Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf (March 19, 1924 – December 23, 2008) was an American Reform Rabbi, and a longtime champion of peace and progressive politics.
Biography
Wolf received an associate degree from 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 ...
, a BA in philosophy 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 ...
. His rabbinical studies were at
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 and he was ordained in 1948.
[Jensen, Trevor]
"Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf, 1924-2008: Led 2 prominent Reform Jewish congregations"
, ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'', December 25, 2008. Accessed December 30, 2008. While at HUC, he served as secretary to
Abraham Joshua Heschel
Abraham Joshua Heschel (January 11, 1907 – December 23, 1972) was a Polish-born American rabbi and one of the leading Jewish theologians and Jewish philosophers of the 20th century. Heschel, a professor of Jewish mysticism at the Jewish ...
.
He served a stint as an assistant to his uncle, Rabbi
Felix A. Levy
Felix Alexander Levy (October 20, 1884 – June 16, 1963) was an American rabbi who mostly ministered in Chicago, Illinois.
Life
Levy was born on October 20, 1884, in New York City, New York, the son of Alexander Levy and Catherine Bergdoll. Hi ...
, at Temple Emanuel in Chicago, then he served as a Navy chaplain in Japan during the
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
. A near crash in a seaplane that landed safely in the water was a life-altering experience.
Congregation Solel
In 1957 he helped launch
Congregation Solel
Makom Solel Lakeside of Highland Park, Illinois, United States, traces its roots through two Reform Jewish Congregations, Congregation Solel and Lakeside Congregation for Reform Judaism that were founded in 1957 and 1955 respectively. The two came ...
in
Highland Park, Illinois
Highland Park is a suburban city located in the southeastern part of Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located o ...
, where he remained until 1972.
[
Rabbi Wolf marched in Selma, Ala., for civil rights and he traveled to Washington together with his temple members to protest the Vietnam War. In 1967, FBI agents attended and recorded one of his anti-war sermons.][Newbart, Dave]
"Prominent rabbi, friend of Obama, dies at 84"
, ''Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'', December 24, 2008. Accessed December 30, 2008.
Congregation Solel established an annual Holocaust remembrance weekends starting in the 1960s, making it one of the first synagogues in the United States to initiate the practice.[
He was known for bringing speakers as diverse and contemporary as Rev. ]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 ...
and defendants in the Chicago Seven
The Chicago Seven, originally the Chicago Eight and also known as the Conspiracy Eight or Conspiracy Seven, were seven defendants—Rennie Davis, David Dellinger, John Froines, Tom Hayden, Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Lee Weiner—charged b ...
conspiracy trial.[
He allowed his congregation to write its own prayer book and make decisions previously reserved for the rabbi. He endorsed the establishment of a membership cap at 400, which the congregation adopted, and banned bar mitzvahs.][
]
Yale
After leaving Congregation Solel, Rabbi Wolf spent eight years as Jewish chaplain and Hillel director at Yale University, where he could have found an activist compatriot in Rev. William Sloane Coffin
William Sloane Coffin Jr. (June 1, 1924 – April 12, 2006) was an American Christian clergyman and long-time peace activist. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church, and later received ministerial standing in the United Church of Christ. In h ...
, the school's chaplain. In 1975 he was the first official Jewish representative ever invited to the World Council of Churches
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most juri ...
world assembly in Nairobi, Kenya
K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple
He led K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple
KAM Isaiah Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 1100 E. Hyde Park Boulevard in the historic Kenwood neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Chicago, with its oldest core founded in 1847 as Kehilath Anshe ...
in Kenwood, Chicago's oldest Jewish congregation, from 1980 to 2000.[
Wolf received a Brotherhood Award for his civil rights work from the National Council of Christians and Jews in 1962. When the same group later gave a humanitarian award to then President ]Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
, Rabbi Wolf returned his award, saying, "If Ronald Reagan is a humanitarian, then I’m not.[
Rabbi Wolf celebrated his bar mitzvah at age 83, never having observed the rite at age 13 as Reform Judaism did not practice the ceremony at the time. The rabbi acknowledged that he was nervous about performing in public, as this was the first time he would be ]chanting
A chant (from French ', from Latin ', "to sing") is the iterative speaking or singing of words or sounds, often primarily on one or two main pitches called reciting tones. Chants may range from a simple melody involving a limited set of notes ...
the Torah
The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...
. The celebrations included a series of lectures by Wolf and other rabbis.
Rabbi Wolf died at age 84 on December 23, 2008 in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
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, subdivision_name ...
of an apparent heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
.[Fox, Margalit]
"Arnold Jacob Wolf, a Leading Reform Rabbi, Is Dead at 84"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', December 29, 2008. Accessed December 30, 2008.
Beliefs
He believed that "The core teaching of Torah for him had to do with justice, and one sometimes had to speak about that in ways that people didn't care to hear," and that "I am Adonai your God" was not a promise but a challenge to be lived up to every moment in every action."
He was the founder and leader of the organization for peace in the Middle East Breira, A Project of Concern in Diaspora-Israel Relations, that supported a two-state solution
The two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict envisions an independent State of Palestine alongside the State of Israel, west of the Jordan River. The boundary between the two states is still subject to dispute and negotiation ...
to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israelis ( he, יִשְׂרָאֵלִים, translit=Yīśrāʾēlīm; ar, الإسرائيليين, translit=al-ʾIsrāʾīliyyin) are the citizens and nationals of the State of Israel. The country's populace is composed primarily of Jew ...
. Founded in 1973, the organization dissolved in 1977, having been the target of criticism from pro-Israel groups in the United States.[
Writing in ]Commentary Magazine
''Commentary'' is a monthly American magazine on religion, Judaism, and politics, as well as social and cultural issues. Founded by the American Jewish Committee in 1945 under Elliot E. Cohen, editor from 1945 to 1959, ''Commentary'' magazine dev ...
, Rabbi Wolf explains how a Jew must adapt to modernity. He writes that "modern thought is no enemy of the Jew. But he must become a Jew in order to have the stamina to meet it face on. Otherwise the secular Jewish liberal will … fall on his face. The courage to be present to the present absolutely requires, I believe, the enormous resource of Torah. Man without God may be tragic; the Jew against God is only pathetic."
Support for Barack Obama
He was vocal in his support for Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
, whose home is across the street from the K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple where Rabbi Wolf served for decades.[
]
Upon hearing of Rabbi Wolf’s death, President-elect Obama issued a statement, calling the rabbi a "dear friend," whose absence would be deeply felt in his hometown and beyond: "Throughout Chicago and in Jewish homes across our country, Rabbi Wolf’s name is synonymous with service, social action, and the possibility of change".
Rabbi Wolf had supported Obama's campaign for the Illinois Senate
The Illinois Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state, State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adop ...
in 1996, telling him that "Mr. Obama, someday you will be vice president of the United States". Obama laughed, responding "Why vice president?"[Krieger, Hilary Leila]
"Mr. Obama's neighborhood"
''The Jerusalem Post
''The Jerusalem Post'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Jerusalem, founded in 1932 during the British Mandate of Palestine by Gershon Agron as ''The Palestine Post''. In 1950, it changed its name to ''The Jerusalem Post''. In 2004, the paper w ...
'', October 23, 2008. Accessed December 30, 2008.
See also
*Everett Gendler
Everett Gendler (August 8, 1928 – April 1, 2022) was an American rabbi, known for his leadership of and involvement in progressive causes, including the civil rights movement, Jewish nonviolence, and the egalitarian Jewish Havurah movement. From ...
*Arthur Waskow
Arthur Ocean Waskow (born Arthur I. Waskow; 1933) is an American author, political activist, and rabbi associated with the Jewish Renewal movement.
Education and early career
Waskow was born in Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore, Maryland. He receiv ...
*Jewish Left
The Jewish left consists of Jews who identify with, or support, left-wing or left-liberal causes, consciously as Jews, either as individuals or through organizations. There is no one organization or movement which constitutes the Jewish left, ho ...
* Breira (organization)
*KAM Isaiah Israel
KAM Isaiah Israel is a Reform synagogue located at 1100 E. Hyde Park Boulevard in the historic Kenwood neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. It is the oldest Jewish congregation in Chicago, with its oldest core founded in 1847 as Kehilath Anshe M ...
References
Bibliography
*''Unfinished Rabbi: Selected Writings of Arnold Jacob Wolf'' (1998)
Jews For Obama
Against Spirituality
External links
Articles by Arnold Jacob Wolf
on the Berman Jewish Policy Archive @ NYU Wagner
Obituary, 2009
in Sh'ma: A Journal of Jewish Responsibility Vol.39/no.659.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolf, Arnold
1924 births
2008 deaths
American Reform rabbis
Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion alumni
University of Chicago alumni
University of Cincinnati alumni
Rabbis from Illinois
United States Navy chaplains
Jewish chaplains
20th-century American rabbis
21st-century American Jews