Newman, Louis I. (Louis Israel), 1893-1972

Louis Newman was the rabbi of the First Hebrew Congregation of Berkeley (1913-1916); worked with the Menorah Club of the Intercollegiate Menorah Association for the Study and Advancement of Jewish Culture and Ideals (1917-1920); assisted Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, in New York City (1916-1921); and served as the associate rabbi for New York City's Temple Israel (1921-1924); the rabbi of San Francisco's Congregation Emanu-El (1924-1930); and as the rabbi of New York City's Congregation Rodeph Shalom (1930-1972). He also was a co-founder of the American Friends of Jewish Palestine; a member of the Zionist Revisionist Movement; an organizer for the Academy of Liberal Judaism; and an observer for the Central Conference of American Rabbis at the United Nations (1946-1953).

Newman was the rabbi of the congregation.

Rabbi and zionist.

Louis I. Newman was an American rabbi, scholar and writer. Despite having no formal rabbinical training he was ordained in 1918 by Steven S. Wise, a Hungarian-born Reform rabbi and Zionist leader, and eventually became the rabbi for Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City. Newman was active in the Zionist movement, held a leadership position in United Palestine Appeal, and during World War II he campaigned in the United States for assistance and support in smuggling Jews from Europe to Palestine. He did not hesitate to use his pulpit to publish his strongly-held beliefs; in 1939 his condemnations from the pulpit of British policy toward Palestine led the Board of his synagogue to pressure him to resign from United Palestine Appeal.

Newman is the editor or author of several books, among them The Hasidic Anthology: Tales and Teachings of the Hasidim, The Talmudic anthology: Tales and Teachings of the Rabbis, A "Chief Rabbi" of Rome Becomes a Catholic (concerning Rabbi Israel Anton Zolli who was baptized a Christian in 1945), and a collection of sermons entitled Biting on Granite . He also wrote a number of pamphlets and booklets and at least one song, and his sermons have been published.