Part of a Legacy – Rabbi Joseph Krauskopf

 

 

The former owner and our long-time landlord Ken Liddington said on a few 

 

occasions that the house was originally built in the early 1900s by a rabbi with 

 

many children. But we never knew more than that. Later, we saw on an old map 

 

the name Krauskopf on the property. And one day, Dee Dee decided to do some 

 

exploring,...

 

What we’ve discovered is pretty amazing.

 

The house was built in in 1906 by a Rabbi Joseph Krauskopf. He was an 

 

immigrant from Prussia, who came to the United States in 1872 at the age of 

 

14. He studied at the first rabbinical school in the United States, and had a few 

 

different ministerial jobs before coming to Philadelphia in 1887 to become the 

 

head rabbi at Keneseth Israel. He instituted many reforms in the synagogue, and 

 

also became a prominent social reformer in Philadelphia and tireless advocate 

 

for social justice. He wrote numerous books and articles, and was committed 

 

to Jewish-Christian dialogue. It is said that people of all faiths came to hear his 

 

sermons.

 

In 1894, Rabbi Krauskopf visited Russia, in an effort advocate for the rights of 

 

Russian Jews. While the Czar would not meet with him, he did meet with Leo 

 

Tolstoy, who encouraged him to start a farm school in the U.S. He did so – the 

 

National Farm School in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, later renamed Delaware 

 

Valley College, which is still in existence today.

 

Krauskopf also served on many presidential and national commissions. Upon 

 

his death in 1923, he was honored by many prominent figures in the city, in 

 

Pennsylvania, and in the nation.

 

The front apartment in our house was originally a large classical library featuring 

 

thousands of books, as well as a marvelous fireplace with Mercer tiles. The 

 

entire library was completed duplicated at Delaware Valley College, which we 

 

have visited.

 

We are excited to step into this amazing history of faith-based social activism as 

 

we reclaim this beautiful house.

 

 

Articles on Rabbi Krauskopf:

 

 

http://www.delval.edu/_library/archives/krauskopf.htm

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Krauskoph

 

 

Quotes from Rabbi Krauskopf

 

 

"It requires courage, moral courage, the highest kind of courage to be honest: 

 

fairly, frankly, fully honest. If you are honest, there lives not a man on earth who 

 

can humiliate you. If you have honor, though very little else besides, you have more 

 

wealth, more glory, more power, than all the hypocrites combined."

 

(Nov. 21, 1897)

 

 

"Tolerance of another's rational faith is the truest stamp of the genuineness and high 

 

standard of one's own faith."

 

(Oct. 23, 1898)

 

 

"Not yet have we grasped the scientific truth that society is an organic whole in 

 

which the welfare of all is dependent upon the well-being of each..."

 

(April 13, 1902)

 

 

"Happiness is never a product of external treasure. It can only spring from within, 

 

from a clean heart, from a pure conscience."

 

(Feb. 4, 1906)

 

 

"He who does not voluntarily do more than he is obliged to do will in time do less 

 

than he ought, and in the end will find himself unable to do what he must."

 

 

(Feb. 20, 1916)

 

 

"Our nation was conceived in simplicity and frugality, and nurtured in godliness 

 

and righteousness, and by those alone can it be preserved."

 

(Oct. 2, 1921)