Simon Federbusch (February 15, 1892 – August 20, 1969) was a Galician-born Jew who served as rabbi in Poland, Finland, and America.
Life
Federbusch was born on February 15, 1892 in Narol, eastern Galicia,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
.
Federbusch was ordained a rabbi when he was eighteen. He attended university in
Kraków
Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...
,
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
, and
Vienna
en, Viennese
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, graduating from the latter university with a
Ph.D.
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...
in 1922. In 1918, he became a leader of Zeire Mizrachi, the first Mizrachi association of university students. He served in
Polish Sejm
The Sejm (English: , Polish: ), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland ( Polish: ''Sejm Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej''), is the lower house of the bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of t ...
as a representative of the Lwów (
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
) district in
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
to
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
. While in the Sejm, he supported measures on Jewish education and the economic improvement of Polish Jews and was a member of Sejm commissions on education, culture, and restoring places destroyed 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 ...
. While living in Lwów, he edited the Hebrew weekly ''Gilyonoth'', the Hebrew monthly ''Mizrahah'' from 1928 to 1931, and the Yiddish weekly ''Yiddishe Bletter'' starting in 1928.
Ordained by prominent Polish rabbis before World War I, Federbusch received his rabbinical degree from the Israelitisch-Theologische Lehranstalt in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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in 1923. Active in the Mizrachi movement since he was a student, he was a founder of Ha-Po'el ha-Mizrachi and served as president of the Mizrachi Organization of Galicia from 1924 to 1930. In 1930, he became rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregation of
Helsinki, Finland
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city' ...
. He was elected Chief Rabbi of Finland a year later. As Chief Rabbi, he promoted interfaith understanding, helped defeat a bill that would have banned ''shechita'', and secured Finnish entry visas for refugees from Nazi Germany. He immigrated to America in 1940 and settled in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, where he became rabbi and principal of the Yeshiva Rabbi Israel Salanter in
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
until his death.
Starting in 1918, Federbusch contributed to the Yiddish, Hebrew, and Polish Jewish press, writing articles in newspapers like ''
Ha-Tsfira
''Ha-Tsfira'' ( he, הצפירה) was a Hebrew-language newspaper published in Poland in 1862 and 1874–1931.
History
The first issue of ''Ha-Tsfira'' appeared in Warsaw, Congress Poland, in 1862, edited by Chaim Selig Slonimski. ''Ha-Tsfira'' ...
'' and ''
Haynt
''Haynt'' (הײַנט - "Today"; Yidishes tageblat 1906-08) was a Yiddish daily newspaper, published in Warsaw from 1906 until 1939.
Newspaper ''Yidishes tageblat'' (יידישעס טאגעבלאט) was founded in 1906 by Zionist Samuel Jackan ...
''. In America, he contributed to publications like ''
Hadoar ''Hadoar'' (Hebrew: ''The Post'') (1921 - 2005) was a Hebrew language periodical published in the United States by the Histadruth Ivrith of America.
''Hadoar'' was described by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as "one of the best Hebrew-language m ...
''. In 1964, he edited ''Yorbukh'', a trilingual anthology from the World Federation of Polish Jews. He wrote a number of works on Jewish studies, the Talmud, and Jewish rights. Two of his works, the 1954 ''Mishpat Hamelukha Beyisrael'' and the ''Benetivot Hatalmud'' in 1958, won him the Lamed Prize. While living in Finland, he published ''Sions Vises Protokoll i Saningens Ljus'' in Swedish and Finnish to refute anti-Semitic charges introduced to Finland and the other Scandinavian countries. He also wrote a Hebrew manuscript on the history of Jews in Finland that was unpublished as of 1941.
Federbusch was a co-founder of the Torah Na'Avoda movement, a founder and (starting in 1942) honorary president of
Hapoel HaMizrachi
Hapoel HaMizrachi ( he, הַפּוֹעֵל הַמִּזְרָחִי, lit. '' Mizrachi Workers'') was a political party and settlement movement in Israel. It was one of the predecessors of the National Religious Party and the Jewish Home.
History ...
, president of the weekly ''
Hadoar ''Hadoar'' (Hebrew: ''The Post'') (1921 - 2005) was a Hebrew language periodical published in the United States by the Histadruth Ivrith of America.
''Hadoar'' was described by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency as "one of the best Hebrew-language m ...
'', vice-president of
Histadrut Ivrit of America The Histadruth Ivrith of America, (1916 - 2005), was part of the movement for the revival of the Hebrew language that sought to revive Hebrew, a language then used for prayer and the study of holy texts, as a living language that would be spoken an ...
from 1944 until his death, chairman of the executive of Brith Ivrith Olamit, an executive committee member of the
World Jewish Congress
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act as ...
from 1943 until his death, presidium member of the World Federation of Polish Jews, president of the Religious Writers Society from 1960 until his death, chairman of the World Union for Hebrew Language and Culture and its president from 1957 until his death, and a member of the World Zionist Actions Committee, the World Council of Mizrachi, the presidium of the World Federation of Polish Jews, and the
Union of Orthodox Rabbis
The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada (UOR), often called by its Hebrew name, Agudath Harabonim or Agudas Harrabonim ("union of rabbis"), was established in 1901 in the United States and is the oldest organization of Orthod ...
.
Federbusch died in
South Nassau Communities Hospital
Mount Sinai South Nassau is a hospital located in Oceanside, NY. The facility was opened in 1928 and has undergone rapid expansion since. It is the Long Island flagship hospital for the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health Sys ...
on August 20, 1969. He had a widow, Miriam Horowitz, and two sons, Dr. Urieland Federbush and Rabbi Emanuel A. Federbush. His funeral was in the