Kaufmann Kohler
German-born American Bible scholar, Reform rabbi and theologian
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(Suggest an Edit or Addition)According to Wikipedia, Kaufmann Kohler was a German-born Jewish American biblical scholar and critic, theologian, Reform rabbi, and contributing editor to numerous articles of The Jewish Encyclopedia . Life and work Kaufmann Kohler was born into a family of German Jewish rabbis in Fürth, Kingdom of Bavaria. He received his rabbinical training at Hassfurt, Höchberg near Würzburg, Mainz, Altona, and at Frankfurt am Main under Samson Raphael Hirsch, and his university training at Munich, Berlin, Leipzig, and Erlangen ; his Ph.D. thesis, Der Segen Jacob's , was one of the earliest Jewish essays in the field of the higher criticism, and its radical character had the effect of closing to him the Jewish pulpit in Germany. Abraham Geiger, to whose Zeitschrift Kohler became a contributor at an early age, strongly influenced his career and directed his steps to the United States. In 1869 he accepted a call to the pulpit of the Temple Beth-El in Detroit; in 1871 he became rabbi of Chicago Sinai Congregation. In 1879 he succeeded his father-in-law, David Einhorn, as rabbi of Temple Beth-El, New York City; his brother-in-law, Emil G. Hirsch, becoming his successor in Chicago. Feb. 26, 1903, he was elected to the presidency of the Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati.
