History of the JTSA
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America was founded in 1886. Begun as
the Jewish Theological Seminary Assosciation, it was founded by two rabbis;
Dr. Sabato Morris and Dr. H. Pereira Mendes along with a handful of devoted
laypersons. Beginning with only ten students and meeting at a Spanish-Portugese
synagogue in New York City, the stated purpose of the assosciation was
"the preservation in America of knowledge and practice of historical judaism"(A
Brief..., 2). Around 1900, three Jewish laypersons, Jacob H. Schiff, Leonard
Lewinsohn, and Sanial Guggenheim founded the JTSA, appointing Rabbi Solomon
Schechter, a prominent Jewish scholar, president of the seminary.
Dr. Schechter founded the graduate school at the JTSA and instituted many
new programs of stude. In 1909, Dr. Mordecai Kaplan was chosen to be the
head of the new teachers institute. Schechter exanded the seminary further
founding the United Synagogue of America, thus enabeling the JTSA to extend
its influence into the rest of the nation. A series of excellent leaders
succeeded Dr. Schechter, including Drs. Cyrus Adler, Louis Finkelstein,
and Gearson Cohen. These able men brought the seminary into the modern
era, adding new residence halls, a graduate school, and approving the acceptance
of women into the seminary. Today, the JTSA is one of the most widely-respected
universities in the nation. Its graduates go on to serve not only as rabbis,
but also as cantors, teachers, and faculty at some of the most highly regarded
universities in the nation and the world (A Brief...,4). The seminary is
now headed by Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, whose goal is to provide "service to
the American Jewish community, to the greater society, and to the world"
(A Brief..., 4).
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Medieval History", Fordham University, Spring 1997
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© Site Concept and Design: Paul Halsall created 26 Jan 1996: latest revision 11 March 2024 [CV]
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