Louis Finkelstein (1895-1991), scholar
Louis Finkelstein (1895-1991) was a Jewish-American scholar.
Biography
American Rabbi and scholar. Born June 14, 1895 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Earned doctorate from Columbia University (1918). Became a rabbi in 1919. Instructor of Talmud and later President (1940-1951) and Chancellor (1951-1972) of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. A specialist in Jewish law and the history of Pharisaism. The most prominent voice of his era in the Conservative Jewish movement, under Finkelstein's leadership the Conservative Jewish movement emerged as the largest organized body of American Jews. Pioneer of interfaith dialogue. In 1938 established the Institute for Religious and Social Studies (from 1986 the Finkelstein Institute), which brought together Protestant, Catholic and Jewish scholars for theological discussions.