly said that he would rather "clean the streets". In New York, Breuer took the initiative to start a congregation with the numerous German refugees in Washington Heights, which would closely follow the morale and customs of its "spiritual ancestor" in Frankfurt. The congregation came to be called Khal Adath Yeshurun (KAJ), but is colloquially called "Breuer's" after its founder. In addition, he founded Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, a yeshiva elementary school and high school named after his illustrious grandfather. It was the first such school in the area that used the vernacular. He also founded a teachers' seminary for women that would be renamed the Rika Breuer Teachers' Seminary after his wife's death. All institutions purported to follow the teachings and ideology of Breuer's grandfather Hirsch. In 1958, the community invited Frankfurt-born Shimon Schwab, then of
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, to assist with rabbinical duties. Towards the end of his life, the name Levi was added to his own name as a blessing to recover from an illness. He died in 1980, survived by his children , Jacob, Samson, Rosy Bondi, Edith Silverman, Sophie Gutmann, Hanna Schwalbe and Meta Bechhofer.


Views and philosophy

Breuer was well known for his involvement in setting up an
Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...
infrastructure in post-
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
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. He wrote several books, including translations of and commentaries on the Biblical books of
Jeremiah Jeremiah ( – ), also called Jeremias, was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, book that bears his name, the Books of Kings, and the Book of Lamentations, with t ...
and
Ezekiel Ezekiel, also spelled Ezechiel (; ; ), was an Israelite priest. The Book of Ezekiel, relating his visions and acts, is named after him. The Abrahamic religions acknowledge Ezekiel as a prophet. According to the narrative, Ezekiel prophesied ...
; English translations of these appeared after his death. Breuer can be considered the main post-war representative of the ''
Torah im Derech Eretz ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ( – Torah with "the way of the land"Rabbi Y. Goldson, Aish HaTorah"The Way of the World", Ethics of the Fathers, 3:21/ref>) is a phrase common in Rabbinic literature referring to various aspects of one's interaction w ...
'' movement in the United States. Apart from the above-mentioned books, he limited his written work to contributions to the community organ (''Mitteilungen''); some appeared in book form after his death.. His Talmudic novellae and related writings appeared as ''Divrei Yosef'' (the Words of Joseph) in 1990, edited by his sons. Full additional bibliography in Landesman & Kranzler. His influence was mainly due to his public speeches and his indefatigable work on the community's services. A number of important ideas can be distinguished: *Independent
Orthodoxy Orthodoxy () is adherence to a purported "correct" or otherwise mainstream- or classically-accepted creed, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical co ...
: Breuer drew on his grandfather's work of ''Austritt'' - the principle that Jewish communities can only truly claim to be Jewish if they are ideologically and otherwise independent from organizations that represent ideals contrary to
halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...
. In America, where the community organization was not enforced by local law, this became in Breuer's mind an even stronger issue than in Europe. This stance also led to his involvement with
Agudath Israel of America Agudath Israel of America (; also called the Agudah) is an American organization that represents Haredi Judaism, Haredi Orthodox Jews. It is loosely affiliated with the international World Agudath Israel. Agudah seeks to meet the needs of the Har ...
. He was stridently opposed to a Zionist state, and refrained from visiting Israel. *''
Torah im Derech Eretz ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ( – Torah with "the way of the land"Rabbi Y. Goldson, Aish HaTorah"The Way of the World", Ethics of the Fathers, 3:21/ref>) is a phrase common in Rabbinic literature referring to various aspects of one's interaction w ...
'': Breuer saw the risk of misinterpretation of his grandfather's ideas on how Judaism could be harmonised within limits with general culture of the outside world. He repeatedly stated that compromising on Jewishness and ''halakha'' was at variance with ''Torah im Derech Eretz''. With the rise of the yeshiva movement, he also remarked that ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' was by no means a unique temporary measure - as was often claimed by protagonists of the "Torah only" view. *''
Kosher (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, ), from the Ashke ...
ve-Yosher'': Although one of the phenomena of post-World War II Orthodoxy has become the (re)introduction of stringencies in halakha, Breuer held that these should not be limited to the ceremonial sphere but also to the many financial and social laws of Judaism. He would, for example, refuse a
hechsher A hechsher or hekhsher (; "prior approval"; plural: ''hechsherim'') is a rabbinical product certification, qualifying items (usually foods) that conform to the requirements of halakha, Jewish religious law. Forms A hechsher may be a printed an ...
to companies with bad financial records.


References


External links

* Bodenheimer, Ernst ', Jewish Observer * Frankel, Pinchas
On the Breuer Kehilla
', ou.org * (GIF file) {{DEFAULTSORT:Breuer, Joseph 1882 births 1980 deaths Hungarian Orthodox rabbis German Orthodox rabbis Orthodox rabbis from New York City German people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States People from Pápa 19th-century German rabbis Rabbis from Frankfurt 20th-century American rabbis