Funeral services were held here today for Rabbi Bernard J. Bamberger, former president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the World Union for Progressive Judaism. He died Saturday at the age of 76.
Rabbi Bamberger, who was also a former president of the Synagogue Council of American, was rabbi of Temple Shaaray Tefila, one of New York City’s oldest Reform synagogues, from 1944 until his retirement in 1971. The temple, which is observing its 135th anniversary, is on East 79th Street in Manhattan. It was formally located on West 82nd Street where it was known as the West End Synagogue.
As a scholar Bamberger achieved renown for several books including “The Story of Judaism,” “The Bible A Modern Jewish Approach,” “The Search for Jewish Theology,” “Proselytism in the Talmudic Era.”
Born in Baltimore and graduated from Johns Hopkins University he was ordained a rabbi in 1926 at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. In 1929 the university conferred on him a Doctor of Divinity degree and in 1950 an honorary Doctor of Hebrew Letters degree.
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