Hurewitz, Isaac S. , 1868-1935 (Rabbi)
Biographical Note
Rabbi. Born in Kovno, Russia, Oct. 9, 1868, son of Joseph Dov and Beila Hurewitz, he studied at the Yeshivot of Volozin and Slabotka. In 1892, he received his s'miha (rabbinical ordination) from the world re¬nowned scholar, Yitzhok Elhanan Spector of Kovno. He came to Hartford in 1893 and, in his long ministry of over 40 years, served the following congregations: Adas Israel, Agudas Achim, and Beth Hamedrash Hagodol (Garden St. Syngogue). In 1905, he was the editor of a bi-weekly, Yiddishe Shtimme (the Jewish Voice) which, in 1908, became a monthly publication. A recognized talmudic scholar, he was the author of the book Sefer Harrlitzvot which was published in Jerusalem in 1926.
Rabbi Hurewitz was the first East European Orthodox rabbi in Hartford and was instrumental in establishing its Jewish charitable and educational institutions. He was a charter board member of the United Jewish Charities in 1912 and of Mt. Sinai Hospital in 1923.
He died Dec. 30, 1935. Survivors: widow, Chana Hurewitz; sons, Dr. Herman M., Atty. Joseph, Aaron, Jacob (professor at Columbia Univ.), and Samuel M.; daughters, Mrs. Morris (Bessie) Sheketo, Mrs. Max (Rebecca) Feldman, Mrs. Abraham (Anna) Goldstein, Mrs. George (Rae) Ganz, Mrs. Walter (Freda) Jacobson, and Mrs. Rose Zelzer (Mrs. Herr, Tel Aviv).
His first wife, Ida Aaronson Hurewitz, died in March 1932.
Grandfather to Joseph Huriwitz
From the Hartford Times editorial, Jan. 1, 1936.
There is a void in the orthodox Jewish community today. A leader is gone a man of gentle nature who brought peace into many hearts and homes.
For more than 40 years Rabbi Isaac S. Hurewitz ministered to his people. He was not only their spiritual adviser but also their confidante. He was the scholarly Talmudist to whom they came for interpretations of law. He was arbiter and coun¬sellor for those who had business disagreements or domestic problems.
He came here in immigrant times, before the days of organized charities. Upon him fell the burden of obtaining help for newcomers. If an immigrant needed a pack to peddle; a poor man lost the horse that he needed to earn a living; a family was hungry it was to Rabbi Hurewitz that all turned. It is well known that he opened his home to many a needy wayfarer even when he had little for himself and his own. His family and his people may well be proud of his unique service, for it embodied those principles which make for a better community for all.
Citation:
Silverman, M. (1970) Hartford Jews 1659-1970. Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, CT.Found in 20 Collections and/or Records:
Dambrov, Judy_1973; Kellin, Sophie_1973, Oral History, May 13, 1973
Subjects of interview include: Family life in Hartford, teaching at a Hebrew school
Hurwitz Family (Rabbi Isaac, David, Jacob, and Morris, Raymond), 1891 - 1998
Hurwitz, Joe_2006, Oral History, December 4, 2006
Hurwitz, Joe_2008, Oral History, March 4, 2008
This interview focuses on Joe's grandfather Rabbi Isaac Hurewitz (also spelled Hurwitz), an early leader of the Hartford Jewish community. He also reflects on life growing up in Hartford, particuialrly focusing on Keney Park. He also touches on his war service in Korea and that of some of his other family members.
The interview is somewhat disjointed and repetitious, in part because of the way it was transcribed, but also because Hurwitz started repeating himself.
Hurwitz, Joseph, 1955 - 2008
Filtered By
- Subject: Emanuel Synagogue X
Additional filters:
- Subject
- Immigrant(s) 19
- Immigration 19
- Family History 17
- Family Life in Hartford 17
- Religious Celebration 17
- Zionism 17
- oral histories (literary works) 17
- Hartford, CT 16
- Jewish Community 16
- Religious Life 16
- Family Life 15
- Jewish Life in Hartford 15
- Jews, Russian 15
- Growing up in Hartford 14
- Religious Education 14
- Agudas Achim (Rumanishe Shul) 13
- Israel 13
- Pogroms 13
- Talmud Torah 13
- Growing up Jewish 12
- Growing up Jewish in Hartford 12
- Life in Russia 12
- Palestine 12
- Russia 12
- Jewish Education 11
- Jewish War Veterans 11
- Mount Sinai Hospital 11
- War Veterans 11
- World War, 1939-1945 11
- Education 10
- Trinity College 10
- Yiddish 10
- Colchester, CT 9
- Hartford Public Schools 9
- Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford 9
- Anti-Semitism 8
- Barnard-Brown Schools 8
- Hartford Public High School 8
- Jewish Community Center 8
- Keney Park (Hartford, Conn.) 8
- Pleasant Street, Hartford, CT 8
- Rabbinate 8
- Weaver High School 8
- World War, 1914-1918 8
- Yale University 8
- B'nai B'rith 7
- Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford 7
- New York 7
- Peddlers 7
- Politics 7
- Teaching Hebrew in Hartford 7
- Temple Beth Israel 7
- rabbis 7
- Agriculture & Farming 6
- American Jewish Congress 6
- Businesses & Professions -- Lawyer 6
- Businesses -- Clothing/Tailors 6
- Fundraisers 6
- Growing up Jewish in Russia 6
- Growing up in Russia 6
- Hadassah 6
- Holocaust 6
- Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 5
- Bellevue Street, Hartford, CT 5
- Beth Hamedrash Hagodol (Garden Street Synagogue) 5
- Blue Hills Avenue, Hartford, CT 5
- Businesses -- Dairy 5
- Chesed Shel Emeth (Hebrew Burial Association) 5
- Crown Market 5
- Eastern European Jews 5
- Harvard University 5
- Hebrew Ladies' Old People's Association 5
- Jewish National Fund 5
- Jewish life in Europe 5
- Korean War 5
- Language 5
- Law 5
- Obituary 5
- Philanthropy 5
- Albany Avenue, Hartford, CT 4
- Awards 4
- Bar Mitzvah 4
- Baron De Hirsch 4
- Businesses & Professions -- Physician 4
- Businesses -- Retail 4
- Chesed Shel Emeth 4
- Chesed Shel Emeth (Hebrew Ladies' Sheltering Home) 4
- Connecticut Jewish History 4
- G. Fox & Co. 4
- Garden Street, Hartford, CT 4
- Greater Hartford Jewish Community Center 4
- Hartford Public Library 4
- Jerusalem, Israel 4
- Jewish Federation 4
- Keeping Kosher/Kashrut 4
- Young Judaea of Connecticut 4
- Zionist Organization of America 4
- "Max and His Rose" 3
- American Jewish Committee 3