Alfred Gottschalk

Background

Alfred Gottschalk was born on March 7, 1930 in Oberwesel, Germany. His father, Max Gottschalk, was a livestock farmer, and his mother, Erna, was a homemaker. Alfred, an only child, was raised in a traditional Jewish household. He and his mother managed to leave Germany for the United States to join his father in 1939.

Education

Alfred Gottschalk studied at Brooklyn College in 1952, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute Religion from which he graduated Master of Arts with honors in 1957. At the University of Southern California he became Doctor of Philosophy in 1965. Alfred Gottschalk is also Doctor of Laws (honorary) of the University of Southern California, (1976), the University of Cincinnati (1976), Xavier University (1981), Mount St. Joseph College (1995), Northern Kentucky University (1996); Doctor of Humane Letters (honorary) of the University of Judaism (1971), Jewish Theological Seminary (1986), Brooklyn College (1991), Trinity College (1996), Dropsie University (1974), St. Thomas Institute (1982); Doctor of Religious Education (honorary) of Loyola-Marymount University (1977); Doctor of Divinity (honorary) of New York University (1985).

Career

Alfred Gottschalk headed Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion for three decades. Between 1957 and 1959 he served as the President of the College, then from 1959 to 1971 as the Dean. At the same time from 1965 he worked as the Professor of Bible and Jewish intellectual history. Between 1971 and 1995 Alfred Gottschalk was the President of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. As Chancellor from 1996 until his retirement in 2000, he continued to help guide the institution.

Gottschalk built and expanded the Reform movement graduate schools that have trained thousands of Reform rabbis, cantors, Jewish educators and communal service workers on its four campuses. Among other things, Gottschalk established schools of education and Jewish communal service in Los Angeles, and in the 1970s, in the heart of a recession, envisioned vastly expanded centers for Reform Judaism in Jerusalem and New York. He was progressive: in 1972, in the face of great controversy, he ordained the world’s first female rabbi. He was the first to ordain a Reform rabbi in Israel, in 1980, and in 1992 he ordained Israel’s first female rabbi.

Works

More photos

• book

  • To Learn and To Teach: Your Life as a Rabbi

    (Identifies the characteristics of a good rabbi, discusses...)

    1988
  • THE GERMAN POGROM OF NOVEMBER 1938 AND THE REACTION OF AMERICAN JEWRY

    (NY 1988. Leo Baeck Memorial Lecture. Octavo, 27pp., wraps...)

  • Your Future as a Rabbi; a Calling That Counts 1967

Membership

Alfred Gottschalk was a member of President Johnson's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity,Governor's Poverty Support Corps Program,President's Commission on Holocaust,United States Holocaust Memorial Council,North American Association of the International Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization,North American Board of Alliance Israelite Universelle,American Association of University Professors,Israel Exploration Society,National Education Association,the American Philosophical Society,American Association of Higher Education,Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis,American Academy of Religion,The Board of Rabbis of Southern California,Phi Beta Kappa,Council for Initiatives in Jewish Education,Jewish Historical Society of Southern California,The Central Conference of American Rabbis ,World Union of Jewish Studies,International Conference of Jewish Communal Service,World Union for Progressive Judaism.

• President Johnson's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity , United States

  1964 - 1966

• Governor's Poverty Support Corps Program , United States

  1964 - 1966

• President's Commission on Holocaust , United States

  1979

• United States Holocaust Memorial Council , United States

  1980 - 1992

• United States Holocaust Memorial Council , United States

  1996 - 2001

• North American Association of the International Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization , United States

  1982 - 1993

• North American Board of Alliance Israelite Universelle , United States

• American Association of University Professors , United States

• Israel Exploration Society , United States

• National Education Association , United States

• The American Philosophical Society , United States

• American Association of Higher Education , United States

• Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis , United States

• American Academy of Religion , United States

• The Board of Rabbis of Southern California , United States

• Phi Beta Kappa , United States

• Council for Initiatives in Jewish Education , United States

• Jewish Historical Society of Southern California , United States

• The Central Conference of American Rabbis , United States

• World Union of Jewish Studies

  1997

• International Conference of Jewish Communal Service

• World Union for Progressive Judaism

Personality

Quotes from others about the person

• Rabbi David Ellenson:"Alfred Gottschalk was a genuine giant in the Jewish community who never forgot his roots in Germany and labored his entire life to improve the world and strengthen so many educational and religious institutions in the Jewish community and beyond"
  
  Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman: "He’s going to be remembered as a rebuilder of the ruins from the Holocaust. He was on fire with that"
  
  Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman: "His love [for Israel] led him to build the Jerusalem campus in the center of the city. He was a fierce fighter … one of the staunchest supporters of Israel and of Zionism"
  
  Rabbi Michael Marmur: "Professor Gottschalk was not only the only Reform leader who was extremely Zionist, but he was one of the most instrumental in bringing about a major change in Reform Judaism’s attitude toward Zionism"

Interests

• Sport & Clubs

  football

Connections

He was married twice. His marriage to Jeanne Schrag "Gina" Gottschalk ended in divorce. In 1977 Alfred married to Deanna Zeff Frank Gottschal. Has two children from his first marriage, Marc Gottschalk and Rachel Brenner; two stepsons, Charles Frank and Andrew Frank; and nine grandchildren.

Father:

Max Gottschalk

Mother:

Erna Gottschalk

ex-wife:

Jeanne Schrag Gottschalk

Wife:

Deanna Zeff Frank Gottschal

Son:

Marc Gottschalk

Daughter:

Rachel Brenner

stepson:

Charles Frank

stepson:

Andrew Frank