New-York tribune., 1903-04-16
DR.. GOTTHEIL.

The death of Dr. Gustav Gottheil creates a
vacancy in the Jewish clergy of America which
it will be difficult to fill To the members OF
the Temple Emanu-El the loss is dOubly great,
for there he was known not only as tue
learned teacher in Israel. but as sympathetic
friend who reiOiced in the happiness or MS
parishioners and whose words of consolation
Iightened the burdens of sorrow. DIR. Gottnel
was so firmly established in the love OF his
congregation because of his sweetness or as
position and fatherly solictude for the mem
berS OF his flock that his death, although II WIS
not unexpected will bring mourning to hun
dreds of households. 1t will always be remem-
hered TO the credit of DR. Gottheil that in all
the years of his pastorate. despite the dlHer-
ences Of opinion that may have existed among
the members. he was never criticised, and no
fault was ever found with him for what ne may
have done or said. For that reason, no matter
how great the sorrow may be in other circles
where DR.. Gottheil was known as profound
thinker. an able pulpit orator and learned eX-
FOUNDER of sacred literature, he will be mourned
for most in the Congregation Emanuel. There
every member. the children who received his
blessing at confirmation. the women who car
ried out his plans for q sisterhood, and rne
children who attend the Sabbath school, in
which he took great interest, have lost a sin
cere. loving friend.
Dr. Gottheil did not pose as teacher OF novel
or extreme ideas, but was content to be the gulde
and friend of the congregation which he served
and to instil In the members love and Venera-
ton for the faith in which they were born He
belonged to the old school, to the class Of which
Wise Enhorn. Lilienthal and Marzbacher were
shining lights. Like them he strove to make
Judaism attractive to the rising generation by
eliminating Orientalisms and useless ceremonies
from the ritual, and like these men, he knew
where reform ended and where destruction be-
gan, and he never overstepped the line
In, the days when some people thought that
the C'new movement would jeopardize the life
of the congregation and cripple American Juda-
ism. when it was feared by timid Jews that the
extremists would conquer and that agnosCclsm
would supplant reformed Judaism, DR.. Gottheil
showed no fear. His faith was firm, and his
friends Lewis May. Jesse Seligman, Lazarus
Rosenfeld, Moses Schloss and other leaders OF
the congregation at that time, saw the congre-
cation grow in strength under the guidance of
the gifted rabbi. His work in those days at
tracted attention outside of the Jewish commu-
nifty and earned for the rabbi of the Temple
Emanuel a high place among the learned men
of the metropolis.
Notwithstanding his prominence In the ranks
of reformed Judaism, DR.. Gottheil was sin
cere Zionist He was heartily in sympathy
with the movement, and believed firmly that
its success would be Of inestimable benefit to
the Jews Of the world. This conviction on his
part made him unique figure in American
Judaisnl-on one hand the pastor Of the fore
most reformed congregation, by which hun
dreds of similar institutions shape their course,
and on the other affiliated with the ultra
orthodox, who regard the services in a modern
temple as sacrilegious and the abTogation Of old
time customs as destructive of the faith. Both
classes will unite in mourning over his bier,
convinced that he was sincere and that the
world has lost a useful citizen by the death of
Gustav Gottheil.