MoAd History

Morris Adler was a United States conservative Rabbi (1906-1966)

He was born in Russia and brought to the U.S.A. in 1913

 He served for a short time in New York and then moved to Sha-Are Zedek in Detroit, where he would live for the rest of his life.

 Under Rabbi Adler’s leadership, Sha-Are Zedek grew to be one of the largest congregations in the world, and Morris Adler was the leading spokesman of the Detroit Jewish Community.

 He constantly wrote on and lectured in the field of Jewish education.

 Morris Adler was on the Governor’s Commision of Higher Education for three years, after which he wrote his book, Great Passages From the Torah, for adult Jewish study (which he strongly promoted as you can see).

The Rabbi was killed in his own synagogue by a mentally ill youth. The day of his funeral was declared a day of mourning in the state of Michigan.

 From The New York Times, Sunday, Febuary 13, 1966:

 He climbed to the pulpit, fired a shot in the air, seize the microphone from Rabbi Adler, pulled a prepared speech from his pocket and read it…

“This congregation is a travesty and an abomination,” he said. “It has made a mockery of phoniness and hypocrisy of the duty and spirit of Judaism and is composed of people who, on the whole, make me ashamed to say that I am a Jew. With this act I protest an unacceptable situation.” He fired three times. The first shot hit Rabbi Adler in the arm. The wounded Rabbi turned and pushed the boy down. The second shot hit the Rabbi in the back of the head. Wishnetsky then turned the gun on himself.

 Rabbi Adler’s Famous Quotes:

 “Our prayers are answered not when we are given what we ask but when we are challenged to be what we can be.”

 “We visit others as a matter of social obligation. How long has it been since we have visited with ourselves?”

 “The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live.”

In 1975, Rabbi Morris Adler AZA #1855 would be founded in the region of Central Region West #45. The chapter is known for its immense amounts of "fraternity", strong and dedicated leaders, and high-quality programming.