Israel Friedlander
Encyclopedia
Israel Friedlander, also spelled Friedlaender (8 September 1876 – 5 July 1920) was a rabbi
, educator, translator, and biblical scholar. He was the creator, together with Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan
, of the Young Israel movement of Modern Orthodox Judaism
.
in Warsaw
. From 1896 to 1900 he attended Berlin University and the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary
, where he received his rabbinic ordination. He received his PhD from the University of Strasbourg
in 1901.
His first position was as a privatdozent
in Semitic languages at the University of Strasbourg from 1902 to 1903. In October 1903 he came to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
as the Sabato Morais
Professor of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, a position he held until his death. He also served as a history instructor at the Teacher's Institute of the Seminary.
A translator and Arabist
, Friedlander was fluent in Yiddish
, Russian
, Babylonian
and Assyrian
. As his command of English
was initially poor, he taught in German
during his early years at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He authored, edited and translated numerous works.
He married Lilian Ruth Bentwich of London, England, on 26 September 1905. They had three sons and three daughters. With his marriage, Friedlander became the brother-in-law of Norman Bentwich
, the first Attorney-General of Mandate Palestine
from 1918 to 1931.
, an amalgam of several Zionist youth groups. In 1912, together with Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, a professor of homiletics and philosophy of religion at the Jewish Theological Seminary, he created the Young Israel movement to combat the wave of assimilation by Jews into secular American society.
In January 1920, Friedlander traveled to Poland as part of a four-member commission of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
to distribute $35 million to starving Jews in Poland and Ukraine. The US State Department
gave its permission for the trip, but would not issue passports or afford any protection to the commission members. On July 5, Friedlander and Rabbi Bernard Cantor were murdered by bandits near Kamenetz-Podolsk, Ukraine.
After her husband's death, Lilian moved her family back to England; two years later, upon the death of her sister who was living in Palestine, she relocated to her sister's home in Zikhron Ya'akov.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
, educator, translator, and biblical scholar. He was the creator, together with Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan
Mordecai Kaplan
Mordecai Menahem Kaplan , was a rabbi, essayist and Jewish educator and the co-founder of Reconstructionist Judaism along with his son-in-law Ira Eisenstein.-Life and work:...
, of the Young Israel movement of Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
.
Biography
Friedlander was born in Włodawa, Poland to Pinchas Friedlander, a cattle dealer, and his wife Gittel, who was 16 years old at the time of his birth. He was the eldest of four children. As a boy, he attended chederCheder
A Cheder is a traditional elementary school teaching the basics of Judaism and the Hebrew language.-History:...
in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. From 1896 to 1900 he attended Berlin University and the Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary
Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary
The Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary was founded in Berlin on 22 October 1873 by Rabbi Dr. Azriel Hildesheimer for the training of rabbis in the tradition of Orthodox Judaism.-History:...
, where he received his rabbinic ordination. He received his PhD from the University of Strasbourg
University of Strasbourg
The University of Strasbourg in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, is the largest university in France, with about 43,000 students and over 4,000 researchers....
in 1901.
His first position was as a privatdozent
Privatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
in Semitic languages at the University of Strasbourg from 1902 to 1903. In October 1903 he came to the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
as the Sabato Morais
Sabato Morais
Sabato Morais was an Italian-American rabbi, leader of Mikveh Israel Synagogue, pioneer of Italian Jewish Studies in America, and founder of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City.- Early years :...
Professor of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, a position he held until his death. He also served as a history instructor at the Teacher's Institute of the Seminary.
A translator and Arabist
Arabist
This is an article about the western scholars known as Arabists, not the political movement Pan-Arabism.An Arabist is someone normally from outside the Arab World who specialises in the study of the Arabic language and Arab culture, and often Arabic literature.-Origins:Arabists began in medieval...
, Friedlander was fluent in Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Babylonian
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
and Assyrian
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
. As his command of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
was initially poor, he taught in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
during his early years at the Jewish Theological Seminary. He authored, edited and translated numerous works.
He married Lilian Ruth Bentwich of London, England, on 26 September 1905. They had three sons and three daughters. With his marriage, Friedlander became the brother-in-law of Norman Bentwich
Norman Bentwich
Norman De Mattos Bentwich OBE MC was a British barrister and legal academic who served as Legal Secretary and the first Attorney-General of Mandatory Palestine from 1918 to 1931. A lifelong Zionist, Bentwich was close to the moderate wing of the movement...
, the first Attorney-General of Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine
Mandate Palestine existed while the British Mandate for Palestine, which formally began in September 1923 and terminated in May 1948, was in effect...
from 1918 to 1931.
Youth movement pioneer
In 1909 Friedlander became the founding president of Young JudaeaYoung Judaea
Young Judaea is a peer-led Zionist youth movement that runs programs throughout the United States for Jewish youth in grades 2-12. In Hebrew, Young Judaea is called Yehudah Hatzair or is sometimes referred to as Hashachar, which means the dawn....
, an amalgam of several Zionist youth groups. In 1912, together with Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, a professor of homiletics and philosophy of religion at the Jewish Theological Seminary, he created the Young Israel movement to combat the wave of assimilation by Jews into secular American society.
Affiliations
Friedlander was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bureau of Education of the Jewish community in New York. He was part of the Governing Board of the Intercollegiate Menorah Society, the Executive Committee of Bureau of Education of the Jewish Community of New York City and the Executive Committee of the Federation of American Zionists. He was known for his ardent support of Zionism.Relief missions
In 1918, Friedlander was invited to travel to Mandate Palestine as the Jewish representative of a Red Cross relief mission.In January 1920, Friedlander traveled to Poland as part of a four-member commission of 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....
to distribute $35 million to starving Jews in Poland and Ukraine. The US State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
gave its permission for the trip, but would not issue passports or afford any protection to the commission members. On July 5, Friedlander and Rabbi Bernard Cantor were murdered by bandits near Kamenetz-Podolsk, Ukraine.
After her husband's death, Lilian moved her family back to England; two years later, upon the death of her sister who was living in Palestine, she relocated to her sister's home in Zikhron Ya'akov.
Selected bibliography
- Past and Present: A Collection of Jewish Essays (1905)
- The Problem of Judaism in America (1909)
- The Problem of Jewish Education in America, and the Bureau of Education of the Jewish Community of New York City (1913)
- The Present Crisis in American Jewry (1915)
- The Jews of Russia and Poland: A Bird's-Eye View of Their History and Culture (1915)
- Zionism and the World Peace (1919)
Literature
- Beizer M. Who Murdered Professor Israel Friedlaender and Rabbi Bernard Cantor: The Truth Rediscovered, American Jewish Archives Journal, Vol. 55, # 1, 2003, pp. 63-113. (For the Russian version see: Diaspory, #2 (2005), pp. 176—206.)