This Sunday, March 17, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, the namesake of our congregation and a pillar of the 20th Century American Jewish Community who helped shape Jewish life as we know it today. Throughout this week’s daily kavannot, we will explore many of his lasting contributions to our history and tradition. From a historical standpoint, the convergence of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise’s simultaneous, strong devotions to the American Jewish community, to labor and civil rights, to freedom of the pulpit, and to Zionism seems unlikely. Few, if any, of Wise’s early 20th century contemporaries held all these passions at once, just as, few, if any, successfully championed any of them with the success that Wise championed them all. This was, in part, due to Stephen Wise’s refusal to allow the world to dictate his values to him. Despite the countless colleagues who urged [...]

This Sunday, March 17, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, the namesake of our congregation and a pillar of the 20th Century American Jewish Community who helped shape Jewish life as we know it today. Throughout this week’s daily kavannot, we will explore many of his lasting contributions to our history and tradition. Unlike many of his Reform contemporaries, who viewed the nascent Zionist enterprise as a distraction or even an obstacle to the goal of integrating into American society, and unlike many of his Orthodox contemporaries, who viewed the nascent Zionist enterprise as a rejection of messianic faith, Stephen Wise’s commitment to the land of Israel and to the global Jewish community ultimately transformed him into America’s leading Zionist. Following the death of his grandfather, Rabbi Joseph Weisz, Stephen’s grandmother, Rachel, emigrated from Hungary to Jerusalem, where she lived out the remainder of her days. [...]

This Sunday, March 17, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, the namesake of our congregation and a pillar of the 20th Century American Jewish Community who helped shape Jewish life as we know it today. Throughout this week’s daily kavannot, we will explore many of his lasting contributions to our history and tradition.Just as Rabbi Stephen Wise’s diverse educational influences deepened his commitment to the welfare of his fellow human beings, they also strengthened his resolve to use his position without restraint—to fuel social change, as well as advance the cause of the American and global Jewish communities.In his first position as senior rabbi of Congregation B’nai Jeshurun, he quickly organized resistance against a wealthy New York socialite’s plan to erect a stable next door to his congregation. He then spoke out in support of an 1898 railway car strike, despite the objections of the congregation’s [...]

This Sunday, March 17, marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, the namesake of our congregation and a pillar of the 20th Century American Jewish Community who helped shape Jewish life as we know it today. Throughout this week’s daily kavannot, we will explore many of his lasting contributions to our history and tradition. Born in Budapest, Hungary, on March 17, 1874, Stephen Samuel Wise came from a distinguished line of rabbis—dating back six generations. His grandfather, Rabbi Joseph Weisz, was a traditional Orthodox rabbi, supported by the Hapsburg monarchy. However, Stephen’s father, Rabbi Aaron Weisz, studied at the Eisenstadt seminary in Austria, home to modern Orthodoxy, which taught that traditional Jewish practices may exist while embracing modern scholarship, technology, and science. When Stephen was seventeen months old, his father moved the family to Brooklyn, adopting the surname Wise. Aaron then served the Baith Israel community, before [...]