Abram Simon (July 14, 1872 – December 24, 1938) was an American Reform rabbi who mostly ministered in Washington, D.C.

Life

Simon was born on July 14, 1872, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, the son of David Simon and Rachel Lederhandler. He moved with his parents to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, when he was young. Simon graduated from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,00 ...

with a B.L. in 1894, and in that same year he was ordained a rabbi by

Hebrew Union College Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. He then served as rabbi of Congregation B'nai Israel in

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, from 1894 to 1899, followed by Temple Israel in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

, from 1899 to 1904. He became rabbi of the

Washington Hebrew Congregation Washington Hebrew Congregation (WHC) is a Reform Jewish synagogue in Washington, D.C. Washington Hebrew Congregation is currently a member of the Union for Reform Judaism. It is one of the largest Reform congregations in the United States, with 2,7 ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, in the latter year, and he served as rabbi there until his death. While in Washington, he was among the first to have separate services for college students. He received a Ph.D. from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

in 1917, and in 1925 he received an honorary D.H.L. from Hebrew Union College. He was the first rabbi of the Washington Hebrew Congregation, his predecessor having been a ''

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this pr ...

''. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Simon was a

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

Officer who served in France and was attached to the 304th Sanitary Train of the 79th Division. He formed a branch of the Society a branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Animals while living in Sacramento, and in Omaha he took post-graduate courses in philosophy and education at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He was president of the Washington, D.C., Board of Education from 1920 to 1923, president of the

Central Conference of American Rabbis The Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), founded in 1889 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the principal organization of Reform rabbis in the United States and Canada. The CCAR is the largest and oldest rabbinical organization in the world. I ...

from 1923 to 1925, a founder of the

Synagogue Council of America The Synagogue Council of America was an American Jewish organization of synagogue and rabbinical associations, founded in 1926. The Council was the umbrella body bridging the three primary religious movements within Judaism in the United States. It ...

in 1928, and an organizer of the Washington chapter of the

National Conference of Christians and Jews The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

. In 1929, he was appointed a non-Zionist member of the council of the

Jewish Agency The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...

. In 1912, he and

William Rosenau William Rosenau (1865, Wollstein, Province of Posen, Prussia - 1943, United States) was a leader of Reform Judaism in the beginning of the twentieth century in the United States. Biography William Rosenau was born in Wolstein, Germany in 1865, th ...

wrote ''History of Jewish Education''. Simon was a faculty member of the short-lived Correspondence School of the Jewish Chautauqua Society for the Training of Teachers. He was a founding member of the Reform movement's Committee on Jewish Education. He was a trustee of the

Jewish Chautauqua Society The Jewish Chautauqua Society was the interfaith education program of the Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ), a U.S. nonprofit organization, whose independent existence ceased in 2015 when it was merged into the Union for Reform Judaism. It had defined it ...

and president of the

Columbia Hospital for Women The Columbia Hospital for Women was a hospital located in Washington, D.C. Originally opening in 1866 as a health-care facility for wives and widows of Civil War soldiers, it moved in 1870 from Thomas Circle to its later location at 2425 L Street, ...

from 1921 to 1927 and of the Public Library from 1929 to 1933. In 1896, he married communal leader Carrie Obendorfer. They had two children, Leo and David. Leo worked as a lawyer but died in 1926 at the age of 28. Simon died from a heart attack at his apartment in the Shoreham Hotel shortly after conducting services on December 24, 1938. Washington rabbis, members of the Protestant and Catholic clergy, and delegates from educational and social organizations were among those who attended his funeral at the Washington Hebrew Congregation. Rabbi Norman Gerstenfeld officiated the funeral service. Other clergymen who participated in the funeral service included Bishop James E. Freeman and Canon Anson Phelps Stokes of the

Washington Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church. The cathedral is loc ...

, Hebrew Union College president Dr. Julian Morgenstern, Rabbi

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and representative of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and Washington Committee on Religious Life chairman Dr. Albert Joseph McCartney of the Covenant First Presbyterian Church. He was buried in the Washington Hebrew Congregation Cemetery. In 1949, the Washington D.C. Board of Education named an elementary school after him.

References

External links

Abram Simon Papers
at the '' American Jewish Archives'' 1872 births 1938 deaths Religious leaders from Nashville, Tennessee People from Cincinnati University of Cincinnati alumni Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion alumni 19th-century American rabbis 20th-century American rabbis American Reform rabbis Rabbis from Washington, D.C. Rabbis from California Clergy from Sacramento, California Clergy from Omaha, Nebraska {{DEFAULTSORT:Simon, Abram