Rabbi Emanuel Feldman Papers

Rabbi Emanuel Feldman was born in 1927 to a family of Rabbis dating back more than seven generations. Rabbi Feldman was ordained at the Ner Israel Rabbinical College of Baltimore and accepted the pulpit at Congregation Beth Jacob in 1952. At that time the six-year-old congregation consisted of only 65 members. Over the years Rabbi Feldman immersed himself in Atlanta’s religious life. He spoke out on numerous issues including the controversial opening of the Atlanta Jewish Community Center on the Sabbath, the “Right of Return,” Kashruth, adoption, divorce, autopsy, and circumcision. Rabbi Feldman is a past Vice-President of the Rabbinical Council of America and the recipient of a Bachelor of Science degree and a Masters of Arts degree from John Hopkins University. He later earned a doctorate from Emory University in Atlanta. He is the author of over forty published articles in magazines such as the Saturday Review, the New Republic, and various Anglo-Jewish journals. Rabbi Feldman is also the Editor-in-chief of Tradition magazine and has authored five books. Rabbi Feldman remained the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Jacob for over 40 years. In 1991, he was succeeded by his son, Rabbi Ilan Feldman.