David Philipson

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David Philipson
Born(1862-08-09)August 9, 1862
Wabash, Indiana
DiedJune 29, 1949(1949-06-29) (aged 86)
Boston, Massachusetts
Resting placeUnited Jewish Cemetery
Education
Occupation(s)Rabbi, writer

David Philipson (August 9, 1862 – June 29, 1949) was an American Reform rabbi, orator, and author.

The son of

Aramaic, and Amharic
.

Early life

Philipson was born in

Hebrew Union College (HUC), a Reform Jewish Seminary Rev. Wise was beginning.[1]

Philipson lodged with a prominent Jewish family during his time taking classes both at HUC and

Hughes High School. He graduated from both Hughes High School and the preparatory section of HUC in 1879, and was valedictorian at the former. He immediately matriculated into college courses at HUC while also studying at the University of Cincinnati.[2]

He graduated from The University of Cincinnati in 1883 with a Bachelor of Arts in Classics. He was also one of four men ordained as Reform Rabbis in that year, and was one of those feted at the Trefa Banquet that HUC hosted for its first ordination class.[3]

Beginnings in Ministry (1883–1888)

Philipson did not intend to go directly into the ministry, but instead chose to spend time in

Doctorate of Divinity from Johns Hopkins in 1886 where he studied Assyriology and other Semitic languages. Also in that year, he married Ella Hollander, a young woman who attended his Bible studies.[1]

Philipson gained attention within Baltimore society by serving on the board of the Baltimore Charity Organization Society, on which he was the only Jew. Additionally, he gave a eulogy for Henry Ward Beecher to his congregation as a sermon, an action considered noteworthy at the time because it was a speech on a non-Jew for a Jewish audience. Within Jewish circles, Philipson drew acclaim for acting as secretary at the famous Pittsburgh Platform meetings in 1885. These meetings established "Classical Reform Judaism" and rejected Jewish laws that had a ritual, rather than moral basis. His work in Pittsburgh, as well as his background at HUC launched him into acclaim among Reform Jews.

Life in Cincinnati (1888–1949)

Philipson returned to Cincinnati in 1888, bringing his Baltimore-raised wife, Ella Hollander, with him. He took over ministry at Bene Israel from Rabbi Max Lilienthal, and also taught at the Bene Israel religious school and at HUC. He not only opened symposiums on controversies in Jewish life, such as

Jewish Race". Philipson was also active in politics, not only opposing antisemitism but also the rampant corruption
in Cincinnati politics.

Inter-religious and secular work in Cincinnati

Philipson was the first Jewish leader in Cincinnati to actively participate in public society. He worked mostly with other religious figures, but also participated in many secular charity efforts. He was the first Jew to speak at an

American Imperialism, and in 1902 he allied with Hon. Rufus Smith and future president William Howard Taft in person and in print, filling the editorial pages of The Cincinnati Enquirer with anti-imperialist columns. His politically oriented sermons
were famous and often controversial; they often found him at odds with other rabbis and important congregational figures.

During World War I, Philipson worked to ensure local politicians that the Jewish community were not sympathizers to the German cause. In 1921, his friend Rufus Smith chose him to arbitrate a strike by the Cincinnati Builders Union.

In 1927,

pogroms that were going on throughout Romania at that time. In his later years, Philipson largely retired from public life. However, he aided in organizing an anti-Nazi protest march (1933) and wrote in 1940 that the United States should join the war against Nazi Germany
.

Work within the Jewish community

As rabbi at the largest Reform congregation in the center of Reform Jewish life, Philipson had tremendous influence both within Cincinnati and in the whole country. He was very active in the Central Conference of American Rabbis and United American Hebrew Council throughout his life.

Dr. David Philipson (left) with Drs. Solomon Schechter, Cyrus Adler and Samuel Schulman c. 1913

In the early 20th century, Philipson was most famous for his

Union of American Hebrew Congregations
held its first convention. With Philipson at their head, they issued a statement in 1897 stating that "America is our Zion".

Rev. Philipson was the premier rabbi of Cincinnati, even consecrating Orthodox synagogues, particularly Ohave Shalom in 1905. He traveled throughout the United States speaking at graduations, consecrations, funerals, and innumerable other events. These speeches, when coupled with his prodigious authorship, had a tremendous effect in establishing Cincinnati as the center of Reform Jewish intellectualism.

Last years/death

Philipson retired from his position as Rabbi of Bene Israel in 1938. He did very little in public life after his retirement, but stayed active in various Jewish organizations and charities. He died at Beth Israel Hospital in Boston after collapsing at a convention of the Central Conference of American Rabbis in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire in 1949.[4] He is buried at the United Jewish Cemetery in Cincinnati.

Published works

Philipson wrote extensively in his adult life. He co-wrote the Union Prayer Book, the central prayer book for Reform Judaism, and presided over the first few of its re-publishings.

His first published work was The Jew in English Fiction. While in

Sir Walter Scott's Rebecca in his masterpiece Ivanhoe. He also is noted for writing Old European Jewries, considered to be a foundational work on the study of ghetto life. His memoir, written in 1940, is My Life as an American Jew. He was a member of the translation committee for the Jewish Publication Society
's 1917 Bible translation into English. His most famous and notable work is titled The Reform Movement in Judaism. In it, he writes on the history and ideology of the movement both in Europe and the United States. It was widely lauded at the time of its publication, and is still seen as a master work on its subject.

List of works

References

  1. ^ a b "David Philipson Papers". collections.americanjewisharchives.org. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  2. JSTOR 43059785
    .
  3. ^ Appel, John J. "The Trefa Banquet". Commentary. February 1966. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  4. ^ "Dr. David Philipson, 87, Retired Rabbi, Dies". Courier-Post. Boston. UP. June 29, 1949. p. 4. Retrieved July 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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