Adolph S. Moses (May 3, 1840 – January 7, 1902) was a German-American rabbi who mainly ministered in Mobile, Alabama and Louisville, Kentucky.

Life

Moses was born on May 3, 1840, in

Kleczew Kleczew is a town in Konin County, Greater Poland Voivodeship, central Poland. History Kleczew received town rights in 1366. It was a private town administratively located in the Konin County in the Kalisz Voivodeship (1314–1793), Kalisz Voivo ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, near the Prussian border. He was the son of Rabbi Israel Baruch Moses and Eve Graditz, and his maternal grandfather was Rabbi Joseph Graditz. Moses received his early training and

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

education from his father. When his family moved to Santomischel, Posen,

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

, he continued studying in a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

for three years and only rejoined the family afterwards. He then received a secular and religious education at Schrimm and

Militsch Milicz () is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It is the seat of Milicz County and of Gmina Milicz, part of the larger Wrocław metropolitan area. Geography The town is situated in the historic Lower Silesia regio ...

Silesia Silesia (see names #Etymology, below) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Silesia, Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at 8, ...

, after which he studied at the

University of Breslau A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

and the

Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau The Jewish Theological Seminary of Breslau (official name: ) was an institution in Breslau for the training of rabbis, founded under the will of Jonah Frankel (businessman), Jonah Fränckel, and opened in 1854. It was the first modern rabbinical ...

. In 1859, during the

Second Italian War of Independence The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Sardinian War, the Austro-Sardinian War, the Franco-Austrian War, or the Italian War of 1859 (Italian: ''Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana''; German: ''Sardinischer Krieg''; French: ...

, he went south to

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

and enlisted in Garibaldi's army. He served there for a year, after which he returned to Breslau. In 1863, during the

January Uprising The January Uprising was an insurrection principally in Russia's Kingdom of Poland that was aimed at putting an end to Russian occupation of part of Poland and regaining independence. It began on 22 January 1863 and continued until the last i ...

, he went to fight with the Poles and was made an officer. He and his company were captured and imprisoned by the Russians, although he was freed with the help of the Prussian Consul and returned to Breslau. He resumed his studies in

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

with his friend and mentor

Abraham Geiger Abraham Geiger (Hebrew: ''ʼAvrāhām Gayger''; 24 May 181023 October 1874) was a German rabbi and scholar who is considered the founding father of Reform Judaism and the academic field of Quranic studies. Emphasizing Judaism's constant developm ...

, and he attended the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

for two years. He then worked at an academy in Seegnitz,

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

from 1868 to 1870. In September 1870, Moses immigrated to America and served as rabbi of Kahl Montgomery in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

. In June 1872, he became rabbi of Congregation Sha'arai Shomayim in Mobile. In September 1881, he became rabbi of Adath Israel Temple in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. He served there until his death. Interested in educating the blind, he served as commissioner of the Kentucky institutions for the blind for many years. A frequent contributor to the Jewish press, he served as editor of the weekly ''Zeitgeist'' with his brother Isaac S. Moses and

Emil G. Hirsch Emil Gustav Hirsch (May 22, 1851 – January 7, 1923) was a Luxembourgish-born Jewish American biblical scholar, Reform rabbi, contributing editor to numerous articles of ''The Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906), anfounding member of the NAACP Biog ...

. He also wrote "Nadab and Abihu" in 1890 and "The Religion of Moses" in 1894. He also wrote the novel "Luser the Watchmaker: An Episode of the Polish Revolution" in 1883 based on his experiences during the January Uprising. Moses began giving sermons in English shortly after he came to America, even though at the time German was prevalent in American synagogues. He leaned towards radical

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish religious movements, Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its Jewish ethics, ethical aspects to its ceremo ...

and opposed the ritual and nationalistic aspects of "psychological Judaism," preferring to focus on Judaism as a world monotheistic doctrine of truth and morality. In 1885, he was the first to advocate acceptance of the Pittsburgh Platform. In 1890, he joined a group of rabbis in rejecting the halakhic requirement to circumcise male converts, although he also rejected conversions for people who only wanted to marry Jews. In 1892, he moved the Temple's main weekly service to Sunday. In 1893, he graduated from the

University of Louisville School of Medicine The University of Louisville School of Medicine at the University of Louisville is a medical school located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Opened as the Louisville Medical Institute in 1837, it is one of the oldest medical schools in No ...

. He was opposed to the early Zionist movement. Moses was a member of

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International ( ; from ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants to the United States. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the se ...

, Kesher, and the Free Sons of Israel. In 1874, he married Emma Isaacs of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. They had ten children, including Alfred Geiger (rabbi of his father's former congregation Sha'arai Shomayim in Mobile, Alabama), J. Garfield (a lawyer in New York City), Elsie (an assistant professor in the Louisville girl's high school), Beatrice (a staff member of the Louisville ''

Courier Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in ...

''), Mrs. L. Neumeyer of Mount Sterling, Fred B., and Octavia. Moses died from a long illness on January 7, 1902. A thousand people attended his funeral at Temple Adas Israel, including ministers of various denominations, lawyers, and businessmen. The honorary pallbearers included Bishop Thomas Underwood Dudley, Rev. Dr. William Heth Whitsitt, ex-Governor William O'Connell Bradley, and Judge Horatio Washington Bruce. Rabbi Hyman G. Enelow delivered the eulogy, Rabbi Ignatius Muller gave the opening prayer, and Rabbi

David Philipson David Philipson (August 9, 1862 – June 29, 1949) was an American Reform rabbi, orator, and author. The son of German-Jewish immigrants, he was a member of the first graduating class of the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. As an adult, he ...

said the closing prayer. He was buried in Adas Israel Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moses, Adolph S. 1840 births 1902 deaths 19th-century German rabbis German Reform rabbis American people of German-Jewish descent University of Breslau alumni People of the Second Italian War of Independence January Uprising participants University of Vienna alumni German emigrants to the United States 19th-century American rabbis 20th-century American rabbis American Reform rabbis People from Montgomery, Alabama People from Mobile, Alabama Religious leaders from Louisville, Kentucky University of Louisville School of Medicine alumni