The Denver Jewish news., 1923-02-28
SELFCONFESSED RENEGADE AND
INFORMED UNFROCkED AS
"RABBI."
Il. c. B. SerxIcel

sntional hearings ever staged before n
Jewish rabbinical court. Judah Elfen-
helm. rabbi of the Jacob II. Schiff Cen
ter. 24S1 Valentine Ave. Bronx. charg-
cd with being n convert to the Greek
Orthodox Church and later one of its
priests and also with having furnished
the arguments that were used by anti
Semites to send Leopold Hilsner. some
twenty years ngo to prison In Austria
for life on n ritual blood accusation,
was unfrocked after the rabbi broke
down and confessed.
Elfenbein's real name. according to
his accusers and his own confession
was Judah Elfenbein Tillinger. But
coming to the United States in 1920
he found that the name Tillinger. usso-
cinted as 1t was with the trial of His
ner in Alistria and with having be-
come an npOstate of the faith, had pre-
coded him and did not smack well in
Jewish circles Dropping the name Till
niger and growing beard, according
to the charges. Elfenbein who had
been student of Jewish theological
seminnries In yienna and Berlin easily
worked his way into the Jewish pull
pit, serving as rabbi at Youngstown.
o.. Easton. Pn. and Brooklyn and last
1 ly ut the new Jacob II. Schifr Center in
the Bronx.
Casual gossip Mt Second Avenue
On fe led to the unmasking of the rabbi.
one of the patrons of the c,ife dropping
II hint that Observation-Disclosures wns
now serving as IL rabbi. The report
finally reached the Union of Orthodox
Rabbis who convoked special meeting
to prove the charges.
The rabbis who composed the Beth
Din consisted of Rabbis Margolies. ].
l.. Seller, j. KanOwitz. II. Siegel, j.
Retlelheim. S. PfefYer, J. Oskolski A.
Premedski. Meyer berlin and $. j.
YudelsOn.
Elfentein was not present Mt the be-
ginnipg OF. the trial. sending word that
lie could not he present on account Of
Illness AS the Testimony Of others
was being taken however. the rabbi
made his appearance. Elfenbein was
Immediately identified as the Tillinger
of the Hilsner incident by Rabbi Alter
Pfeffer. rabbi hailing from the same
section OF Galicia as Tillinger. and who
was in Austrin at the time of the
Hilsner trial. In response to the query
put by Rabbi MargOlis, chief of the
Beth Din. as the whether his name
originally had been Tillinger- Elfen-
bcin suggested that DIR. Phi. Klein who
had had dealings with him be con-
suited.
The session was interrupted at this
moment to permit the recital of the
Mincla prayer Elfenbein joined in the
litany Forgive us. our Father. for
we have sinned. Pardon us. King.
for we have done wrong
Seemingly moved by prayer, Elfen-
bein arose and with voice choking with
grief signed pledge and statement
which he delivered to the chief of the
Beth Din. ...a.... ... .......t.
Il testify and confirm that am not
deserving of being servant of the sa-
cred profession. l pledge myself never
to accept a religious position either as
rabbi or teacher in religious school on
account of being untitled by the deeds
of my youth. which are widely and gen
orally known ...-... i..,-.,..
The pledge was signed Judah. FL
fenbein, formerly, Tillinger." In the
midst of the uproar which followed the
statement, Elfenbein wns led away to
the home of a. nearby. friend on the
East Side, .rs.rr.- ,oi,,-,... fs
Following the signing of, the plege.
the Beth Din issued statement con-
frming that Elfenbein was Tillinger
and that lie WAS the jew who had fig
urett so notoriouslY in the Hilsner trial.
According to Gershon Bader, II Jew
ish journalist Tillinger was the au-
thor of a series of twelve or thirteen
articles under the name of Stanislavus
| Tillinger, in which he charged that
Jews use Christian blood during the
Passover festival.
These writings Bader continued,
made u strong impression. The paper
which was published by anti-Semites
had an unusually wide circulation and
the anti-Jewish effect was colossal. In
the year 1908, he was made professor
in the German university at Lemberg.
There ] saw him in the garb of n
priest. Later l was informed that Till
niger had sought TO return to the Jew
ish fold Some were willing to let
bygones be bygones' but l could not