Funeral services will be held here tomorrow for Dr. Leo Franklin, rabbi emeritus of Temple Beth EL and outstanding civic leader in Michigan, who died here yesterday at the age of 78. Dr. Franklin was said to have been the first rabbi to introduce the system of unassigned seats in Reformed Temples in this country.
A native of Cambridge City, Ind., Dr. Franklin became rabbi of Temple Beth El in 1889, a post he held until his retirement in 1941. He established the Jewish Student Congregation at the University of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. His efforts to create a spirit of understanding among Jews, Protestants and Catholics were recognized by the University of Detroit, a Jesuit institution which conferred on him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws, He held trusteeships in many organizations and for many years toured Michigan, establishing congregations in small towns.
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.
