Abba Hillel Silver

Born in Lithuania and raised in a traditional home, Abba Hillel Silver came to the United States with his parents when he was nine years old. He was ordained at the Hebrew Union College in 1915, and after a short period at a small congregation in Wheeling, West Virginia, he spent the rest of his life as rabbi of The Temple in Cleveland, Ohio. A Zionist from his youth, Silver was a leading proponent of the movement in the United States and an outstanding orator on its behalf. He served as president of the Zionist Organization of America during the critical period 1945–1947.