Mayer Sulzberger (June 22, 1843 – April 20, 1923) was an American judge and Jewish communal leader.

Biography

Mayer Sulzberger was born at Heidelsheim,

Bruchsal Bruchsal (; South Franconian: ''Brusl'') is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Bruchsal is the lar ...

, Baden on June 22, 1843. He went to Philadelphia with his parents in 1848, and was educated at the

Central High School of Philadelphia Central High School is a public high school in the Logan, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Logan"." Philadelphia City Planning Commission. May 2002. 1 (document page 3). Retrieved on August 2, 2011. "The neighborhood is generally defined as including ...

, and after graduating he studied law in the office of Moses A. Dropsie. In 1864 he was admitted to the bar, and attained eminence in the practice of his profession. He was elected judge of the

Court of Common Pleas A court of common pleas is a common kind of court structure found in various common law jurisdictions. The form originated with the Court of Common Pleas at Westminster, which was created to permit individuals to press civil grievances against one ...

on the Republican ticket in 1895, and was reelected as a nominee of both parties in 1904, becoming the presiding judge of the Court of Common Pleas No. 2. Sulzberger throughout his career showed great interest in Jewish affairs. While studying for the bar he taught at the Hebrew Education Society's school. For a time he was interested in the affairs of

Maimonides College Maimonides College was a Jewish institute of higher education which existed in Philadelphia from 1867 to 1873. It was named for the great mediaeval Jewish philosopher and Torah sage, Maimonides. Although short-lived, it was the first Jewish theolo ...

and was secretary of its board. He was closely associated with

Isaac Leeser Isaac Leeser (December 12, 1806 – February 1, 1868) was an American Orthodox Jewish religious leader, teacher, scholar and publisher. He helped found the Jewish press of America, produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English, ...

, and assisted that scholar in editing ''

The Occident The Occident is a term for the West, traditionally comprising anything that belongs to the Western world. It is the antonym of the term ''Orient'', referring to the Eastern world. In English, it has largely fallen into disuse. The term occidental ...

'', contributing to it a partial translation of Maimonides' "Moreh Nebukim." After Leeser's death Sulzberger edited vol. xxvi. of ''The Occident''. He was one of the founders of the

Young Men's Hebrew Association A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, ...

, which he served as president; and he has taken great interest in the Jewish Hospital of Philadelphia, of which he has been vice-president since 1880. He was from the beginning (in 1888) chairman of the publication committee of 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 ...

; was one of the original trustees of the Baron de Hirsch fund; and interested himself in the establishment of agricultural colonies at Woodbine, N. J., and in Connecticut. Sulzberger had one of the best private libraries in America; it contained a very large number of

Hebraica 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 ...

and Judaica, together with many other early Hebrew printed books (including no less than forty-five

Incunabula An incunable or incunabulum (: incunables or incunabula, respectively) is a book, pamphlet, or broadside (printing), broadside that was printed in the earliest stages of printing in Europe, up to the year 1500. The specific date is essentiall ...

), and many manuscripts, and these he presented 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 ...

in 1904, at whose reorganization he assisted and of which he was a life director. Sulzberger was a finished orator, and was chosen as the orator of the Jewish community upon several notable occasions. The honorary degree of doctor of laws was conferred upon him by the

Jefferson Medical College Thomas Jefferson University is a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Established in its earliest form in 1824, the university officially combined with Philadelphia University in 2017. The university is ...

, of which later became trustee. Other organizations he was connected to include:

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a civil rights group and Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the wi ...

(of which he was the first president, from 1906 to 1912),

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 ...

, Philadelphia Bar Association, Baron de Hirsch Fund, Board of Judges of Phila.,

Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning Dropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning or Dropsie University was a Jewish institution of higher learning in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was America's first degree-granting institution for post-doctoral Jewish studies. Funded by the ...

, Federation of Jewish Charities of Phila.,

Gratz College Gratz College is a private Jewish college in Melrose Park, Pennsylvania, United States. The college traces its origins to 1856 when banker, philanthropist, and communal leader Hyman Gratz and the Hebrew Education Society of Philadelphia (es ...

, Hebrew Education Society of Phila., Independent Order of Brith Sholom of Phila., Congregation Mikveh Israel of Philadelphia, Oriental Club of Philadelphia, Phila. Board of City Trusts, Congregation Rodeph Shalom of Philadelphia, and the American Philosophical Society (of which he was an elected member). Judge Sulzberger died at his home in Philadelphia on April 20, 1923, and is interred in the Mikveh Israel Cemetery (11th and Federal) in South Philadelphia.

References

External links

Mayer Sulzberger Collection
at the Center for Judaic Studies, University of Pennsylvania {{DEFAULTSORT:Sulzberger, Mayer 19th-century German Jews 1843 births 1923 deaths German emigrants to the United States Judges of the Pennsylvania Courts of Common Pleas American book and manuscript collectors American people of German-Jewish descent Presidents of the American Jewish Committee Members of the American Philosophical Society