Albert Hoschander Friedlander OBE (10 May 1927 – 8 July 2004) was a

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

and teacher.

Early life and education

Albert Friedlander was born on 10 May 1927 in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, the son of a textile broker, Alex Friedlander (d. 1956) and Sali Friedlander (d. 1965). Friedlander and his family remained in Germany until 1939, spending

Kristallnacht () or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation from ...

hiding in the home of Christian friends in the suburbs. The family sailed to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, and were on the last boat allowed to land before the MS ''St. Louis'' was sent away. The three Friedlander children: Albert, his twin Charles, and their sister Dorrit, were sent to separate foster homes in Mississippi. Their parents had to remain in Cuba until their visa numbers came up in the quota system. Eventually the family was reunited in

Vicksburg Vicksburg most commonly refers to: * Vicksburg, Mississippi, a city in western Mississippi, United States * The Vicksburg Campaign, an American Civil War campaign * The Siege of Vicksburg, an American Civil War battle Vicksburg is also the name of ...

. Friedlander graduated from Carr Central High School, Vicksburg in 1944 at the age of 16, and was accepted immediately by the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. While studying at college, he was also gaining a reputation as a long-distance runner. He had been a champion in Mississippi, and was able to run the mile in 4 minutes 30 seconds. The U of C coach suggested that he try out for the 1948 Olympic team, but he decided to concentrate on his studies instead, having made up his mind to enter rabbinic school upon gaining his bachelor's degree. At the age of 18 Friedlander graduated from college and entered

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 ...

in Cincinnati to begin his path to the rabbinate. He was ordained with the class of 1952. While still at rabbinical school, he was part of the first group of students that took part in the

National Federation of Temple Youth NFTY: The Reform Jewish Youth Movement (formerly known as the North American Federation for Temple Youth, often referred to simply as NFTY, commonly pronounced ''"nifty"'') is the organized youth movement of Reform Judaism in North America. Fun ...

camps in Wisconsin, and remained committed to NFTY throughout his career.

Career

From 1956 to 1961 he served as Rabbi for Temple B'nai B'rith, a Reform synagogue founded in 1845 and located in

Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the secon ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. During his tenure there he also served as a part-time faculty member for

Wilkes College Wilkes University is a private university in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It has over 2,200 undergraduates and over 2,200 graduate students (both full and part-time). Wilkes was founded in 1933 as a satellite campus of Bucknell University, and bec ...

(now university). He then left for a position as advisor to Jewish students at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York City, where he gained a Ph.D. in theology, writing on the work of Rabbi

Leo Baeck Leo Baeck (23 May 1873 – 2 November 1956) was a 20th-century German rabbi, scholar, and theologian. He served as leader of Reform Judaism in his native country and internationally, and later represented all German Jews during the Nazi era ...

. He also became very involved in the fight for

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

, taking his students down to Memphis to march with Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

In 1966, he moved with his family to London, to become the rabbi of Wembley Liberal Synagogue, and teach at the

Leo Baeck College Leo Baeck College is a privately funded rabbinical seminary and centre for the training of teachers in Jewish education. Based now at the Sternberg Centre, East End Road, Finchley, in the London Borough of Barnet, it was founded by Werner van ...

. In 1971 he was invited to follow Rabbi Harold Reinhart and serve the

Westminster Synagogue The Westminster Synagogue is a non-affiliated Jewish Reform synagogue and congregation near Hyde Park, London. It is located in Kent House, a restored Victorian town house in Knightsbridge. The building, which dates from the late 1800s, also ...

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End of London, West End. ...

, London. He remained there until his retirement, upon which he was created Rabbi Emeritus. In 1993 he was awarded the

Bundesverdienstkreuz The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

First Class (the Order of Merit) from the German government and in 2001 he became the first overseas-born Rabbi to be awarded an OBE. From 1975–1995 he was the Vice President for the

World Union for Progressive Judaism The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) is the international umbrella organization for the various branches of Reform, Liberal and Progressive Judaism, as well as the separate Reconstructionist Judaism. The WUPJ is based in 40 countries ...

. He was chairman of the British branch of the

World Conference of Religions for Peace Religions for Peace is an international coalition of representatives from the world's religions dedicated to promoting peace founded in 1970. The International Secretariat headquarters is in New York City, with regional conferences in Europe, As ...

(1990–94), committed to the

Three Faiths Forum The Faith and Belief Forum, formerly known as the Three Faiths Forum (3FF), is an interfaith organisation in the United Kingdom. The organisation creates safe spaces in schools, universities, workplaces and the wider community where people can eng ...

, and a president of the

Council of Christians and Jews The Council of Christians and Jews (CCJ) is a voluntary organisation in the United Kingdom. It is composed of Christians and Jews working together to counter anti-semitism and other forms of intolerance in Britain. Their patron was Queen Elizabet ...

. He was also a lecturer at the

from 1967–71, before becoming Director of Studies 1971–1982 and then Dean from 1982–2004. Friedlander was involved in many interfaith dialogues, both nationally and internationally. He spent a particular amount of time in the land of his birth, as a guest professor at many German universities, as a speaker and teacher at the Evangelischen Kirchentage and

Katholikentag ''Katholikentag'' () is a festival-like gathering in German-speaking countries organized by laity of the Catholic Church. ''Katholikentag'' festivals occur approximately every 2–4 years in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. ''Katholikentag'' ...

e; and appeared regularly in various German media.

Personal life

In 1961, he married Evelyn Friedlander and had three children: Ariel (who also became a rabbi),

Michal Michal (; he, מיכל , gr, Μιχάλ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Judah, ...

, and

Noam Noam ( he, נועם) is a Hebrew name which means "pleasantness", and although it started as the male version of the female ''Na'omi'' (English: "Naomi (given name), Naomi" or "Noémie"), today, it is a very common Hebrew name for both males and f ...

. His sister, Dorrit Friedlander, died 11 years after his death and lays buried in Appleton, Wisconsin. His wife, Evelyn, died in October in 2019, after a long illness.

Death

He died on 8 July 2004 in London, and is buried in the West London cemetery at Hoop Lane, Golders Green, surrounded by friends and congregants.

Selected bibliography

* "Never Trust A God Over 30" (1967) * ''Leo Baeck: Teacher Of Theresienstadt'' (1968), 1991, * ''Out Of The Whirlwind: A Reader Of Holocaust Literature'' (1968) * ''The Six Days Of Destruction'' (with

Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel (, born Eliezer Wiesel ''Eliezer Vizel''; September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Peace Prize, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored Elie Wiesel b ...

, 1988) * ''A Thread Of Gold: Journeys Towards Reconciliation'' (1990) * ''Riders Towards The Dawn: From Ultimate Suffering To Tempered Hope'' (1993) * '' The Five Scrolls: (with Herbert N Bronstein, 1984) - Amazon link
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References

External links

Guardian appreciation by Hella PickThe Times obituaryEuropean Judaism obituary by Rabbi Jonathan Magonet
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedlander Albert British Reform rabbis 1927 births 2004 deaths Honorary Officers of the Order of the British Empire Rabbis from Cincinnati 20th-century American rabbis Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German twins Wilkes University faculty Rabbis from Berlin Hebrew Union College alumni Columbia University alumni Officers of the Order of the British Empire People associated with Leo Baeck College Rabbis from London Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States British Liberal rabbis 20th-century English rabbis