Rosenberg, Stuart E.

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ROSENBERG, STUART E.

ROSENBERG, STUART E. (1922–1990), Canadian rabbi. Arguably the most influential rabbi in Canada in the 1960s, Rosenberg is remembered mostly for the bitter power struggle between him and the officers of Beth Tzedec Synagogue in Toronto, which claimed then to be the largest congregation in the world. It is a harsh fate for a man who inspired thousands and was the driving force behind the creation of several important Toronto Jewish institutions.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Rosenberg was educated at the Flatbush Yeshiva elementary school, a public high school, Brooklyn College (B.A.), Columbia University (Ph.D. in Jewish history), and the Jewish Theological Seminary (M.H.L. and rabbi). In 1946, he took his first pulpit, Temple Beth El in Rochester, New York, where his dynamism and forceful manner of speaking made an impact in the synagogue and in the community at large. In 1956, he was called to the pulpit of Toronto's Beth Tzedec, formed through the merger of the two upscale inner-city synagogues founded by Jews of Eastern European origin. The new congregation had just erected a cathedral synagogue in a suburban setting, a short distance from the (Reform) Holy Blossom Temple, and its board sought a rabbi who would enable the new synagogue to outdistance its neighbor in prestige and influence. The new rabbi did not disappoint.

In his early years at Beth Tzedec, Rosenberg strengthened the congregational school, established the Prozdor education program for high school and university students, pushed for the establishment of a day school at a time when most Conservative Jews opposed all-day Jewish schools, and spearheaded the drive to bring the Ramah camping movement to Canada. At his prompting, Beth Tzedec established the first Jewish museum in Canada and sponsored an impressive array of adult education programs including hosting Elie *Wiesel and David *Ben-Gurion. On an average Sabbath morning, more than 1,000 people heard Rosenberg speak from the pulpit.

The rabbi also established himself as a community leader by becoming a force in charitable and professional organizations in the Jewish and general communities. In 1967 he became the first rabbi to head Toronto's annual uja fund drive. Six years earlier, he had journeyed to the Soviet Union. Despite community pressure, he spoke out publicly against the oppression of Soviet Jews and succeeded in bringing the issue to the forefront of the community agenda. Rosenberg supported University of Toronto students in their campaign for a Jewish Studies program and, together with lay leaders, set up the Canadian Foundation for Jewish Culture in 1965 to promote teaching and research in Jewish Studies. He served as president. He wrote a regular column in the Toronto Star, published 17 books, and wrote dozens of articles on Judaism, Canadian Jews, theology, Quebec separation, and other topics.

Not all of Rosenberg's initiatives were successful. Notable failures were his attempt to establish a Canadian branch of the Jewish Theological Seminary and his campaign to obtain public funding for Jewish day schools. And, as might be expected, the successes often left hurt and resentful people in their wake.

By the late 1960s, Beth Tzedec congregants inspired by the ḥavurah movement and a young, new educational director, Rabbi Ben Hollander, began pressing for a more personal, more traditional, less rabbi-centered synagogue. Rosenberg resisted, and a bruising struggle between his supporters and opponents ensued, including lawsuits and accusations of both impropriety and criminal behavior. The suits were settled out of court. Rosenberg went on to Beth Torah, a small Toronto synagogue, but he never regained his former influence.