Jonah Wise
Encyclopedia
Rabbi Jonah Bondi Wise was an American
Rabbi and leader of the Reform Judaism
movement, who served for over thirty years as rabbi of the Central Synagogue
in Manhattan
and was a founder of the United Jewish Appeal
, serving as its chairman from its creation in 1939 until 1958.
the founder of Reform Judaism in the United States. He graduated from Hebrew Union College
(which had been founded by his father in 1875) and the University of Cincinnati
in 1903. He continued his studies at the University of Berlin and the University of Bern.
Wise was Rabbi of the Mizpah Temple in Chattanooga, Tennessee
from 1904 to 1906, and served as Rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon
starting in 1910. Rabbi Wise was chosen to lead the Central Synagogue
in Manhattan, the oldest Reform congregation in continuous use in New York City and whose cornerstone had been laid by his father in 1870.
Rabbi Wise had been selected in 1931 to head the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, working to restructure the organization's finances in the face of efforts to liquidate the philanthropy which had suffered financially during the Great Depression
.
Wise was described as "a pioneer in Jewish religious broadcasting" by The New York Times
, beginning his "Message of Israel" Sunday morning radio broadcast in 1934, which continued until two weeks before his death.
After Adolf Hitler
came to power, Wise traveled to Germany
, where he created a program to provide temporary relief to the Jewish community there and arranged for financial assistance to those who had fled the country. He was chosen by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
in 1938 to serve as a delegate to the Évian Conference
, where representatives of 32 countries met at Évian-les-Bains
, France
, to discuss the problem of Jewish refugees
.
In January 1939, Rabbi Wise and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
joined with Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver
of the United Palestine Appeal and William Rosenwald
of the National Coordinating Committee Fund, to form the United Jewish Appeal for Refugees and Overseas Needs. The founders emphasized that the funds needed to support Jews in Europe and Palestine would be triple to quadruple the amount raised in the previous year. While the organizations would raise funds together, the Joint Distribution Committee would assist Jews in Europe, the United Palestine Appeal would aid the Jewish community in Palestine, including refugees from Europe arriving there and the National Coordinating Committee Fund would assist refugees arriving in the United States.
At a 1954 ceremony honoring his fiftieth year as a Rabbi, Wise received a proclamation from the Hebrew Union College that described him as "one of the most contributive and distinguished leaders of American Judaism of this generation". Rabbi Solomon Freehof
of Pittsburgh, one of 40 religious leaders from the Jewish community and clergyman of other faiths attending the event, recognized Rabbi Wise as "a grand exemplar of 'The American Rabbi'". In his remarks, Rabbi Wise spoke of the American Reform pulpit as "one of the great achievements of the American scene and in the world scene", with a free pulpit that is "unhampered and untrammeled by the inertia of dogma."
Rabbi Wise died at age 77 on February 1, 1959 at Doctors Hospital (New York City, New York) in Manhattan, after being ill for a week.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Rabbi and leader of the Reform Judaism
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...
movement, who served for over thirty years as rabbi of the Central Synagogue
Central Synagogue
The Central Synagogue is located at 652 Lexington Avenue on the corner of 55th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built in 1872 in the Moorish Revival style as a copy of Budapest's Dohány Street Synagogue, it pays homage to the Jewish existence in Moorish Spain...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and was a founder of the United Jewish Appeal
United Jewish Appeal
The United Jewish Appeal was a Jewish philanthropic umbrella organization that existed from its creation in 1949 until it was folded into the United Jewish Communities, which was formed from the 1999 merger of United Jewish Appeal , Council of Jewish Federations and United Israel Appeal, Inc.In...
, serving as its chairman from its creation in 1939 until 1958.
Biography
Jonah Wise was born on February 21, 1881, the son of Rabbi Isaac Mayer WiseIsaac Mayer Wise
Isaac Mayer Wise , was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author.-Early life:...
the founder of Reform Judaism in the United States. He graduated from Hebrew Union College
Hebrew 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...
(which had been founded by his father in 1875) and 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....
in 1903. He continued his studies at the University of Berlin and the University of Bern.
Wise was Rabbi of the Mizpah Temple in Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
from 1904 to 1906, and served as Rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
starting in 1910. Rabbi Wise was chosen to lead the Central Synagogue
Central Synagogue
The Central Synagogue is located at 652 Lexington Avenue on the corner of 55th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built in 1872 in the Moorish Revival style as a copy of Budapest's Dohány Street Synagogue, it pays homage to the Jewish existence in Moorish Spain...
in Manhattan, the oldest Reform congregation in continuous use in New York City and whose cornerstone had been laid by his father in 1870.
Rabbi Wise had been selected in 1931 to head the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, working to restructure the organization's finances in the face of efforts to liquidate the philanthropy which had suffered financially during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
Wise was described as "a pioneer in Jewish religious broadcasting" by The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, beginning his "Message of Israel" Sunday morning radio broadcast in 1934, which continued until two weeks before his death.
After Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
came to power, Wise traveled to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where he created a program to provide temporary relief to the Jewish community there and arranged for financial assistance to those who had fled the country. He was chosen by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
in 1938 to serve as a delegate to the Évian Conference
Evian Conference
The Évian Conference was convened at the initiative of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in July 1938 to discuss the issue of increasing numbers of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. For eight days, from July 6 to July 13, representatives from 31 countries met at Évian-les-Bains, France...
, where representatives of 32 countries met at Évian-les-Bains
Évian-les-Bains
Évian-les-Bains or Évian is a commune in the northern part of the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, to discuss the problem of Jewish refugees
Jewish refugees
In the course of history, Jewish populations have been expelled or ostracised by various local authorities and have sought asylum from antisemitism numerous times...
.
In January 1939, Rabbi Wise and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is a worldwide Jewish relief organization headquartered in New York. It was established in 1914 and is active in more than 70 countries....
joined with Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver
Abba Hillel Silver
Abba Hillel Silver was a U.S. Rabbi and Zionist leader. He was a key figure in the mobilization of American support for the founding of the State of Israel.-Biography:...
of the United Palestine Appeal and William Rosenwald
William Rosenwald
William Rosenwald was an American business executive whose American Securities Corporation invested in other business including AMETEK and Western Union International. He was a philanthropist who helped establish the nationwide United Jewish Appeal in 1939 and made other charitable grants through...
of the National Coordinating Committee Fund, to form the United Jewish Appeal for Refugees and Overseas Needs. The founders emphasized that the funds needed to support Jews in Europe and Palestine would be triple to quadruple the amount raised in the previous year. While the organizations would raise funds together, the Joint Distribution Committee would assist Jews in Europe, the United Palestine Appeal would aid the Jewish community in Palestine, including refugees from Europe arriving there and the National Coordinating Committee Fund would assist refugees arriving in the United States.
At a 1954 ceremony honoring his fiftieth year as a Rabbi, Wise received a proclamation from the Hebrew Union College that described him as "one of the most contributive and distinguished leaders of American Judaism of this generation". Rabbi Solomon Freehof
Solomon Freehof
Solomon Bennett Freehof was a prominent Reform rabbi, posek, and scholar. Rabbi Freehof served as president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Beginning in 1955, he led the CCAR's work on Jewish law through its responsa committee...
of Pittsburgh, one of 40 religious leaders from the Jewish community and clergyman of other faiths attending the event, recognized Rabbi Wise as "a grand exemplar of 'The American Rabbi'". In his remarks, Rabbi Wise spoke of the American Reform pulpit as "one of the great achievements of the American scene and in the world scene", with a free pulpit that is "unhampered and untrammeled by the inertia of dogma."
Personal
He married the former Helen Rosenfeld of Portland, Oregon, on June 23, 1909. She died in 1950.Rabbi Wise died at age 77 on February 1, 1959 at Doctors Hospital (New York City, New York) in Manhattan, after being ill for a week.