There are those who say that someone isn’t truly dead until their impact and memory dies away. If such is the case, then Washington, D.C.’s first Orthodox rabbi is very much alive, thanks to a rabbinic successor.
A week before Rabbi Hyim Shafner assumed his role at Kesher Israel Congregation in August 2017, he spotted a book on Pirkei Avot — “Ethics of our Fathers” — on the shelf at his St. Louis shul that he’d never seen before.
The book was written by Rabbi Gedaliah Silverstone, the chief rabbi of D.C. at the time.
“I’m like, ‘That’s crazy — I’m about to go there, and then here’s this book and this rabbi I’d never heard of,’” Shafner said.
More research revealed that Silverstone was not only the first rabbi of the Georgetown synagogue, but the first Orthodox Jewish rabbi in the nation’s capital.
Born into a rabbinic family in 1871 in Poland, Silverstone became a Talmudic scholar, rabbi, communal leader and prolific writer, penning more than 40 books in Hebrew. He visited the United States in 1905 to sell his books, then decided to stay in D.C. to support his large family.
In addition to chief rabbi of the district, Silverstone also served as the rabbi at Ohev Sholom Congregation in D.C., starting in 1906. He became Kesher Israel’s first rabbi after its launch in 1911.
“He’s a fascinating figure because he’s in America at a time when Orthodox life is just so bleak,” Shafner said of Silverstone.
The rabbi documented Washington’s lack of formal Jewish education and the tendency for Jewish immigrants to assimilate upon arrival, straying from traditional Orthodox ways of life.
Shafner shared his findings on the “enormous scholar” in a 19-page paper and taught a three-part series on Silverstone and the early 20th century Orthodox community in fall 2021.
“I kind of got to know him through my research,” Shafner said, adding that he believes D.C.’s Jewish community will benefit from learning about Silverstone’s life and teachings.
Shafner is scheduled to lead a lunch and learn session titled, “The Life and Times of DC’s First Orthodox Rabbi,” at the Capital Jewish Museum on May 27. Attendees will read excerpts of Silverstone’s writing to catch a glimpse of D.C.’s Orthodox Jewish community and explore the rabbi’s approach to Zionism and historical events such as Prohibition and the sinking of the Titanic, comparing his sermons to those of other rabbis of the time.
Leslie Silverstone, a grandson of Rabbi Silverstone, said his grandfather was much more than a big name.
“What I think is most important is what he stood for,” the 86-year-old Bethesda resident said. “He was an expert on the Torah — the Hebrew Bible. He wrote a lot, he was very outspoken. Understanding his philosophy can be very beneficial.”
Rabbi Silverstone was a staunch Zionist whose opinion shifted over time. “He’s sort of conflicted about it because, on the one hand, he’s amazed that you can go to Israel, and he’s a religious person about it, but on the other hand, when he discovers that the people who are building Israel are not religious people, he has a hard time putting that all together, and he struggled with it,” Shafner said.
Through reading Rabbi Silverstone’s extensive works from a century ago, Shafner realized that “very little changes in history when you look at history [and] the politics that he ran into.”
“He says in his writing, ‘Today, everybody wants a rabbi who’s also a doctor,’” Shafner recalled. “Rabbis can often get criticism and feel like nothing’s enough. But [Rabbi Silverstone] cared deeply about the people, and even when things weren’t perfect, he really tried hard to teach and inspire.”
He also used humor to get through difficult times, a skill that Shafner has picked up in his own rabbinate: “I take lessons from all of that.”
Shafner said he was surprised to learn “how ethical and scholarly and holy he is, but at the same time, how tuned in he is to the people and the imperfections of life. He could really achieve staying above the fray, but being a teacher and influence.”
One example of Rabbi Silverstone’s steadfast morality came during Prohibition, the period between 1920 to 1933 when the U.S. banned the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcoholic beverages. Due to religious exemptions, some rabbis legally bought wine, then sold it to gain a profit.
“Even though at the time, it was enormous corruption, he was able to stay above it, even when he could have ended up sinking into it,” Shafner said.
Rabbi Silverstone deeply cared for the Jewish people of D.C., according to Shafner’s research. In nearly every book the chief rabbi published, he thanked Washington’s Jewish community for supporting him and spoke highly about the community’s Jewish achievements.
Despite his local prominence, “very few” members of today’s Kesher Israel community know of Rabbi Silverstone.
“I think it’s important for people to have a sense of the shoulders that they stand on, especially in Washington, where half my synagogue is the young professionals [who] come here for a few years, and then they move on,” Shafner said. “I think when we have a sense of the really noble people who came before us, who built the community or synagogue that we’re in, it gives us a sense of how we need to contribute to the growth and the continuity of this.”
It’s also about preserving the memory of a trailblazing rabbi.
“His commitment to Orthodoxy and his tolerance for and love of those he served, stands out as a lesson in American Orthodox rabbinic leadership,” Shafner wrote in his article’s abstract.
Leslie Silverstone hasn’t attended one of Shafner’s classes, but he has listened to an audio recording of a previous class.
“It’s very inspiring,” Leslie Silverstone said. “He’s doing an amazing job at keeping this all alive.”
