Abraham Cronbach
Encyclopedia
Abraham Cronbach was an American Rabbi
, teacher and known pacifist. He served as a rabbi for congregations in Indiana and Ohio. Cronbach was one of the founders of the Peace Heroes Memorial Society.
where Abraham Cronbach grew up. "Abraham was an introspective boy, with a precocious and mystic conception of both God and the devil (he thought the devil was responsible for the smoke from the manhole in the street)." He grew up in a Christian neighborhood where anti-Semitism and extreme poverty were common. He played violin as a boy as well as read a lot on religion and science. In high school Cronbach decided he would become a rabbi despite his parents' opposition.
(HUC) in Cincinnati, Ohio
in 1898 where, in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati
he studied for his bachelor's degree and trained for the rabbinate
. He graduated in 1902 from the University of Cincinnati
and, in 1906 was valedictorian
of his HUC class and was ordained as a rabbi
.
whom he met during his time there. In 1923 the Cronbachs adopted a daughter, Marion. Later Rabbi Cronbach would become the teacher of rabbinic student, Maurice Davis
who would become a leader in the anti-cult movement and Rabbi Cronbach's son-in-law. Marion Cronbach and her husband, Rabbi Maurice Davis would provide Cronbach with two grandchildren, Rabbi JayR (Bahir) Davis and Rabbi Michael Davis who have followed in the footsteps of their father and grandfather. Cronbach's grandsons gave him six great-grandchildren. While Cronbach did not live to meet his great-grandchildren, his wife Rose lived to see the first of them, Talia Davis, the daughter of Rabbi JayR (Bahir) Davis.
Abraham Cronbach first served as rabbi at the reform congregation of Temple Beth El in South Bend, Indiana
. In 1911 he spent a year studying at the University of Cambridge
in England
and the Hochschule
fur die Wissenschaft des Judentums
in Berlin
. In 1915 he received the Doctor of Divinity
degree from Hebrew Union College.
After resigning his pulpit in South Bend in 1915 Cronbach spent three years devoting himself to the chaplaincy in prison and hospital installations. He developed strong convictions about the futility of the prison system. He eventually befriended Nathan Leopold. His interest in prisoners never faded and only increased his detestation of revenge and retribution and made Cronbach a strong opponent of capital punishment and the entire prison system.
Cronbach spent the next seven years serving in three different rabbinical capacities: from 1915 and 1917 he worked with the Free Synagogue in New York City
; from 1917 through 1919 he served as Rabbi at Temple Israel in Akron, Ohio
; and from 1919 through 1922 he served as the institutional chaplain for the Chicago Federation of Synagogues.
("The Ministry of the Jewish By-Ways." Hebrew Union College Monthly, January - April, 1921). In 1922, Cronbach was appointed a professor of social studies at Hebrew Union College, where he remained for the rest of his life.
While teaching at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cronbach participated in Cincinnati's Jewish Fellowship House and the Cincinnati Big Brother's Association. He was also an active member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now known as the Union for Reform Judaism
).
In 1939 Cronbach became secretary to the Board of Editors of the Hebrew Union College Annual.
, Cronbach became an ardent pacifist. He helped found the Peace Heroes Memorial Society in 1923. The Society's national headquarters were located in Cincinnati. Cronbach served as national secretary and was instrumental in establishing Memorial Day services around the country in honor of the heroes of industry, maternity, pacifism, etc. These services were an annual event in Cincinnati from 1923 through 1941.
Cronbach attempted to establish a specifically Jewish pacifist organization in 1924. A "Pledge for Jewish Pacifists" was sent out. Fifteen signed pledges were returned including ones from Max Heller and Jacob Weinstein however a formal organization never developed. Cronbach desisted from the project at the request of the College Board of Hebrew Union College who saw Cronbach as a public relations problem that was "too serious to be overlooked in the name of academic freedom."
Cronbach's pacifist activities increased. Cronbach was familiar with controversy due to his pacifist beliefs. In 1935 he called for a conference between Nazis and Jews
in Philadelphia for the purpose of reconciliation. During that same year he worked with the American Friends Service Committee
to raise $5000 for an Austrian Relief Fund to aid persecuted Austrians, and German Jews and Nazis who had fled to Austria
to escape Hitler's Germany.
, which caused a brief collision between Cronbach and the College Board of Hebrew Union College. The Jewish Peace Fellowship has had many prominent Jews as associates including Rabbi Leo Baeck, Albert Einstein
, and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
. For more than 50 years, Jewish Peace Fellowship has helped young Jewish conscientious objectors and is still active today. Cronbach has been quoted describing the fellowship as a
Cronbach felt the weight of the suffering of the German Jews; he wore a "yellow badge", the yellow Star of David
, sewn by his wife. At the end of the war when Cronbach's friend Rabbi Leo Baeck returned after being imprisoned in a concentration camp he and Cronbach exchanged their yellow stars; the one Baeck had been forced to wear as a sign of oppression and the one Cronbach willingly wore in support of his suffering brethren. Baeck's yellow star now resides with Cronbach's two grandsons.
After the Allied victory of World War II
Cronbach addressed letters to such Jewish organizations as the American Jewish Committee
, American Jewish Conference
, and the American Jewish Congress
asking that they not seek punishment of Nazi war criminals.
and was a revered member of its leadership until his death.
Case and worked for the committee for the next two years. Cronbach carried on an active letter writing campaign that urged others to help secure clemency for the rosenbergs. "In May 1953, a Conference of Inquiry was held, sponsored by such people as Rabbi Abraham Cronbach and Mary Church Terrell on the national level."
On June 16, 1953 Rabbi Cronbach met with President Eisenhower to urge him to pardon the Rosenbergs. Cronbach compiled a book about his experience with the Rosenberg case.
Cronbach appeared with Julius Rosenberg's mother and the Rosenbergs two small sons at a protest meeting in front of the White House after the Rosenbergs had been found guilty. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed at Sing Sing prison in New York on June 19, 1953, more than two years after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage. Cronbach gave a eulogy at the Rosenberg's funeral on June 21, 1953. "Rabbi Cronbach's impassioned eulogy [...] is an eloquent statement against excessive punishment and in favor of the positive synergy existing between American patriotism and Judaism."
Rabbi Cronbach's eulogy for the Rosenbergs can be found in the Abraham Cronbach collection at the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.
The Cronbach Chapel at the Leo Baeck School in Haifa
, Israel
was named in honor of Rabbi Cronbach by the National Federation of Temple Youth (now known as the North American Federation of Temple Youth
or NFTY).
On April 2, 1965, Rabbi Abraham Cronbach died in Cincinnati, Ohio
. He is interred near his home in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati. His wife was interred with him in 1982.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, teacher and known pacifist. He served as a rabbi for congregations in Indiana and Ohio. Cronbach was one of the founders of the Peace Heroes Memorial Society.
Personal life
Rabbi Abraham Cronbach was born on February 15, 1882 to German immigrants Marcus and Hannah (Itzig) Cronbach. Marcus Cronbach was a notions store retailer in Indianapolis, IndianaIndianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
where Abraham Cronbach grew up. "Abraham was an introspective boy, with a precocious and mystic conception of both God and the devil (he thought the devil was responsible for the smoke from the manhole in the street)." He grew up in a Christian neighborhood where anti-Semitism and extreme poverty were common. He played violin as a boy as well as read a lot on religion and science. In high school Cronbach decided he would become a rabbi despite his parents' opposition.
Education
Cronbach entered the Hebrew Union CollegeHebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
(HUC) in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
in 1898 where, in conjunction with the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
he studied for his bachelor's degree and trained for the rabbinate
Rabbinate
The term rabbinate may refer to the office of a rabbi or rabbis as a group:*Chief Rabbinate of Israel, the supreme Jewish religious governing body in the state of Israel...
. He graduated in 1902 from the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
and, in 1906 was valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his HUC class and was ordained as a rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
.
Marriage and children
On October 7, 1917 Cronbach married Rose Hentel, a teacher at the Free Synagogue in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
whom he met during his time there. In 1923 the Cronbachs adopted a daughter, Marion. Later Rabbi Cronbach would become the teacher of rabbinic student, Maurice Davis
Maurice Davis
Maurice Davis was a rabbi, and human rights activist. He was a past director of the American Family Foundation, now known as the International Cultic Studies Association. Davis was the rabbi of the Jewish Community Center of White Plains, New York. Davis was a regular contributor to The Jewish...
who would become a leader in the anti-cult movement and Rabbi Cronbach's son-in-law. Marion Cronbach and her husband, Rabbi Maurice Davis would provide Cronbach with two grandchildren, Rabbi JayR (Bahir) Davis and Rabbi Michael Davis who have followed in the footsteps of their father and grandfather. Cronbach's grandsons gave him six great-grandchildren. While Cronbach did not live to meet his great-grandchildren, his wife Rose lived to see the first of them, Talia Davis, the daughter of Rabbi JayR (Bahir) Davis.
Early career
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
. In 1911 he spent a year studying at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and the Hochschule
Hochschule
Hochschule is a German term with two meanings.The literal meaning of the word Hochschule is “high school” which is not appropriate as a translation.- Generic term :...
fur die Wissenschaft des Judentums
Wissenschaft des Judentums
Wissenschaft des Judentums , refers to a nineteenth-century movement premised on the critical investigation of Jewish literature and culture, including rabbinic literature, using scientific methods to analyze the origins of Jewish traditions.-The Verein für Cultur und Wissenschaft der Juden:The ...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In 1915 he received the Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
degree from Hebrew Union College.
After resigning his pulpit in South Bend in 1915 Cronbach spent three years devoting himself to the chaplaincy in prison and hospital installations. He developed strong convictions about the futility of the prison system. He eventually befriended Nathan Leopold. His interest in prisoners never faded and only increased his detestation of revenge and retribution and made Cronbach a strong opponent of capital punishment and the entire prison system.
Cronbach spent the next seven years serving in three different rabbinical capacities: from 1915 and 1917 he worked with the Free Synagogue in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; from 1917 through 1919 he served as Rabbi at Temple Israel in Akron, Ohio
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...
; and from 1919 through 1922 he served as the institutional chaplain for the Chicago Federation of Synagogues.
Lecturer and educator
In December 1920, Cronbach delivered a series of lectures on chaplaincy procedures at Hebrew Union CollegeHebrew Union College
The Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
("The Ministry of the Jewish By-Ways." Hebrew Union College Monthly, January - April, 1921). In 1922, Cronbach was appointed a professor of social studies at Hebrew Union College, where he remained for the rest of his life.
While teaching at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, Ohio, Cronbach participated in Cincinnati's Jewish Fellowship House and the Cincinnati Big Brother's Association. He was also an active member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis
Central Conference of American Rabbis
The Central Conference of American Rabbis , founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada, the CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world....
and the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now known as the Union for Reform Judaism
Union for Reform Judaism
The Union for Reform Judaism , formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations , is an organization which supports Reform Jewish congregations in North America. The current President is Rabbi Eric H...
).
In 1939 Cronbach became secretary to the Board of Editors of the Hebrew Union College Annual.
Pacifism and life during the World Wars
Early pacifist actions
As a result of World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Cronbach became an ardent pacifist. He helped found the Peace Heroes Memorial Society in 1923. The Society's national headquarters were located in Cincinnati. Cronbach served as national secretary and was instrumental in establishing Memorial Day services around the country in honor of the heroes of industry, maternity, pacifism, etc. These services were an annual event in Cincinnati from 1923 through 1941.
Cronbach attempted to establish a specifically Jewish pacifist organization in 1924. A "Pledge for Jewish Pacifists" was sent out. Fifteen signed pledges were returned including ones from Max Heller and Jacob Weinstein however a formal organization never developed. Cronbach desisted from the project at the request of the College Board of Hebrew Union College who saw Cronbach as a public relations problem that was "too serious to be overlooked in the name of academic freedom."
Controversy during World War II
With the threat and advent of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Cronbach's pacifist activities increased. Cronbach was familiar with controversy due to his pacifist beliefs. In 1935 he called for a conference between Nazis and Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
in Philadelphia for the purpose of reconciliation. During that same year he worked with the American Friends Service Committee
American Friends Service Committee
The American Friends Service Committee is a Religious Society of Friends affiliated organization which works for peace and social justice in the United States and around the world...
to raise $5000 for an Austrian Relief Fund to aid persecuted Austrians, and German Jews and Nazis who had fled to Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
to escape Hitler's Germany.
Jewish Peace Fellowship
In 1942 along with Rabbi Isidor Hoffman and Jane Evans, Cronbach established the Jewish Peace FellowshipJewish Peace Fellowship
The Jewish Peace Fellowship is a nonprofit, nondenominational organization set up to provide a Jewish voice in the peace movement. The organization was founded in 1941 in order to support Jewish conscientious objectors who sought exemption from combatant military service...
, which caused a brief collision between Cronbach and the College Board of Hebrew Union College. The Jewish Peace Fellowship has had many prominent Jews as associates including Rabbi Leo Baeck, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, and Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century.-Biography:...
. For more than 50 years, Jewish Peace Fellowship has helped young Jewish conscientious objectors and is still active today. Cronbach has been quoted describing the fellowship as a
The impact of the Holocaust
Throughout the HolocaustThe Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
Cronbach felt the weight of the suffering of the German Jews; he wore a "yellow badge", the yellow Star of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
, sewn by his wife. At the end of the war when Cronbach's friend Rabbi Leo Baeck returned after being imprisoned in a concentration camp he and Cronbach exchanged their yellow stars; the one Baeck had been forced to wear as a sign of oppression and the one Cronbach willingly wore in support of his suffering brethren. Baeck's yellow star now resides with Cronbach's two grandsons.
After the Allied victory of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Cronbach addressed letters to such Jewish organizations as the American Jewish Committee
American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world...
, American Jewish Conference
American Jewish Conference
American Jewish Conference was an ad hoc organization that first met in Pittsburg in January 1943, and had its first official conference in August that year. The initial meeting included delegates from thirty-two national Jewish organizations...
, and the American Jewish Congress
American Jewish Congress
The American Jewish Congress describes itself as an association of Jewish Americans organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts....
asking that they not seek punishment of Nazi war criminals.
Views on Zionism
Cronbach was not dogmatic on the issue of Zionism but generally hued to the views instilled by his Classical Reform training, and remained consistent in opposing Israeli militarism. He became active with the American Council for JudaismAmerican Council for Judaism
The American Council for Judaism is an organization of American Jews committed to the proposition that Jews are not a nationality but merely a religious group, adhering to the original stated principles of Reform Judaism, as articulated in the 1885 Pittsburgh Platform.The ACJ was founded in June...
and was a revered member of its leadership until his death.
Rosenbergs
In 1952 Cronbach became a sponsor of the Committee to Secure Justice in the RosenbergRosenberg
- Places :* Rosenberg, Baden, a municipality in the district of Neckar-Odenwald, Baden-Württemberg, Germany* Rosenberg , a municipality in the district of Ostalbkreis, Baden-Württemberg, Germany...
Case and worked for the committee for the next two years. Cronbach carried on an active letter writing campaign that urged others to help secure clemency for the rosenbergs. "In May 1953, a Conference of Inquiry was held, sponsored by such people as Rabbi Abraham Cronbach and Mary Church Terrell on the national level."
On June 16, 1953 Rabbi Cronbach met with President Eisenhower to urge him to pardon the Rosenbergs. Cronbach compiled a book about his experience with the Rosenberg case.
Cronbach appeared with Julius Rosenberg's mother and the Rosenbergs two small sons at a protest meeting in front of the White House after the Rosenbergs had been found guilty. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed at Sing Sing prison in New York on June 19, 1953, more than two years after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage. Cronbach gave a eulogy at the Rosenberg's funeral on June 21, 1953. "Rabbi Cronbach's impassioned eulogy [...] is an eloquent statement against excessive punishment and in favor of the positive synergy existing between American patriotism and Judaism."
Rabbi Cronbach's eulogy for the Rosenbergs can be found in the Abraham Cronbach collection at the Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives.
Later life
In 1950 Rabbi Cronbach retired from active teaching and became Emeritus Professor of Social Studies at Hebrew Union College. From then on he devoted most of his time to writing and published numerous articles and several books including "The Realities of Religion: A New Approach", "Stories Made of Bible Stories", "The Quest for Peace", and "The Bible and Our Social Outlook".The Cronbach Chapel at the Leo Baeck School in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
was named in honor of Rabbi Cronbach by the National Federation of Temple Youth (now known as the North American Federation of Temple Youth
North American Federation of Temple Youth
The North American Federation of Temple Youth is the organized youth movement of Reform Judaism in North America. Funded and supported by the Union for Reform Judaism, NFTY exists to supplement and support Reform youth groups at the synagogue level...
or NFTY).
On April 2, 1965, Rabbi Abraham Cronbach died in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. He is interred near his home in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati. His wife was interred with him in 1982.