Jacob Pressman
| Jacob Pressman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 26, 1919 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died |
October 1, 2015 (aged 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Residence | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Education |
University of Pennsylvania Jewish Theological Seminary of America |
| Occupation | Rabbi, columnist |
| Religion | Conservative Judaism |
| Spouse(s) | Marjorie Steinberg |
| Children |
Daniel Pressman Joel Pressman (deceased) Judith Pressman |
| Parent(s) |
Solomon Pressman Dora (Levin) Pressman |
Jacob "Jack" Pressman (October 26, 1919 – October 1, 2015) was an American Conservative rabbi. He served as the rabbi of Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles, California from 1950 to 1985. He was a co-founder of the American Jewish University in Bel Air. He penned a weekly column in The Beverly Hills Courier from 2004 to 2015.
Early life
Jacob Pressman was born on October 26, 1919 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1][2] His father was Solomon Pressman and his mother, Dora (Levin) Pressman.[1] Raised in the Jewish faith, he attended Temple Beth Am in Philadelphia.[2]
Pressman graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1940, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree.[3][4] He attended the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and was ordained as a conservative rabbi in 1945.[1][2][3]
Career
Pressman served as rabbi at Forest Hills Jewish Center in Queens, New York City, from 1944 to 1946.[1][2][3] In 1946, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he first served as associate rabbi at Sinai Temple until 1950.[1][2] At the time, the senior rabbi was Jacob Kohn (or Cohen).[1][2]
In 1950, he became rabbi of the Olympic Jewish Center.[1][2][5] It was renamed Temple Beth Am in 1957.[1][2] Pressman established Beth Am Manor, a low-rent residence for senior citizens as well as the Rabbi Jacob Pressman Academy, a combination of nursery, elementary and secondary schools connected to the synagogue.[1]
Pressman spearheaded the 'Save Soviet Jewry' campaign in 1964, leading to greater awareness of the plight of the Jews in the Soviet Union.[2][4] This in turn led to more immigration of Soviet Jews to Israel.[2] Moreover, he joined Martin Luther King, Jr. in his protest march in Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.[3][4]
Pressman served as President of the Western Region of the Rabbanical Assembly and Chairman of its convention in 1979.[1] Additionally, he served as President of the Board of Rabbis of Los Angeles.[1] He served on the Executive Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.[1] He was also Chair of the Los Angeles campaign for Israel Bonds.[1] Moreover, he was involved with the United Jewish Appeal.[1]
Pressman spearheaded the establishment of Camp Ramah in California, a summer camp in Ojai.[1][5][6] He was a co-founder of the Brandeis-Bardin Camp Institute.[1][6] He served as Chairman of the Los Angeles Zionist Youth Commission.[1] He played a critical role in the founding of the Los Angeles Hebrew High School.[1][6] He was a co-founder of the University of Judaism, later known as the American Jewish University (AJU), located in Bel Air.[1][5][6] He was a recipient of the 2004 Rabbi Simon Greenberg Award from AJU.[3]
Pressman was the founding President of the Maple Counseling Centre, a non-profit organization which offers free counseling sessions, based in Beverly Hills, California.[1] He has written a weekly column in The Beverly Hills Courier since 2004.[5] He has written two books.[3]
Personal life
Pressman was married to Marjorie Steinberg.[1][7] They resided in Beverly Hills, California.[7] One of their sons, Joel, who worked as a Performing Arts teacher at the Beverly Hills High School, died in 2013.[8] Their second son, Daniel, is a rabbi.[5] They also had a daughter, Judith, who made Aliya to Israel and has been a pioneer of Ma'ale Tzvia community village in the Galilee.[5]
Death
Pressman died in Los Angeles on October 1, 2015.[9][10] He was ninety-five years old.[10] His funeral was held at Temple Beth Am, and he was buried at the Eden Memorial Park Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles.[9][10]
Bibliography
- This Wild and Crazy World as Seen From Beverly Hills by Rabbi Jack (1999).
- Dear Friends: A Prophetic Journey Through Great Events of the 20th Century (Hoboken, New Jersey: KTAV Publishing House, 2002).
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Nadell, Pamela Susan (1988). Conservative Judaism in America: A Biographical Dictionary and Sourcebook. New York: Greenwood Press. pp. 202–203. OCLC 642205203.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Berenbaum, Michael (October 23, 2013). "Rabbi Jacob Pressman turns 94: A community treasure". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "RABBINIC ORDINATION - 2004". Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies of the American Jewish University. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- 1 2 3 "Alumni Notes". University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Berrin, Danielle (December 3, 2008). "Rabbi Jacob Pressman takes a bow". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Stammer, Larry B. (October 23, 1999). "A Witness to Hate and Hope". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- 1 2 Berrin, Danielle (September 11, 2008). "Marjorie Pressman: 'I created my own role'". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- ↑ "Joel Pressman, cantor and performing arts teacher, dies at 63". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California. November 20, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- 1 2 Berenbaum, Michael (October 1, 2015). "Rabbi Jacob Pressman, spiritual leader of Temple Beth Am, dies at 95". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
- 1 2 3 Seitz, John L. (October 2, 2015). "Rabbi Jacob Pressman Dead At 95, Leaving A Legendary Legacy". The Beverly Hills Courier. Beverly Hills, California. Retrieved October 2, 2015.