Cyrus Adler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 13, 1863  |
| Died | April 7, 1940 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Educator, librarian, author, religious leader and scholar |
| Employer | |
| Position held | associate professor |
Cyrus Adler (September 13, 1863 – April 7, 1940[1]) was an American educator,Jewish religious leader and scholar.
Adler was born tomerchant and planter Samuel Adler and Sarah Sulzberger[2] inVan Buren, Arkansas on September 13, 1863, but in the next year his parents removed toPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, and soon he attended the public schools there, and in 1879 he entered theUniversity of Pennsylvania, from where he graduated in 1883.[3] Afterwards, he pursuedOriental studies inJohns Hopkins University, where he was appointed university scholar in 1884, and fellow inSemitic languages from 1885 to 1887.[3] He earned the first AmericanPhD in Semitics from the university in 1887[4][5] and was appointed instructor in Semitic languages and promoted to associate professor in 1890.[3] He taughtSemitic languages at Johns Hopkins from 1884 to 1893.
In 1877 he was appointed assistant curator of the section of Oriental antiquities in theUnited States National Museum, and had charge of an exhibit ofbiblical archaeology at the centennial exposition of theOhio valley in 1888.[3] He was a commissioner for the world'sColumbian exposition to the Orient in 1890, and he passed sixteen months inTurkey,Syria,Egypt,Tunis,Algiers, andMorocco securing exhibits.[3] For a number of years he was employed by theSmithsonian Institution atWashington, with a focus on archaeology and Semitics, serving as theLibrarian from December 1, 1892 to 1905.[6] In 1895, after years of searching, he located theJefferson Bible and purchased it for the Smithsonian Institution from the great-granddaughter ofThomas Jefferson.
He was made lecturer on biblical archaeology in theJewish Theological Seminary inNew York, president of theAmerican Jewish Historical Society,U.S. delegate to a conference on an international catalogue ofscientific literature in 1898, and honorary assistant curator ofhistoric archaeology and custodian ofhistoric religions in theU.S. national museum.[6]
In 1900, he was elected as a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society.[7]
He was a founder of theJewish Welfare Board.He was president ofDropsie College for Hebrew and Cognate Learning from 1908 to 1940 and Chancellor of theJewish Theological Seminary of America. In addition, he was a founding member of theOriental Club of Philadelphia. He was involved in the creation of various Jewish organizations including theJewish Publication Society, theAmerican Jewish Historical Society, theAmerican Jewish Committee (also its president in 1929–1940[8]), and theUnited Synagogue of America.[5] Adler served a variety of organizations by holding various offices. For example, he was on the board of trustees at the American Jewish Publication Society and Gratz College, served as vice-president of theAnthropological Society of Washington, and as member of council of thePhilosophical Society of Washington.[9]
Adler marriedRacie Friedenwald ofBaltimore in 1905, when he was 42. They had one child, a daughter named Sarah.From 1911 until 1916, Adler wasParnas (president) ofCongregation Mikveh Israel of Philadelphia.He died inPhiladelphia, and his papers are held by theCenter for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.
Adler's death was noted nationally. His passing was mourned by President Franklin Roosevelt and by Philadelphia MayorRobert Lamberton[10]
Adler was an editor of theJewish Encyclopedia and in collaboration with Allen Ramsay wroteTales Told in a Coffee House (1898).[6] He was part of the committee that translated theJewish Publication Society version of theHebrew Bible published in 1917. At the end of World War I, he participated in theParis Peace Conference in 1919.
He was also a contributor to theNew International Encyclopedia. His many scholarly writings include articles on comparative religion,Assyriology, and Semiticphilology. He edited theAmerican Jewish Year Book from 1899 to 1905 and theJewish Quarterly Review from 1910 to 1940.[5] He was besides contributions to theJournal of the American Oriental Society, theProceedings of theAmerican Philological Association, theAndover Review,Hebraica,Johns Hopkins University Circular and numerous reviews.[6]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Joseph Jacobs (1901–1906)."Adler, Cyrus". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Adler, Cyrus".The Biographical Dictionary of America. Vol. 1. Boston: American Biographical Society. pp. 58–59.
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