Isaac Mayer Wise (29 March 1819 – 26 March 1900) was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author. He was the son of Löbl Doktor and Regina Weiss; since his parents weren't civilly married, he went by his mother's surname. He received his early Hebrew education from his father and grandfather, later continuing his Hebrew and secular studies in Prague. It was even a source of controversy with his intellectual rival, Rabbi David Einhorn.

In 1843, he was appointed rabbi at Radneitz (now Radnice near Plzeň), where he remained for about two years. He changed the spelling of his surname to Wise.

Reforms in Albany

In October 1846, Wise was appointed rabbi of Congregation Beth-El of Albany, New York. His eight years in that position has been described as "crucial period of his existence" and his "storm and stress period". During this time, he conceived many of his later projects. (Another source says this first happened in 1851 at Anshe Emeth.)

  • Eliminate the bar mitzvah tradition and replace it with a later confirmation ceremony at a more informed age than 13 that allows for both boys and girls (at age 12) to participate.
  • Have a mixed-sex choir.

In 1850, Wise had famously remarked in reply to a question brought during a public forum with an Orthodox rabbi at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim in Charleston, South Carolina, that he did not believe in the coming of the Messiah or the resurrection of the dead. A letter from the Charleston congregation documenting his statements was published, and the leaders of his synagogue Beth-El were outraged. As a result, the trustees of the synagogue dismissed him; Wise did not accept his dismissal. At the following day's service, the first day of Rosh Hashanah, at the moment when the Torah scroll was being removed from the ark, an altercation broke out between opponents and defenders of Wise. The chaos was so pronounced that the sheriff was calledhe cleared the synagogue, locked the doors, and took the keys. This was the end of Wise's position at Temple Beth-El. a position supporters, including then-New York Senator William H. Seward, helped him get as Anshe Emeth was unable to pay a full salary.

Minhag America

In 1847, at the suggestion of Max Lilienthal, who was at that time stationed in New York, a bet din was formed, which was to act in the capacity of an advisory committee to the congregations of the country, without, however, exercising hierarchic powers. As members of this bet din, Lilienthal named Wise and two others besides himself. At a meeting held in the spring of 1847, Wise submitted to the bet din the manuscript of a siddur to be titled the Minhag America and to be used by all the congregations of the country. No action was taken, however, until the Cleveland Conference of 1855, when a committee consisting of Wise, Rothenberg, and Isidor Kalisch was appointed to edit the siddur. This book appeared under the title Minhag America, and was practically Wise's work; it was adopted by most of the congregations of the Western and Southern states. So pronounced was Wise's desire for unity that when in 1894 the Union Prayer Book was published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, he voluntarily retired the Minhag America from his own congregation.

Rabbinical conferences

The first outcome of Wise's agitation for union among the Jews was the Cleveland Conference held in 1855, and convened at his initiative. This conference was unfortunate, for, instead of uniting the rabbis of all parts of the country in a bond of fellowship, it gave rise to strained relations between Wise and his followers on one side, and prominent rabbis in the eastern part of the country on the other side. These differences were partly removed during the rabbinical conference of Philadelphia (1869), which Wise attended. The New York conference of 1870, and the Cincinnati conference of 1871 were efforts in the same direction; but a controversy ensuing from the latter served only to widen the breach. Yet was the great "unionist" not discouraged. He continued agitating for a synod which was to be the central body of authority for American Judaism. In 1881 he submitted to the meeting of the Rabbinical Literary Association a report urging the formation of a synod; but the matter never passed beyond the stage of discussion. However, he lived to see the establishment of the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 1889, which was the third enduring offspring of his tireless energy and unfailing perseverance. During the last eleven years of his life he served as president of the conference which he had called into existence.

Slavery

Wise has been criticized for his attitude toward slavery. In "On the Provisional Portion of the Mosaic Code, with Special Reference to Polygamy and Slavery", an article from 1864 whose opening sentence is: "It is evident that Moses was opposed to slavery",

Personal life

Wise was married twice. His first wife was Therese Bloch, sister of Edward H. Bloch, the founder of Bloch Publishing Company. They had 10 children She died in 1874.

Legacy and honors

  • The , a liberty ship in World War II, was named in his honor.
  • A park in North College Hill, Ohio was dedicated to Wise. In 2022, the park was renovated and re-dedicated.

References

Further reading

  • Isaac Mayer Wise Digital Archive at the American Jewish Archives
  • Works by Isaac Mayer Wise in the German Union Catalogue
  • Funeral of Rabbi Wise
  • Die Deborah (B63) is a digitized periodical at the Leo Baeck Institute