author
Joseph Krauskopf
1858–1923
A pioneering Reform rabbi and prolific writer, he helped shape Jewish religious life in Philadelphia while also founding the school that became Delaware Valley University. His work joined faith, social reform, and a practical belief in education and self-sufficiency.
2 Audiobooks
Jews and Moors in Spain
by Joseph Krauskopf
"My Visit to Tolstoy": Five Discourses
by Joseph Krauskopf
About the author
Born in Prussia in 1858, he immigrated to the United States as a teenager and went on to study at Hebrew Union College, where he was part of its first graduating class in 1883. He became one of the best-known voices in early American Reform Judaism and built a wide reputation as a speaker and author.
From 1887 until his death in 1923, he served Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Philadelphia. During his long tenure, the congregation grew into one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country, and he became known for connecting religious leadership with public questions of education, welfare, and civic life.
He is also remembered as the founder of the National Farm School, the institution that later became Delaware Valley University. That project reflected his belief that learning, useful skills, and opportunity could strengthen both individuals and communities.