Rabbi Rudolph M. Rosenthal (1906-1979) served for 43 years as spiritual leader of B'nai Jeshurun Congregation in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Known as the Temple on the Heights, it is one of the largest Conservative Jewish congregations in the United States. Rosenthal was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 7, 1906. He completed four years of undergraduate work at Hebrew Union College while concurrently attending the University of Cincinnati from which he received his B.A. in 1928. He then transferred to the Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, New York where he was ordained by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise in 1932. In conjunction with his religious studies, he received his M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University, also in 1932.
Rosenthal returned to Cleveland in 1933 and early the next year was installed as rabbi of the Temple on the Heights. During his tenure he was active in the civic, cultural, and education life of the community. He was the first rabbi appointed chaplain of the Cleveland Fire Department in 1952, and was also the assistant chaplain of the Jewish War Veterans, Post #14. He served on the Mayor's Committee to Combat Juvenile Delinquency and, in 1974, on Mayor Perk's Crime Commission. Rosenthal's membership in various civic and educational organizations included the Committee on Church and State of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Bureau of Jewish Education, the Grand Jury Association, the Ohio Mental Hygiene Association, the American Cancer Society, and the Greater Cleveland Safety Council. He was also a member of the Executive Board of the Zionist Organization of America. In 1964 Rosenthal received the City of Hope's "Humanitarian of the Year" Award, and in 1976 he received the "Distinguished Son of Ohio" Award from the Civic Recognition Committee of Ohio.
Among Rosenthal's special concerns were the fields of interracial and inter-religious affairs. He was a member of the Wilberforce University Foundation, serving also as its treasurer, and was Co-chairman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) membership campaign in 1960. In 1957 Rosenthal received a citation from the Church Civic League for his work as a member of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. In recognition for his work in these fields, Rosenthal received honorary degrees from several colleges and universities, including Wilberforce University and Monrovia College in Liberia, Africa.
The Rudolph M. Rosenthal Papers, 1925-1980 and undated, consist of correspondence, manuscript drafts, addresses and sermons, memorabilia, and synagogue records. Correspondents include the Wilberforce University Foundation and Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, on the topics of civil rights and Zionism.
This collection will be useful to researchers studying the history of the Jewish community of Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, Ohio, during the twentieth century, and the career and activities of Rudolph Rosenthal. The general content of the papers illustrates Rosenthal's 43 years as rabbi of the Temple on the Heights, his involvement in civil rights through his association with Wilberforce University and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and his work for a variety of civic and educational organizations, both local and national, including the National Conference of Christians and Jews. His lifelong interest in Jewish world affairs is illustrated in many of his sermons and letters, and in numerous writings and articles describing his many visits to Europe, Israel, and the Middle East. The collection also describes Rosenthal's Zionist activities in association with Rabbi Wise and the Zionist Organization of America. His sermons cover a wide range of topics, including death, John F. Kennedy, the Soviet Union, Nazism, interfaith affairs, marriage, and crime.
The collection is arranged in five series.
The researcher should also consult MS 3977 Rudolph M. Rosenthal Papers, Series II; MS 4784 Rudolph M. Rosenthal Papers, Series III; PG 335 Rudolph M. Rosenthal Photographs; MS 4726 B'nai Jeshurun Congregation Records; and PG 492 B'nai Jeshurun Congregation Photographs.
Processed by James E. Shelley in 1984.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 3940 Rudolph M. Rosenthal Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of Mrs. Bertha Rosenthal in 1981.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.