The funeral of Bernard Edelhertz, publisher of the American Hebrew who committed suicide on Friday because of illness, will be held this morning from Riverside Memorial Chapel, with interment at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Mr. Edelhertz, who was 51, had been ailing since last March, suffering from an affliction of the heart and a nervous breakdown.
Coming to this country from Russia in 1893, Mr. Edelhertz had had a varied and significant career. Starting as a lawyer in 1901, he was Assistant United States Attorney-General from 1917-22. He also became a factor in the film industry and in collaboration with Will H. Hays, he was the originator of the uniform contract and arbitration boards, widely adopted. He was for some time chairman of the Motion Picture Theatre Owners Chamber of Commerce, New York.
In 1919 he visited Poland officially to investigate outrages committed against Jews in that country; while there, he was also active on the American Anti-Typhus Commission. In 1927 he visited Russia and, in addition to writing of his impressions in the New York Times and other publications, he wrote a book entitled “The Russian Paradox”.
Mr. Edelhertz acquired control of the American Hebrew in 1916, and was its publisher, secretary and treasurer until his death. He was also director, secretary and treasurer of the Independent Jewish Publishing Company; member of the New York County Lawyers Association, Motion Picture Theatre Owners of the State of New York, Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Judeans and the Jewish War Relief Committee of the World War. He was also a member of the Men’s Club of Congregation Emanu-El.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
