ISSAC WISE

Issac Wise, a self-proclaimed rabbi, founded Hebrew Union College in 1875. Before then, all rabbis emigrated from Europe. Rabbi Wise was the leader of the Reform movement in America, which was essentially the religion of Jewish Germany. The Reform Jews were opposed to Zionism, and the idea of a Jewish state, because they felt Judaism was only a religious community. They even went as far as expelling Zionist sympathizers from Hebrew Union College. In spite of the efforts of the Reform movement, the majority of synagogues remained Orthodox.