Martin Abraham Meyer

Background

Martin Abraham Meyer was born on January 15, 1879, in San Francisco, California. He was the son of Charles and Louisa B. (Silberstein) Meyer.

Education

Meyer attended the public schools of his native city, then entered Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, having been prepared by Rabbi Jacob Voorsanger of San Francisco. He received the degree of A. B. in 1899 from the University of Cincinnati, and in 1901 graduated as rabbi from Hebrew Union College, honor man and valedictorian. Having won a fellowship in the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine, he spent the winter 1901-02 in Jerusalem specializing in archeology, ethnology, and Semitic philology. Several articles which he contributed to American newspapers during that period indicate his disgust with Jewish conditions in the Holy Land. In 1902, he was elected rabbi of Congregation Beth Emeth at Albany, New York, where he remained four years. He registered as a post-graduate student at Columbia University, majoring in Semitics, and received the degree of Ph. D. in 1910. His dissertation, History of the City of Gaza (1907), was a scholarly work in Arabic Semitic culture.

Career

In 1906, Meyer was called to Temple Israel, Brooklyn, New York, and served there four years. As rabbi of the leading congregation in that large borough he wielded a wide influence along civic and philanthropic as well as religious lines. During this time he helped organize the Brooklyn Federation of Jewish Charities. In 1910, he accepted the unanimous call of Temple Emanu El, the leading Reform congregation in San Francisco, where he served the remaining thirteen years of his life. He soon became an outstanding figure of the Pacific Coast. His scholarly training led to his appointment in 1911 as lecturer in Semitics at the University of California, a post he held with distinction until his death. He was in popular demand for lectures at western colleges, where he discussed scientific as well as religious topics. In addition to his doctoral thesis, he wrote the article "Jerusalem Modern" for the Jewish Encyclopedia (1904); an introduction to Sermons and Addresses by Jacob Voorsanger. (1913), edited by O. I. Wise; a noteworthy pamphlet, Jew and Non-Jew (1913), published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis; and a sketch of "The Jews of California, " which appeared in A. W. Voorsanger's Western Jewry (1916). He died in San Francisco.

Achievements

• Martin Abraham brought his scholarly attainments into the preparation of his sermons, which were based invariably on the Bible and upon Jewish commentaries interpreted in the light of modern events. Appointed in 1911 a member of the State Board of Charities and Corrections, he became chairman in 1912 and served with great credit until a reluctant governor accepted his resignation in 1920. Deeply interested in social-service problems and following reform ideas without being impractical, he became a recognized leader in western philanthropies. The most constructive achievement to his credit is the Jewish Committee for Personal Service in State Institutions, a society which he organized in cooperation with I. Irving Lipsitch, to care for Jewish wards under state supervision and to help them after their release. Another monument to him is the Martin A. Meyer Memorial Fund for needy Jewish students of the University of California, a sum of $25, 000 collected by friends shortly after his death. In 1918 he volunteered for war service under the American Red Cross and returned in 1919 a chastened man, eager to uphold the principles of World Peace.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Jew and Non-Jew (Classic Reprint)

    (Excerpt from Jew and Non-Jew It is said that in southern...)

  • Jesus and the Thought of the World

    (Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We h...)

  • Western Jewry; An Account of the Achievements of the Jews and Judaism in California, Including Eulogies and Biographies. the Jews in California, by Martin A. Meyer

    ( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)

  • Method Of Teaching Post Biblical History: Lessons Xviii-xxxiii...

    (This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)

  • History of the City of Gaza: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day,

Personality

As a preacher, Meyer was direct, forceful, and effective. He was fearless, though usually tactful in discussing vital issues, and was one of the few Reform rabbis who openly spoke for and worked on behalf of Zionism. He was most active in civic affairs along nonpartisan lines.

Connections

On June 19, 1905, Meyer married Jennie May Haas of Cincinnati; two children, a son and a daughter, were born to them.

Father:

Charles Meyer

Mother:

Louisa B. (Silberstein) Meyer

Wife:

Jennie May Haas