Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-11-03
OUR NEW YORK LETTER,
DIR. GOttheil, "The Hebrew Car.
dinal, Now Pastor Emeritus.

ne N"H ActiNe Head of the Rich
CONGREGATION of Temple Emanu-EI.
His Life and Work.
NEW York, Nov. .. Special. l-Rabhi
Gustav Gottheil, for more than n con.
turF's quarter pastor of the richest He
brew congregation in America, has inst
been retired from regular service with
the tue OF pastor emeritus, thus bring
ing TO Il close the active career of ono of
the ablest rel. sious teachers i'm this or
any other land regardless of the form of
faith professed
Rabbi Gottheil is az years old. He
was born in the little Prussian village of
PINE, was educated in Posen and Der
lin, receiving both rabbinical and uni.
versity training, and began his active
career as assistant rabbi in the Berliner
Reform Gemoindc, the first great reform
ed synas que to be established in the
whole world. From there he went to
Manchester, England, where he was
rabbi of the reformed congregation of
that city for 10 years. and from there. in
1913, be came to this city to be as
sistant rabbi in Temple Emanu-El. At
that time the pastor of Emauu-El was
DIR. Samuel Adler, father Of the DR..
Felix Adler, who is now at the head of
the famous Ethical society, composed
mainly of ratonalistic Hebrews who
havci cast aside the religion of their ia
thcls in favor OF n system of pure
ethics.
Might BE Ter r ID n Jewish Cardinal.
v certain ;, te it would be incongru--
Gus, et .-r not be altogether amiss
to say thacS he began his work here
DR.. Gottheil has become to the Hebrews
of America almost what Cardinal Gibbons
is to the Roman Catholics. Perhaps il
would be more nearly correct to liken
the rabbits position with the Hebrews
to the position held by the late DIR. John
Hall with the Presbyterans.
Rabbi Gottheil has never had any
formal authority over the Hebrews, nor
had DIR. Hall in his lifetime over the
Presbyterians, yet by reason of long
service as head of the richest, most in
huential organization in his sect and also
because of his known piety and devotion
to the right as he saw it each has been
tactly accepted as the head of his church
In North America. And as the Fifth
Avenue Presbyterian church was some
times termed the cathedral of Calvinism
in America, so Temple EMANUEL has
been spoken of as the Hebrew cathedral.
DIR. GOttheiTs LiberaIity.
the parallel between DIR. Gottheil and
the late DIR. Hall much further, though
1t may be added that a certain liberal
element, so cdAed, in the congregation of
each essayed to bring about Il change of
pastorate because the venerable incum-
bent would not follow the extreme ration
alistic tendencies of the present age and
that in each instance the congregation
would have none of the new idea.
But of the two famous pastors the He
brew was far more liberal than the Pres
byterian, for while Rabbi Gottheil could
not countenance the substitution of eth
ical teaching for religion he saw clearly
long ago that there is much in common
between Judaism of the best type and
Christianity, and he has often preached
upon the necessity of recognizing that Je-
sus was a reformer and elgious teacher
of the highest grade. DR.. Gottheil has al
ways claimed indeed that the only objec-
ton a good Jew could have to the Chris
tian idea of Jesus was the belief in his d.
vinity, and this view on his part has led
to far greater liberation of Christians
and Christianity among the members of
EMANUEL congregation generally and the
Jews of the whole country, in fact, than
existed before the Gottheil influence be-
gan to be felt. Rabbi Gottheil has said
from the speakers desk in Temple Emanu-
Ell that the Jews as a whole never re-
jected Jesus; that at the time of his COM
ing they were scattered race; that only
a small minority then alive ever heard Of
him, and therefore only a small minority
ever had chance either to receive or re-
ject him.
DIR. GOttheiPs Work For Charities.
DR.. Gottheils genius in directing char
ity has been famous in New York for
many years. Perhaps the most impor-
tant movement inaugurated by him was
the establishment of the "Sisterhood of
Personal Service"
The idea came to him when several wo-
men of his congregation asked for sug-
gestions regarding charitable work. He
decided that the most effective charity
required personal service, yet to reach
the highest possible effectiveness there
must be organization. This led to the
formation of the sisterhood. Since it's in
ception similar sisterhoods based on that
within the membership of Emanuel have
been established in various parts of the
country. There are eight. sections in the
EMANUEL sisterhood, each with a spe-
cifc object, such as caring for those suf-
fering bodily illness and poverty, looking
after industrial schools, organizing and
conducting religious SCHOOLS IOf poor CHI
dren, working girls clubs, day nurseries,
carrying on an employment bureau, main
tanning cooking class and keeping up
sewing circle. Each section has for its
head a guide, or director.
An important innovation instituted by
DR.. Gottheil decade ago was the Civ
ing of lectures and the holding of spe-
cia services in Temple Emanuel on
Sundays He recognized the fact that
some who were DESTROYS of keeping
hold on the Observances of their ancient
religion could not attend the Jewish
Sabbath services on Saturday without
severe personal sacrifices, yet would be
glad to take advantage of any oppor-
tunities that might be offered to attend
public worship on the first day of the
week DIR. Gottheil established theo-
logical seminary for rabbis in New YORK
years ago and three years ago published
a book of his own composition entitled
"Sun or Shield" 1t amounted to a
complete exposition Of modern Judaism,
so arranged as to present a selection OF
devout thoughts for each day in the year.
1t was the first manual of the sort ever
prepared for Jewish readers.
Temple Emanu-EI.
The membership Of Temple Emanu-
FL includes such men as ex-Judge
Dittenhoefer, Oscar Straus, diplomat;