Rabbi Israel Porath (1886-1974), spiritual leader and scholar, was the "dean" of Cleveland, Ohio's Orthodox rabbis for almost five decades. Born in Jerusalem, Porath was active in public life of Palestine as an educator and local administrator. In 1928 he immigrated to the United States. Two years later he became rabbi at Cleveland's congregation Oheb Zedek, a position he held for 14 years. Rabbi Porath served 6 years as rabbi of Congregation Neveh Zedek and then with Heights Jewish Center until his retirement in 1972. He was active in the Cleveland Jewish community, representing the interests of the Orthodox community. A Talmudic scholar, Porath compiled an 8-volume outline of the Talmud in Hebrew titled Mavo Ha-Talmud.
The Rabbi Israel Porath Papers, 1934-1975, consist of correspondence, notes, and articles, all mainly in Hebrew.
Correspondence consists of personal, professional, and business letters arranged chronologically. Notes consist of undated, handwritten notes for talks, lectures or sermons. Articles consist of published and unpublished articles by, or about, Rabbi Porath.
The collection is arranged by document type and then chronologically.
Photographs have been removed to the WRHS photographic collection.
Researchers should also consult MS 4753 Rabbi Israel Porath Papers; and MS 4757 Heights Jewish Center Records.
Processed by Louis Rosenblum in 1990.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4526 Rabbi Israel Porath Papers, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
David Porath, 1986.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.