Louis Israel Newman (December 20, 1893 – March 9, 1972) was an American

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

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 author. While working in New York City, Newman later became a member of the Zionist Revisionist movement. He worked as a rabbi in San Francisco, Berkeley, New York City, and Waltham, Massachusetts. Newman was known for his progressive views, his involvement in the Zionist Revisionist movement, and his prolific writing, which included books on

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, their Jewish peoplehood, nation, Judaism, religion, and Jewish culture, culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Jews originated from the Israelites and H ...

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

, and

identity Identity may refer to: * Identity document * Identity (philosophy) * Identity (social science) * Identity (mathematics) Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Identity'' (1987 film), an Iranian film * ''Identity'' (2003 film), an ...

Early life

Born in

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

, on December 20, 1893, to Paul and Antonia (née Hecker) Newman, Louis Israel Newman attended

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

(B.A. 1913), and then went on to receive an M.A. from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

in 1917, and a Ph.D. from

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 ...

in 1924. From 1913-16, Newman served as rabbi of

Congregation Beth Israel (Berkeley, California) Congregation Beth Israel () is a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Berkeley, California, in the United States. Established in 1924 as the Berkeley Hebrew Center, it traces its origins to the First Hebrew Congregation of Berkeley, founded in 1909. It w ...

. In 1917, Newman became an assistant to

Rabbi Stephen Wise Stephen Samuel Wise (March 17, 1874 – April 19, 1949) was an early 20th-century American Reform rabbi and Zionist leader in the Progressive Era. Born in Budapest, he was an infant when his family immigrated to New York. He followed his father ...

at the Free Synagogue 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 ...

and then was ordained by Stephen Wise and Martin Meyer in 1918.

Career

After his ordination, Newman became rabbi of the Bronx Free Synagogue (1918–21). In 1921, he became rabbi of Temple Israel in New York City and was appointed to the faculty of the Jewish Institute of Religion (JIR) when it was founded the following year. In 1924, Newman moved to San Francisco, replacing Martin A. Meyer as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El. In 1930, Newman returned to New York City to become rabbi of Temple Rodeph Sholom. He stayed in this pulpit until his retirement in 1972. During his tenure at Temple Rodeph Sholom, Newman became active in the Zionist Revisionist movement, was the chairman of the Palestine Mandate Defense Fund, and was honorary chairman of both the Revisionist Tel Hai Fund and the American Friends of a Jewish Palestine. He once again served on the faculty of the JIR. He also served on the American Advisory Committee for the Hebrew University and as a vice president of the

American Jewish Congress The American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) is an association of American Jews organized to defend Jewish interests in the US and internationally through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts. History The idea for a ...

Brandeis University

Newman was the visionary for

Brandeis University Brandeis University () is a Private university, private research university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It is located within the Greater Boston area. Founded in 1948 as a nonsectarian, non-sectarian, coeducational university, Bra ...

. There were many other proposals, but Newman continued steadfast in his work for his vision of a Jewish university. He published a slim volume, appropriately titled, ''A Jewish University in America?'' (1923), featuring an expanded version of his original essay and a collection of the articles and letters that had appeared on the subject. In 1945, Newman was recruited by Rabbi Israel Goldstein, to join a group of men to consider the possibility of opening a Jewish university in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

, some ten miles northwest of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. For his obvious interest and expertise in the matter, Goldstein was delighted to "have the friendly support of Rabbi Louis I. Newman."

Writings

Newman was a prolific writer and playwright. Some of his works include: ''Jewish Influence on Christian Reform Movements'' (1924) and ''Jewish People, Faith and Life'' (1957). He also compiled and translated the classic work ''The Hasidic Anthology, Tales and Teachings of the Hasidim: The parables, folk-tales, fables, aphorisms, epigrams, sayings, anecdotes, proverbs, and exegetical interpretations of the Hasidic masters and disciples; their lore and wisdom'' (1934, 1968, 1972), which has become a standard textbook for courses in Jewish studies. Newman's ''Triumph in Adversity and Other Poems'' (1948) is an anthology of Newman's poetry including "The Voice of God," often misattributed to

John Henry Newman John Henry Newman (21 February 1801 – 11 August 1890) was an English Catholic theologian, academic, philosopher, historian, writer, and poet. He was previously an Anglican priest and after his conversion became a cardinal. He was an ...

Personal life

In 1923, Newman married Lucille Helene Uhry, daughter of Edmond and Lillian (née Hessberg) Uhry. Together they had three sons, Jeremy Uhry Newman,

Jonathan Uhry Newman Jonathan Uhry Newman (January 9, 1927 – October 24, 1991) was an American attorney and judge. Biography Newman was born on January 9, 1927, in San Francisco, California, to Rabbi Louis Israel Newman and Lucille Helene ( Uhry) Newman. He attend ...

, and Daniel Uhry Newman. Rabbi Louis Israel Newman died at the age of 78 on March 9, 1972, in

References

External links

Profile
jewishvirtuallibrary.org

americanjewisharchives.org Profile
Profile
enc.wymaninstitute.org
Profile
worldcat.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Newman, Louis Israel American Reform rabbis Writers from Providence, Rhode Island Brown University alumni University of California, Berkeley alumni Columbia University alumni American Hasidic rabbis 1893 births 1972 deaths 20th-century American Jews Jews from Rhode Island Jews from New York (state) American anti-communists American Jewish Congress members Revisionist Zionists