The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-11-21
CARDINAL OF JEWS
RABBIT GUsTAvE GOTTHEIL THE
HEAD OF THE SECT IN
AMERICA
QUARTER CENTURY OF WORK
In Many Directions He Has Been
Active, Both In Religious and
PhiIanthropic Enterprises While
In Charge of Temple Emanuel
ish Attitude-Story of His Life.

Prominent Exponent of the jew
ish Attitude-Story of His Life.
From the New York Herald
What Cardinal Gibbons is to the
Catholic church and Bishop Potter to
the Episcopalians, Rabbi Gustav Colt
| he'll is to the Israelites of the United
States. For just twenty-five years DR..
Gottheil has been at the head of the
largest and wealthiest Jewish congre-
cations in this country-that of Temple
Emanuel, which may fairly be called
the Cathedral of American Israeites.
! The completion of DR.. Gottheil's quar-
! ter century of successful labor in his
exalted position will be celebrated in
Temple Emanuel next Friday even
| ing, and it will be an occasion full of
rare interest, not to Israelites alone,
| but to AL Christians of all denonina-
| lions, for Rabbi Gottheil has done very
much to give each a better understand
/ ing of the other and to harmonic their
relations to each other.
Gustav Gottheil was born in the little
! village of Pinne, Prussia, on May 30,
| 1927. His early schooling was received
! in his native town, his rabbinical train
! ing beginning when he was only few
years old, as is the universal custom
J
all their sons a thorough Hebrew edu-
4 cation
DR.. Gottheil attended schoof later in
! Posen under the tuition of the well
known rabbi, Solomon Plessner. His
| education was completed in the Uni
/ versity of Berlin and the Rabbinical
/ college there. Here it was that the
| young student drank of the waters of
! progressive Judaism at their source,
! for his teachers were the founders of
/ that great reformed Judaism. destined
TO ripen best and most richly on the
virgin soil of the United States. He
! listened to the eloquent Holdheim, the
! earnest Abraham Geiger, the scholarly
! Leopold ZunZ, the painstaking Stein
! schneider
HIS FIRST PASTORATE.
While still studying in Berlin DR..
Gottheil became an assistant minister
together with Ritter of Dr. Holdheim,
who stood at the head OF the first
great reform synagogue in the world,
! the "Berliner Reform Gemeinds.' The
young rabbi remained here for five
! years, one Of the first pupils sent out
to advance the cause of progressive
Judaism.
The reformed congregation Of Man
! chester, England, called DR.. Gottheil
| to become its rabbi in 1860. and he serv
ed there with great success for thir-
/ teen years. He was one of that scholar
ly band of rabbis who constituted the
Synod of Leipzig in 1871.
Two years after this memorable
meeting, at which a decided stand for
reform was unanimously taken, DR..
Gottheil received call to become the
! assistant rabbi in Temple Emanu- Ell
OF New York The chief rabbi then
1 was Dr. Samuel Adler, father Of Prof.
Felix Adler, now leader of the Ethical
/ Culture society
A year and half later Mr.. Adler
retired upon a pension and surrender
ed the reins entirely into the hands
OF DR.. Gottheil. The young rabbi had
been busily engaged in reOrganiZ1ng
the work done in the synagogue, pay
! ing special attention to the relig.o
school. Hands and brain were kept
/ well occupied by the manifold duties
of his large congregation, but DR.. Gott-
! bell made the time to establish a theo-
I logical seminary In which a prelimi-
nary training for Iabbinical studies
was given to young men DESTROYS OF
! following that profession.
/ ACTIVE IN MANY DIRECTIONS.
! During this period of twenty five
I years Temple Emanuel has almost
! doubled its membership, now counting
nearly 200 families on its roll-no small
I
ministrations.
DR.. Gottheil has been active in many
/ other directions He arranged in 1885
! the first Jewish hymn book, with
music, to be printed in this country, in
this way laying the foundation for the
Union Hymnal now being generally
adopted byt he reform congregations
of the United States. He was the
! chose representative of the Israelites
at the parliament of religion held in
connection with the Worlds fair in
Chicago, presenting there the claims of
Judaism as a world religion. When
Henry George died DR.. Gottheil spoke
for the Jewish community at his
| funeral.
DIR. Gottheil published two years ago
| a book of devout thoughts for every
day use, entitled Sun and Shield the
| first of such manuals written and ar
ranged for Jewish readers. In ii he
| presents a concise yet comprehensive
! view Of modern Judaism.
DR.. Gottheil has been more than
preacher in the pulpit and teacher in
the religious school; more than COM
poser of hymn book and manual of re-
! fiections He has been the faithful
. paster and friend coming down from
the altar TO join with his people in
their sorrows and rejoicings. For
! many years his deVated wife took her
full share in his numerous social and
4 parochial duties. Her death short
time ago was the chief sororw of the
rabbits long career
Dr. Gottheirs sons are DR.. William
s. Gottheil and Prof. Richard j. II.
Gotthel, of Columbia university.
The Rev. DR.. Joseph Silverman was
called to Temple Emanuel ten years
ago as associate rabbi, TO relieve Dr.
Gottheil of some of the heavy burdens
laid upon him. After his coming il be-
came possible to accomplish a purpose
long cherished by the senior rabbi
the establishment of Sunday lectures
and services. DR. Gottheil recognized
the necessity of giving an opportunity
TO those who could not attend the reg
ular services on Saturday for worship
and religious development.
THE JEWISH ATTITUDE.
In a series of lectures which DR.. Got
theil delivered on the theme Jesus and
the Jews" he stood manfully for the
view that, as people, the Jews never
did reject Jesus. He pointed TO the
fact that, as in the days of Jesus, the
Jews were already widely scattered,
and the means of communication were
slow and difficult; only small minor
lty of the race within the boundaries of
Judea were cognizant of the mission,
the teachings, the doings or even the
existence of Jesus. The great ma joritv
were in complete ignorance of his life
and the manner of his death. and there
fore could not be held accountable for
the tragedy of Calvary.
The New Testament, DR.. GottheiI