Hirsch, Emil Gustav

Hirsch, Emil Gustav (hûrsh), 1851–1923, American rabbi, b. Luxembourg. He was rabbi in Baltimore, Md., and Louisville, Ky., but is best known for his work as rabbi of the Sinai congregation of Chicago. In 1892 he became professor of rabbinical literature and philosophy at the Univ. of Chicago, and he was president (1885–97) of the Chicago Public Library board. He was an influential exponent of advanced thought and Reform Judaism. He edited the Milwaukee Der Zeitgeist (1880–82) and the Reform Advocate (1891–1923).

Bibliography

See My Religion, a compilation of Hirsch's addresses and sermons, by G. B. Levi (1925); biography by D. C. Hirsch (1968).

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Hirsch, Emil Gustav (1851–1923) rabbi; born in Luxembourg. He came to the U.S.A. in 1866. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania (1872), he studied in Germany, then served as rabbi in several U.S. cities. In 1880 he was named rabbi of the Sinai Congregation in Chicago (1880–1923), and in 1892 he became professor of rabbinic literature and Jewish philosophy at the University of Chicago. Active on behalf of the Reform movement and of social justice, he advocated radical reforms in Jewish practice, including the observance of the Sabbath on Sunday.