Education
Kolatch was a graduate of Yeshiva College and the affiliated Teacher's Institute of Yeshiva University. Kolatch received his rabbinical ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he also received the Doctor of Divinity degree.Pulpit
From 1941 to 1948, Kolatch served as the rabbi of congregations in Columbia, South Carolina, and Kew Gardens, New York. It was serving as the rabbi in Columbia, South Carolina where Kolatch developed his interest in Jewish names,"For rabbi, heritage lesson leads to art of naming babies", ''Publishing
In 1948, Kolatch founded Jonathan David Publishers (named after his sons Jonathan and David), where he served as President and Editor-in-Chief. Jonathan David Publishers publishes non-fiction books, ranging from sports, biography, reference and Judaica books.Authorship
While Kolatch was a publisher, he also personally authored more than 50 books himself, mostly published through his own publishing company. His most popular series of books started with the Jewish Book of Why (and continued with The Jewish Child's First Book of Why, The Second Jewish Book of Why, The Jewish Book of Why: The Torah, and The Jewish Mourner's Book of Why). This series alone sold more than 1.5 million copies in English, French, Spanish, German, and Portuguese. He published more books, however, on the topic of naming babies (and pets). Starting with his 1948 book These Are The Names, he published at least eight name-oriented books. In 1989 an article profiling Kolatch noted his expertise in baby naming as "Newspapers across the country have called Rabbi Alfred J. Kolatch the nation's foremost expert on naming babies." and in the Encyclopaedia Judaica (2nd Ed.), published in 2007, he was described as "Recognized as one of the world's leading authorities on Hebrew and English nomenclature".Books
* These Are the Names (1948) * Our Religion: The Torah (1956) * Sermons for the Sixties (1965) * Names for Pets (1971) * The Jonathan David Dictionary of First Names (1980) * The Jewish Book of Why (1981) * Fun in Learning About Passover (1983) * The Complete Dictionary of English and Hebrew First Names (1984) * The Second Jewish Book of Why (1985) * Today's Best Baby Names (1986) * The Concise Family Seder (1987) * The Jewish Home Advisor (1990) * The Family Seder (1991) * The Jewish Child's First Book of Why (1992) * Classic Bible Stories for Jewish Children (1994) * El Libro Judio del Por Que (1994) * The New Name Dictionary (1994) * A Handbook for the Jewish Home (1995) * Great Jewish Quotations (1996) * A Child's First Book of Jewish Holidays (1997) * How to Live a Jewish Life (1997) * Let's Celebrate Our Jewish Holidays! (1997) * Best Baby Names for Jewish Children (1998) * The Jewish Heritage Quiz Book (1999) * What Jews Say About God (1999) * The Presidents of the United States & the Jews (2000) withReferences
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolatch, Alfred J. World War II chaplains Jewish Theological Seminary of America semikhah recipients Yeshiva University alumni 2007 deaths Rabbis in the military United States Army chaplains 1916 births 20th-century American rabbis 21st-century American Jews