Simple rites will mark the funeral services for Dr. Solomon Lowenstein, executive vice-president of the Federation for the Support of Philanthropic Societies, vice-chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee and director of numerous leading Jewish organizations, which will he held tomorrow at 11 A.M. in the Central Synagogue here. There will be no honorary pallbearers, in accordance with Dr. Lowenstein’s request in a letter which he left.
Messages of condolence were received today by the Federation from various parts of the country as well as from the 116 medical and social agencies in New York and Brooklyn affiliated with the Federation. The Board of Trustees, officers and staff of the Federation which was guided by Dr. Lowenstein for 22 years made public a statement expressing their grief over his passing. “His warm sympathies and unfailing kindliness endeared him to us all, and there is no measuring what the Federation and the community owe to his wisdom, his deep humanity and his unfaltering devotion,” the statement said.
HE CONTRIBUTED MUCH TO HUMAN BETTERMENT, SAYS MEDALIE
George Z. Medalie, President of the Federation for the Support of Jewish Philanthropic Societies of New York, in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency declared: “The news of Dr. Lowenstein’s sudden death will bring a deep sense of personal loss to the host of men and women who have been associated with him in his lifelong span of youthfulness in so many areas of our community life. We honored him as a pioneering liberal spirit in social welfare who contributed much to human betterment in our time through his labors, both in Jewish Federation and other voluntary philanthropies, and in the public service. We shall miss his broad scholarship and human sympathies, his keen practical judgement and his forceful and enduring advocacy and leadership in all good causes.”
A LOSS TO AMERICAN COMMUNITY. WERTHEIM STATES
Maurice Wertheim, President of the American Jewish Committee, in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency said: “In the death of Solomon Lowerstein those who knew him mourn the passing of the kindliest of friends whose spirit of self-sacrifice in the cause of doing good was at all times a shining example and inspiration. The American community as a whole and the Jewish community in particular have lost a leader whose great kindness, insight and devotion to the cause of human welfare cannot be replaced.”
DR. SILVER, JONAH B. WISE EXPRESS GRIEF IN BEHALF OF U.J.A.
The United Jewish Appeal, of which Dr. Lowenstein was national co-chairman, issued a statement under the signatures of Dr. Abba Hillel Silver and Jonah B. Wise, declaring that: “The officers of the United Jewish Appeal for Refugees, Overseas Needs and Palestine are profoundly grieved by the sudden death of Dr. Solomon Lowenstein, one of its national co-chairmen.
“Dr. Lowenstein was guided by a deep devotion to the progressive development of the Jewish community in the United States; his broad outlook on Jewish life encompassed all spheres of social, communal and cultural endeavor; his vision, his keen insight and his abounding energy were directed toward the preservation of the highest ideals of the Jewish people; his colleagues and co-workers in the United Jewish Appeal mourn the loss of one whose statesmanlike leadership and counsel were invaluable assets in the cause of Jewish survival which he served.”
WAS AN ACKNOWLEDGED LEADER AMONG SOCIAL WORKERS, SAYS WEIL
Frank L. Weil, President of the Jewish Welfare Board, issued the following statement: “Solomon Lowenstein exemplified in every way the spirit of service to mankind. He was a humanitarian, schooled in the ideals and ethical teachings of Judaism who preached and practiced these ideals in the many fields of social endeavor in which he was engaged. He served at home and abroad, in the nation and in the city of New York with equal self-sacrifice and with an ever-ready response to every worthwhile cause. Among the ranks of social workers he was an acknowledged leader; to every Jewish colleague a wise councillor and among laymen, the personification of the best qualities in the professional communal leader. He lived courageously and died with many noble achievements as an enduring memory.”
FRIENDS OF HEBREW UNIVERSITY MOURN HIS LOSS
The Board of Directors of the American Friends of the Hebrew University, of which Dr. Lowenstein was a vice-chairman, issued a statement under the signatures of A.S.W, Rosenbach and Edward M. M. Warburg, reading: “The Board learns with profound sorrow of the death of Solomon Lownestein, one of its vice-presidents. He was identified with the American Friends since its inception in 1925 and helped to plan its course with his customary sound judgment and vision. Dr. Lowenstein shared with Dr. Magnes and Felix Warburg faith in the university’s high purpose and shared also the burdens of the university in its difficult early days. His passing is a great loss to Hebrew University and to all his colleagues in the American Friends.”
The American Jewish Congress in a statement said: “The American Jewish Congress mourns the passing of a distinguished representative of the Jewish people. All who knew him acknowledged his ability, sincerity and his unstinting giving of himself. He leaves behind him a stalwart record of achievement. In these grave times his clear thinking and unselfish devotion will be sorely missed.”
Y.M.H.A., OTHER ORGANIZATIONS EULOGIZE LOWENSTEIN
Frederick M. Warburg, president of the Y.M.H.A., made the following statement. “The Young Men’s Hebrew Association has learned with profound sorrow of the death of Solomon Lowenstein, an outstanding leader in social work and the life of the community by reason of his sterling qualities, his fine mind and his great heart. Unstintingly he was part of every cause that made for the betterment of mankind. This Association has lost a friend and loyal adviser.”
The National Conference of Jewish Social Welfare issued the following: “The sudden passing of Solomon Lowenstein leaves a void in American Jewry which will not soon be filled. No single organization can lay claim to him; his interests were as broad as life itself. He died as he had lived, in the service of all humanity.”
The American Jewish Physicians Committee in a statement said that it is “deeply grieved to learn of the sudden death of Solomon Lowenstein, one of its staunchest friends. He always showed deep interest in our work and was appreciative of our accomplishments. We mourn his passing and shall always hold his memory in the greatest reverence.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
