A presentation on the life and work of Stephen Samuel Wise (1874-1949), an important American communal leader. The lecture will take a broader focus, looking at the history of Jewish settlement in the United States during the 19th century and the major issues facing this immigrant community through the middle of the twentieth century. The lecture was held at Young Israel of Bal Harbour.
Notes from the Presentation:
Stephen Samuel Wise
Henry Abramson
Touro College South
Young Israel of Bal harbour
Stephen Silver Wise
Born Budapest 1874
Reform Rabbi
Major Jewish Activist
American Zionist
Controversial leadership during Holocaust
Died 1949
Haredi to Neolog
Long line of Rabbis
Grandfather Joseph Hirsch Weisz ultra-Orthodox
Father Aaron also ultra-Orthodox, immigrates to USA and becomes founding member of Jewish Theological Seminary
Stephen Samuel Wise prominent Reform leader, founder of Jewish Institute of Religion (later merges with Hebrew Union College)
The Denominational Spectrum
Immigration to the USA
Father Aaron Rabbi, social liberal
Attempts to unionize workers in father-in-law’s porcelain factory
Father-in-law buys him one-way ticket to New York
German vs Eastern European immigration
Earliest Jewish immigrants: Sefardic Jews
German Jews mid-19th century
Massive wave of Eastern European Jewry after 1881
Education
Ordination 1893 (Adolph Jellinek of Vienna)
Columbia PhD, 1901
Dissertation: translation of Shlomo ibn Gabriol
American mid-century model of “Scholar-Rabbi”
Family
Married Louise Waterman, 1900, took position at Temple in Portland, Oregon
Disciple of Felix Adler’s Ethical Culture movement
Translator, author, social activist
Son author, art specialist (wrote biography of mother)
Daughter author, judge, advisor to Eleanor Roosevelt
The Free pulpit
1906 turned down offer to lead Congregation Emanu-el over issue of a “free pulpit”
Returns to Oregon but comes back to NYC one year later, founds The Free Synagogue
Free pulpit, free seats
American Liberalism
Co-founder of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP, 1909)
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU, 1920)
Promoted labor causes, attacked corruption
forced resignation of New York mayor James Walker (1932)
Founded and led American Jewish Congress (more activist than American Jewish Committee)
American Zionism
Classical Reform position on Zionism
Founded New York Federation of Zionist Societies (1897)
Worked closely with Herzl
American secretary in World Zionist Congress in Basle (1898)
Involved in drafting text of the Balfour declaration
Ethnic Voting Patterns, 2008
Jewish Denominational Voting Patterns (2008)
International Politics
Close to President Wilson
Represented Zionism at Versailles Peace Conference
Writings
Multiple volumes of memoirs, speeches, sermons
Leadership During the Holocaust
Controversy
How much pressure to put on Roosevelt, State Department?
Advocated strong anti-Nazi policy since 1930s, but criticized for tepid response during war
The Riegner Telegram
August 1942
Telegram addressed to Wise, but intercepted at State Department
Confirmed existence of the “Final Solution”
Wise received it from British parliament
Reaction
Met with Roosevelt in 1943
30 minutes, mainly Roosevelt talking
Should Wise have invoked his fiery rhetoric and public persona?
Legacy
Defining American Jewish liberalism for a century
Defining American Jewish Zionism
Dear Dr. Abramson, I am not exaggerating : your Stephen Samuel Wise lesson is so full of fascinating info, thanks! (and I LOVED your Tomer Devorah #1 & 2, “The Insulted King”, for us to stop abusing HaShem’s energy He gives us while committing sins, excellent Sir.)
Really glad you and your wife are finding the lectures useful!