Wise, Isaac Meyer

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Wise, Isaac Meyer (1819–1900). Pioneer of Reform Judaism. He was born in Bohemia and emigrated to the USA in 1846. From 1854, he was rabbi of the Cincinnati congregation of B'nai Jeshuran. He founded the periodical, The Israelite, in 1854, organized the 1855 Rabbinical Conference in Cleveland, and was a key figure in the founding of the Hebrew Union College in 1875. He agreed that Torah was the source of authority, but only the Decalogue (see TEN COMMANDMENTS) was absolutely obligatory—all else was open to interpretation.