Murray Saltzman (November 26, 1929 – January 5, 2010) was an American reform Jewish rabbi and civil rights leader.

Biography

Saltzman was born to a Russian-immigrant family in

Brooklyn 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 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, the youngest of three sons. After first enrolling in

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, Saltzman attended

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

and studied to become a rabbi. He became ordained in 1956 at the

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion 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 ...

. Saltzman was an assistant rabbi at Congregation Emanu-El B'ne Jeshrun in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, rabbi of B'nai Abraham Synagogue in

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's List of municipalities in Maryland, sixth-most popu ...

, and rabbi at Temple Beth-El in

Chappaqua, New York Chappaqua ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place in the town of New Castle, in northern Westchester County, New York, United States. It is approximately north of New York City. The hamlet is served by the Chappaqua station of the Metr ...

. He then spent eleven years as chief rabbi at Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation. From 1978 to 1996, he was chief rabbi at

Baltimore Hebrew Congregation The Baltimore Hebrew Congregation is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 7401 Park Heights Avenue, in Pikesville, on the border of Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Maryland, in the United States. History Originally na ...

. After retiring to Florida, Saltzman became the part-time rabbi of Bat Yam Temple of the Islands Tzedakah in

Sanibel, Florida Sanibel is an island and city in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,382 at the 2020 census, down from 6,469 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The island, al ...

. A leader in both the Indianapolis and Baltimore communities, Saltzman appeared regularly as a co-host with

William Hudnut William Herbert Hudnut III (October 17, 1932 – December 18, 2016) was an American author and politician who served as the 45th mayor of Indianapolis from 1976 to 1992. A Republican, his four terms made him the city's longest-serving mayor. ...

on the Indianapolis public television program Focus on Faith, expanding religious education though the creation of Baltimore Hebrew Day School, and instituting several social justice programs in both cities. Saltzman participated in many civil rights protests throughout the 1960s, marching with

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

on several occasions. In 1964, he was one of several rabbis arrested during the

St. Augustine Movement The St. Augustine movement was a part of the wider Civil Rights Movement, taking place in St. Augustine, Florida from 1963 to 1964. It was a major event in the city's long history and had a role in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ...

protests in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...

. The incident was the largest mass arrest of rabbis in history. In 1975, Saltzman was appointed by President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

to the

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility fo ...

. In 1983, Saltzman co-authored an op-ed column with fellow commissioners

Mary Frances Berry Mary Frances Berry (born February 17, 1938) is an American historian, writer, lawyer, activist and professor who focuses on U.S. constitutional and legal, African-American history. Berry is the Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thou ...

and Blandina Ramirez in which the three accused President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

of treating the Commission as "lap dogs" rather than "watch dogs." In a controversial move, President Reagan fired all three commissioners. Berry and Ramirez successfully sued to return to the commission on the grounds that it was meant to be a nonpartisan entity. Saltzman chose not to be part of the suit. He died on January 5, 2010, in

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the List o ...

, from

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...

, leaving behind his wife Esther (née Herskowitz), three children, and six grandchildren.

References

External links

Articles.baltimoresun.com

Nuvo.net

Bhcong.org

News.google.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saltzman, Murray 1929 births 2010 deaths American Reform rabbis American people of Russian-Jewish descent Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Florida United States Commission on Civil Rights members Activists from Brooklyn Religious leaders from Brooklyn People from Sanibel, Florida 21st-century American rabbis