Abraham Feinberg facts for kids

Abraham Feinberg (born September 14, 1899 – died October 5, 1986) was an American rabbi. He spent a big part of his life in Canada. He was also known as a singer and a strong activist for peace and civil rights.

Early Life and Becoming a Rabbi

Abraham Feinberg was born in Bellaire, Ohio. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. His father, Nathan, was a rabbi, and his mother, Sarah, was a housewife. Abraham was the seventh of ten children.

Bellaire was a poor coal-mining town. Abraham grew up seeing how Black residents were treated unfairly. His best friend as a child was the son of a Black garbageman. These experiences made him care deeply about civil rights. He became a champion for equal rights throughout his life.

Abraham was very smart. He finished high school at age 14. After school, he worked hard to save money for college. He studied at the University of Cincinnati and earned his degree in 1920. In 1924, he became a rabbi at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

Feinberg worked as a rabbi in several American cities. He started at Temple Beth-El in Niagara Falls, New York. In 1925, he moved to Wheeling, West Virginia.

In 1928, Feinberg became a rabbi at Temple Israel in New York. This synagogue had many wealthy members. He often attended fancy parties. But he found this upper-class life boring. He wanted to do something more meaningful.

On February 27, 1930, he announced he would leave his job as a rabbi. This decision surprised many people because it was a very important position.

From Rabbi to Radio Star

After leaving his rabbinical job, Feinberg went to France. He studied singing for a few months. When he returned to New York, he decided to become a performer. On November 4, 1930, he married Ruth E. Katsh.

Feinberg sang under the stage name Anthony Frome. From 1932 to 1935, he had a popular radio music show in New York City. People called him the "Poet Prince of the Air Waves." His show became very successful. By 1932, he was earning a lot of money, even during the Great Depression.

His radio show often aired after President Franklin D. Roosevelt's weekly "fireside chats." Feinberg pretended to be a "vagabond prince" who visited a different country each show. He would sing love songs in the language of that country. He could speak six languages! People said he had a beautiful "melodious baritone" voice.

The Activist Rabbi: Fighting for Justice

By 1935, Feinberg was worried about what was happening in Nazi Germany. He decided to stop singing and return to being a rabbi. He felt he needed to serve God and help his community. He said, "Singing is only amusement. My soul is in the pulpit."

In 1935, he became the rabbi of Mount Neboh Temple in a poor New York neighborhood. He chose this job because he wanted to be close to people who were struggling. He was very concerned about the rise of the Nazi regime. He worked to build alliances against the Nazis. In 1938, he moved to Denver, Colorado.

In 1943, he became the rabbi at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, Canada. This was a very important synagogue. Feinberg was a great speaker and very charismatic. He quickly became the most famous rabbi in Canada. He had a weekly radio show where he talked about social and political issues. He also wrote articles for major Canadian newspapers and magazines. Even though he lived in Canada, he always remained an American citizen.

Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. Feinberg served as the rabbi of Holy Blossom from 1943 to 1961.

Fighting Discrimination in Canada

In 1945, Feinberg helped challenge unfair housing rules. These rules, called "restrictive covenants," stopped properties from being sold or rented to Jewish people. A Jewish group bought a property with such a rule to build homes for World War II veterans. This led to the Re Drummond Wren court case.

The case happened when public opinion was more sympathetic to Jewish people. News of the Nazi concentration camps had just come out. On October 31, 1945, Justice John Keiller MacKay ruled that these "restrictive covenants" were illegal. Feinberg praised this ruling, saying it brought "universally acclaimed principles" to life.

Feinberg became the vice president of the Toronto Association for Civil Rights. His activism made him famous not just in Toronto, but around the world.

However, in 1948, MacKay's ruling was overturned in another case, Noble v Alley. This ruling said that "restrictive covenants" were legal. This was a big disappointment for Feinberg. But with support, the Noble ruling was appealed to Canada's highest court. In November 1950, the Supreme Court of Canada finally struck down these unfair rules.

In 1957, Feinberg was the first rabbi to receive an honorary degree from the University of Toronto. He also spoke out against the nuclear arms race during the Cold War. He became president of the Toronto Committee for Disarmament. Because of his activism, the Canadian government watched him closely.

The Singing Rabbi Returns

In 1961, Feinberg retired as rabbi due to an eye problem. He was given the title of "rabbi emeritus." After retiring, he became even more involved in the civil rights movement and protested against the Vietnam War.

In 1969, Feinberg went to Montreal to join John Lennon and Yoko Ono in their "Bed In For Peace." This was a famous protest where they stayed in bed to promote peace. Feinberg, who was a singer, joined Lennon and Ono in singing "Give Peace a Chance."

Feinberg even suggested some changes to the song's lyrics, which Lennon used. A newspaper, The Montreal Gazette, said Feinberg helped create the song's title. He told the newspaper he admired Lennon, calling him "one of the most powerful influences in the modern world." Feinberg and Lennon quickly became friends.

On June 1, 1969, Lennon and Ono recorded "Give Peace a Chance" in their hotel room. Feinberg was one of the backup singers, along with other famous people like Timothy Leary and Allen Ginsberg. The song was released in August 1969.

Later that year, Feinberg and Lennon recorded a duet version of "Give Peace a Chance." This inspired Feinberg to start singing again. He released more than 10 songs in his later years. With Lennon's encouragement, he recorded an album called I Was So Much Older Then, released in 1970. The album featured covers of songs by artists like Neil Young and Bob Dylan.

Later Years in America

In 1972, Abraham Feinberg moved back to the United States to be near his son, Jonathan. He settled in Berkeley, California. He worked as a rabbi for the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. This church welcomed people who felt like "outcasts," including homeless people.

As an older man, he also became active in the "grey lib" movement. This movement fought for better treatment of elderly people. In Berkeley, he hosted a radio show called Grey Lib, where he talked about issues facing older Americans.

In 1976, he moved to Reno, Nevada, where his son Jonathan worked as a doctor. In Reno, Feinberg served as a rabbi at Temple Sinai and at the Center for Religion and Life at the University of Nevada. From 1976 to 1978, he hosted another radio show called Grey Lib Plus.

In 1983, Feinberg married Patricia C. Blanchard. He passed away in Reno in 1986 from cancer.

Books by Feinberg

• Storm the Gates of Jericho (1964)
• Rabbi Feinberg's Hanoi Diary (1968)