David Max Eichhorn (January 6, 1906 – July 16, 1986) was an American rabbi of

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

, a director for Hillel, a chaplain in the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, an author, and an authority within

on the subjects of interfaith marriage and

religious conversion Religious conversion is the adoption of a set of beliefs identified with one particular religious denomination to the exclusion of others. Thus "religious conversion" would describe the abandoning of adherence to one denomination and affiliatin ...

Biography

David Max Eichhorn was born in

Columbia, Pennsylvania Columbia, formerly Wright's Ferry, is a borough (town) in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 10,222. It is southeast of Harrisburg, on the east (left) bank of the Susquehanna River, ac ...

on January 6, 1906, the son of Joseph and Anna Eichhorn. He attended the Temple Shaarai Shomayim religious school in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was confirmed there in 1921, and graduated from Columbia High School in 1923. He enrolled at Hebrew Union College in 1924. He graduated, and was ordained as 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 ...

in 1931. Eichhorn served as the first rabbi of Sinai Temple in Springfield, Massachusetts from 1932–1934, and was the rabbi at Sinai Temple in

Texarkana, Arkansas Texarkana is a city in the U.S. state of Arkansas and the county seat of Miller County, on the southwest border of the state. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 29,387. The city is located across the state line from its twin city ...

from 1935–1938. In 1938, he received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Eichhorn was the first rabbi of Temple Israel in

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

from 1939–1942. He was also the first director for Hillel in the state of Florida at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in Gainesville and

Florida State College for Women Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

in Tallahassee. In 1941, Eichhorn enlisted in the

as a chaplain. In July 1942, Eichhorn was stationed at Camp Croft in

Spartanburg County, SC Spartanburg County is a county located on the northwestern border of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 327,997, making it the fifth-most populous county in South Carolina. Its county seat is Spartanburg ...

and evidently assisted the local Jewish congregation, which was then without a rabbi. Throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, Eichhorn was assigned to serve in combat units in France and Germany, and was among the troops that liberated Dachau. After returning from the war in 1945, Eichhorn retained his active military status in the

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...

. He worked for the Committee on Army and Navy Religious Activities (known later as the Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy) of the

National Jewish Welfare Board The National Jewish Welfare Board (JWB) was formed on April 9, 1917, three days after the United States declared war on Germany, in order to support Jewish soldiers in the U.S. military during World War I. The impetus for creating the organization ...

as Director of Field Operations of the federal chaplaincy program. The Board is authorized by the Government to serve the religious needs of

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

military personnel. He was also the president of the Association of Jewish Chaplains of the Armed Forces from 1953–1955. He retired from the military with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1968. Temple Israel was founded in about 1965 or 66. It met in a church in

Cocoa Beach, Florida Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,539 at the 2018 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The first non-native ...

until a permanent home was found. Land was purchased on

Merritt Island, Florida Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Floridian coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and so ...

. The congregation moved to their new home in 1970. Rabbi Eichhorn served as a part-time Rabbi to Temple Israel along with student Rabbi's starting in 1966. He officiated over the congregation's first Confirmation class ceremony June 16, 1967. He resigned from the National Jewish Welfare Board in 1970. Eichhorn lived in Satellite Beach, Florida and wrote a number of books. He was known primarily for research in the areas of interfaith marriage and religious conversion. Eichhorn died on July 16, 1986 of a

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 ma ...

at Holmes Regional Medical Center in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...

.Rabbi David Eichhorn – Obituary
NYTimes.com (1986-07-23). Retrieved on 2012-03-17.

Selected bibliography

* ''Cain: son of the serpent: A midrash or homiletical narration of the fourth chapter of the book of Genesis'' (1957) ASIN B0007DPULO * ''Musings of the Old Professor: The meaning of Koheles'' (1963) * ''Conversion to Judaism: A History and Analysis'' (1965) David Max Eichhorn, ed. ASIN B000H0SM1W * ''Jewish intermarriages: Fact and fiction'' (1974) ASIN B0006W2D9I * ''Evangelizing the American Jew: An account of Christian attempts to convert the Jews of the United States and Canada'' (1976) ASIN B0007ASIIE * ''Joys of Jewish Folklore'' (1981) * ''Hagar and Ishmael: A study in Arab-Jewish relations'' (1985) ASIN B0006YTTWK * ''The GI's rabbi: World War II letters of David Max Eichhorn'' (2004) David Max Eichhorn; Greg Palmer, Mark S. Zaid eds.

References

External links

– Contains correspondence relating to the question of Reform rabbis officiating at intermarriages * – In this video, Rabbi Eichhorn conducts services at the first Sabbath after his company liberated Dachau {{DEFAULTSORT:Eichorn, David Max Jewish American military personnel American Reform rabbis Dachau concentration camp Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion alumni Jewish American writers 20th-century American rabbis American Jewish theologians Jews and Judaism in Florida Rabbis from Pennsylvania Jews and Judaism in South Carolina People from Brevard County, Florida People from Columbia, Pennsylvania People from Miller County, Arkansas People from Satellite Beach, Florida People from Spartanburg County, South Carolina Writers from Springfield, Massachusetts Rabbis in the military Religious leaders from Florida United States Army chaplains 1906 births 1986 deaths Military personnel from Pennsylvania Military personnel from Massachusetts