Draft:William Berkowitz
Submission declined on 9 February 2018 by MatthewVanitas (talk).
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Rabbi William Berkowitz (June 28, 1924 - February 3, 2008) was a prominent American conservative Rabbi and public figure. He served as the Rabbi of Congregation B'nai Jeshurun from 1950 to 1984 and is also well-known for his Dialogue Forum, where he led free public dialogues with prominent world figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Golda Meir, Elie Wiesel, Henry Kissinger and more.Rabbi Berkowitz also served as the head of the New York Board of Rabbis (1972-1974), President of the Jewish National Fund (1977-1981), President of Bnai Zion (1975-1977) and as an adviser to several New York City mayors.[1].
Early life and Education
[edit]William Berkowitz was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a Jewish family of Polish and Russian descent. He served as an officer in the US Navy during WWII. After the war, he returned to Philadelphia to earn a Hebrew teaching certificate from Gratz College and a master's degree in education and humanities from Temple University. Berkowitz then attended the Jewish Theological Seminary where he was ordained as a Rabbi in 1952. [2].
Career
[edit]After graduating from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1952, Rabbi Berkowitz immediately took a position at Congregation B'nai Jeshurun where he served as Rabbi until 1984. At the same time, starting in 1951, he invited American and Israeli politicians, authors, artists and heads of states to engage in free, public conversations that took place in venues such as Beacon Theatre, Lincoln Square and Town Hall. Some of the notable figures he interviewed include, Ariel Sharon, Shimon Peres, Alan Dershowitz, Theodore Bikel, Alfred Molina, journalist Mike Wallace, Arthur Kurzweil, Sen. Jacob Javits, Adin Steinsaltz, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Martin Luther King Jr., Elie Wiesel, Henry Kissinger and Menachem Begin. [3] He also hosted a yearly concert on Purim with Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach which attracted thousands of people.
Rabbi Berkowitz also served as the head of the New York Board of Rabbis (1972-1974), President of the Jewish National Fund (1977-1981), President of Bnai Zion (1975-1977) and as an adviser to several New York City mayors such as Robert F. Wagner Jr., John Lindsay and Abraham Beame and cardinals such as Francis Spellman, Terence Cooke and John O'Connor .[4].
Marriage and Family
[edit]Rabbi Berkowitz was married to Florence Berkowitz, and they had three children: Perry, Adena and Leah and five grandchildren.
Death
[edit]He died in 2008 of natural causes.
References
[edit]- ^ Solomont, E.B. (February 12, 2008). New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/obituaries/rabbi-william-berkowitz-83-bridge-builder/71126/. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Solomont, E.B. (February 12, 2008). New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/obituaries/rabbi-william-berkowitz-83-bridge-builder/71126/. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Jewish Post & Opinion ó Teen Scene".
- ^ Solomont, E.B. (February 12, 2008). New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/obituaries/rabbi-william-berkowitz-83-bridge-builder/71126/. Retrieved February 12, 2008.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
What you need to do is find more news or academic sources (check GoogleBooks for the latter) that substantively discuss (not just slightly mention) Berkowitz and take note of his impact.
The core policy here is WP:Notability (people), and I would expect that Berkowitz meets that standard, but it's incumbent on you as the submitter to clearly prove such. Not trying to be difficult here, just saying that if Berkowitz merits an article, he merits a good one that makes a strong case for his impact, so let's hold ourselves and the draft to those high standards. Ping me on my Talk page, or ping WP:Teahouse if you need general advice on the draft.