Courtesy of Project Gutenberg

Max Lilienthal 1815-1882

Rabbi and educator Max Lilienthal rose to prominence as one of the foremost advocates for Reform Judaism in America. A native of Munich, Lilienthal had a successful career as a religious leader in Russia before he immigrated to New York in 1845, where he served two different pulpits, opened a Jewish school, and, in 1855, became a correspondent for a Cincinnati-based newspaper, The American Israelite. One year later, Lilienthal moved to Cincinnati, where he became associate editor of the newspaper, a pulpit rabbi, and a professor of Jewish history and literature at Hebrew Union College. Lilienthal is credited with helping to transform the college into a leading institution of Reform Jewish thought.