In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

C H A P T E R 1 4 Milton Steinber g Simon Noveck Among th e rabbi s who preache d i n America n synagogue s an d wer e active in Jewish organizational lif e during the 1930 s and 1940s , non e was mor e gifte d intellectuall y tha n Milto n Steinberg . Hi s brillian t sermons wer e base d no t onl y o n Bibl e an d Midras h bu t o n philo sophical an d literar y sources . Th e lucidit y o f hi s thinkin g an d hi s skill in putting hi s thoughts int o systematic discourse , hi s historica l novel As a Driven Leaf, whic h mad e suc h a profoun d impac t o n numerous readers, hi s series of popular book s on Jewish survival, o n contemporary Jewish problems , an d on basic Judaism, hi s polemica l articles o n Zionism , Conservativ e Judaism , an d o n Reconstruc tionism , an d hi s penetratin g theologica l essay s writte n wit h th e same lucidit y an d persuasivenes s whic h characterize d al l hi s writ ings —all thes e reflecte d a creative min d an d a personality wh o no t only influence d hi s generation , bu t als o thos e wh o hav e rea d hi s books i n th e ensuin g years . Mor e tha n an y othe r rabb i o f hi s tim e (or o f ou r time ) hi s lif e an d caree r dramaticall y illustrat e th e fac t that intellectualism , standard s o f excellence , an d literar y styl e ar e not incompatibl e wit h succes s in the rabbinate . Early Background and Influences How di d i t happe n tha t suc h a gifte d youn g man , whos e famil y background an d earl y upbringin g wer e somewha t differen t fro m those o f othe r America n rabbi s o f th e time , mad e suc h a caree r 3i3 3 H SIMO N NOVEC K choice? In those years most rabbis came from religiousl y observan t parents, ofte n th e son s o f rabbis , cantors , o r othe r religiou s func tionaries an d usuall y ha d year s o f trainin g i n a yeshiv a befor e entering th e Seminary . Youn g Steinberg ha d non e of these advan tages .1 His father had studied Talmud in his youth in Lithuania an d knew hi s way i n rabbini c literature , bu t h e had los t hi s piety an d given u p hi s religiou s interes t eve n befor e settlin g i n Rochester , New York , wher e Milto n wa s born . I n searc h o f ne w mooring s and fo r peopl e who would b e receptive t o his "free ideas, " Samuel Steinberg began to gravitate toward the local branch of the Arbeiter Ring (Workman' s Circle ) an d t o atten d forum s a t th e Labo r Ly ceum , a few block s from hi s home wher e h e hear d Morri s Hilqui t and other socialist speakers talk about the new society they wanted to buil d i n America . I n th e "Progressiv e Library " nearby , Samue l began to read articles by Eugene Debs, Abraham Cahan, an d Victor Berger of the Socialist movemen t an d h e often too k his precociou s son along . I n late r year s Milto n woul d refe r t o thes e earl y influ ences , t o the love of ideas, the passion for justice, an d for intellec tual debate that he gained from his father an d from the socialist lecturers . Young Steinberg learned t o read befor e h e entered publi c schoo l and a t a n earl y ag e wa s alread y a frequen t visito r a t th e littl e neighborhood librar y o n Josep h Avenu e nea r hi s grandparents ' home.2 Th e libraria n wa...

Share