author
Gustav Gottheil
1827–1903
A leading Reform rabbi of the 19th century, he helped shape Jewish religious life in both Europe and the United States. Remembered for his eloquent preaching and wide public influence, he also played an early role in American Zionist thought.
1 Audiobook
Zionism and Anti-Semitism
by Max Simon Nordau, Gustav Gottheil
About the author
Born in Pinne, Prussia, in 1827, Gustav Gottheil studied in Berlin and was drawn to the liberal Jewish scholarship of his day. Before settling in the United States, he served Jewish congregations in Manchester and then in New York, where he became one of the best-known voices of Reform Judaism.
Gottheil was especially associated with Temple Emanu-El in New York City, where his preaching, writing, and public work made him a prominent religious figure. Contemporary and later reference works describe him as influential, widely known, and sometimes controversial, in part because he spoke forcefully on questions of worship, Jewish identity, and relations with the broader society.
He is also remembered as a liturgist and an early supporter of Zionist ideas in the United States. Gustav Gottheil died in New York City in 1903, leaving behind a legacy tied to American Jewish religious life, public debate, and reform-minded leadership.