Abraham Rice
Encyclopedia
Abraham Joseph Rice (ca 1800–1862) was the first ordained rabbi
to serve in a rabbinical position in the United States
.
Rice was born in 1800 or 1802 at Gochsheim
, near Würzburg
, Bavaria
. An injury in infancy left him with a limp. He studied at the Würzburg
yeshivah, and was ordained by Rabbi Abraham Bing
. He later continued his studies at the yeshivah of Rabbi Wolf Hamburger in Fürth
, and then headed a small yeshivah in Zell
. In the 1830s he married Rosalie Leucht, and in 1840 they immigrated to the United States
. After a brief attempt at reviving the Jewish community in Newport, Rhode Island
, he accepted an appointment as the first rabbi of Congregation Nidche Israel
in Baltimore
.
Rice usually delivered his sermons in German
, later occasionally in English
, and insisted on retaining all the traditional piyyutim in the prayers. His constant battle against assimilation and lax observance of shabbat
and kashrut
brought him into conflict with many of his congregants. When he decreed that Sabbath-breakers should not be called to the Torah
, there was such resistance that he had to back down; but he insisted that while they could be called up, nobody should answer "amen" to the blessings they recited. After an 1842 incident in which he objected to Masonic
rites held at a Jewish funeral, some members left the congregation and founded the Har Sinai Verein
, the first lasting Reform
congregation in the United States.
Rice was known throughout the United States and Germany as a learned Talmud
ist, and as the only ordained rabbi in the country he was asked to decide many questions of halacha. He was an uncompromising opponent of Reform, a frequent writer in Isaac Leeser
's The Occident
, and advocated establishing an American beth din
to strengthen Jewish observance. In 1845 he established a Hebrew school
, one of the earliest in the United States.
In 1849, finding it impossible to resist the demand for reforms at Nidche Israel, he resigned his position, founded his own synagogue which was strictly orthodox; to support himself he opened a dry goods store, and then a grocery. In 1862 he was asked to return to the rabbinate of Nidche Israel, with the promise that it would remain strictly orthodox; but he died a few months later. In 1871 an organ was introduced and the Reform prayer book was adopted, and Nidche Israel became a Reform temple.
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...
to serve in a rabbinical position in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Rice was born in 1800 or 1802 at Gochsheim
Gochsheim
Gochsheim is a municipality in the district of Schweinfurt in Bavaria, Germany. Historically, along with its neighboring village of Sennfeld, it had the rare situation of being a Reichsdorf or Imperial Village....
, near Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. An injury in infancy left him with a limp. He studied at the Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
yeshivah, and was ordained by Rabbi Abraham Bing
Abraham Bing
Abraham Bing was born in Frankfurt in 1752, and received his rabbinic training from Nathan Adler. From 1769 to 1778, he served as "Klaus" rabbi in the town of Offenbach am Main. Between 1778-1796 he served as dayan in Frankfurt, and from 1796 to 1814 he served as rabbi of the town in...
. He later continued his studies at the yeshivah of Rabbi Wolf Hamburger in Fürth
Fürth
The city of Fürth is located in northern Bavaria, Germany in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the two cities being only 7 km apart....
, and then headed a small yeshivah in Zell
Zell
-Austria:*Zell am See, in Salzburg state*Zell am Ziller, in Tyrol*Zell, Carinthia, in Carinthia*in Upper Austria:**Bad Zell**Zell am Moos**Zell an der Pram**Zell am Pettenfirst-Germany:...
. In the 1830s he married Rosalie Leucht, and in 1840 they immigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. After a brief attempt at reviving the Jewish community in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, he accepted an appointment as the first rabbi of Congregation Nidche Israel
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation
Baltimore Hebrew Congregation is a synagogue and Jewish community in Baltimore. It is affiliated with the Reform Judaism movement.Originally named Nidche Yisroel, the synagogue was founded in 1830, and for the first fifteen years of its existence, services were held in a small room above a local...
in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
.
Rice usually delivered his sermons in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, later occasionally in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and insisted on retaining all the traditional piyyutim in the prayers. His constant battle against assimilation and lax observance of shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
and kashrut
Kashrut
Kashrut is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér , meaning "fit" Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus) is the set of Jewish dietary laws. Food in accord with halakha (Jewish law) is termed...
brought him into conflict with many of his congregants. When he decreed that Sabbath-breakers should not be called to the Torah
Torah reading
Torah reading is a Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll from the ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation, and returning the scroll to...
, there was such resistance that he had to back down; but he insisted that while they could be called up, nobody should answer "amen" to the blessings they recited. After an 1842 incident in which he objected to Masonic
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
rites held at a Jewish funeral, some members left the congregation and founded the Har Sinai Verein
Har Sinai Congregation
Har Sinai Congregation is a Reform Jewish synagogue located in Owings Mills, Maryland. Originally established in 1842 in Baltimore, it is the oldest congregation in the United States that has been affiliated with the Reform movement since its inception....
, the first lasting Reform
Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
congregation in the United States.
Rice was known throughout the United States and Germany as a learned Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ist, and as the only ordained rabbi in the country he was asked to decide many questions of halacha. He was an uncompromising opponent of Reform, a frequent writer in Isaac Leeser
Isaac Leeser
Isaac Leeser was an American, Ashkenazi Jewish lay minister of religion, author, translator, editor, and publisher; pioneer of the Jewish pulpit in the United States, and founder of the Jewish press of America. He produced the first Jewish translation of the Bible into English to be published in...
's The Occident
The Occident and American Jewish Advocate
The Occident , was the first general Jewish periodical published in the United States. ....
, and advocated establishing an American beth din
Beth din
A beth din, bet din, beit din or beis din is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel...
to strengthen Jewish observance. In 1845 he established a Hebrew school
Hebrew school
Hebrew school can be either the Jewish equivalent of Sunday school - an educational regimen separate from secular education, focusing on topics of Jewish history and learning the Hebrew language, or a primary, secondary or college level educational institution where some or all of the classes are...
, one of the earliest in the United States.
In 1849, finding it impossible to resist the demand for reforms at Nidche Israel, he resigned his position, founded his own synagogue which was strictly orthodox; to support himself he opened a dry goods store, and then a grocery. In 1862 he was asked to return to the rabbinate of Nidche Israel, with the promise that it would remain strictly orthodox; but he died a few months later. In 1871 an organ was introduced and the Reform prayer book was adopted, and Nidche Israel became a Reform temple.