Salomon Ulmann (February 25, 1806 at

Saverne Saverne (, ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Bas-Rhin departments of France, department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It is situated on the Rhine-Marne canal at the foot of a mountain pass, pass ...

, Bas-Rhin – May 5, 1865 in Paris), was a French

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 ...

. He commenced his rabbinical studies at Strasburg under Moïse Bloch (better known as Rabbi Mosche Utenheim), and was the first pupil enrolled at the initial competitive examination of candidates for the École Centrale Rabbinique ( Séminaire israélite de France or SIF), inaugurated in July, 1830. He was also the first in his class at this institution to receive the diploma of chief rabbi. In 1834 he was appointed rabbi of

Lauterbourg Lauterbourg ( or ; ) (historically in English: Lauterburgh) is a commune and Bas-Rhin department in the Grand Est administrative region in north-eastern France. Situated on the German border and not far from the German city of Karlsruhe, it i ...

, Alsace; in 1844 he became chief rabbi of Nancy, in

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

; and in 1853 he succeeded Marchand Ennery as chief rabbi of the

Central Consistory The Israelite Central Consistory of France () is an institution set up by Napoleon I by the Imperial Decree of 17 March 1808 to administer Jewish worship and congregations in France. He also directed the establishment of regional consistory (Judaism ...

of the Israelites of France. Ulmann published a limited number of sermons and pastoral letters, and was the author also of ''Catéchisme, ou Éléments d'Instruction Religieuse et Morale à l'Usage des Jeunes Israélites'' (Strasburg, 1845; 3rd ed., Paris, 1871), which is considered a classic. The most important act in Ulmann's rabbinical career was the organization of the Central Conference of the Chief Rabbis of France, over whose deliberations he presided at Paris in May, 1856. In that year Ulmann addressed a "Pastoral Letter to the Faithful of the Jewish Religion," in which he set forth the result of the deliberations of the conference, which were as follows: # revision and abbreviation of the piyyutim; # the introduction of a regular system of preaching; # the introduction of the organ into synagogues; # the organization of religious instruction; # the institution of the rite of confirmation for the Jewish youth of both sexes; # a resolution for the transfer of the École Centrale Rabbinique from Metz to Paris.

References

* 1806 births 1865 deaths People from Saverne Chief rabbis of France 19th-century French rabbis Alsatian Jews {{France-rabbi-stub