David Lefkowitz

Who was David Lefkowitz?

David Lefkowitz, a rabbi, led Temple Emanu-El in Dallas, Texas from 1920 to 1949, after having worked in Dayton, Ohio. He opposed the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, which had been revived in 1915; it was strongly opposed to immigrants who were Jews and Catholics from eastern and southern Europe.

He and his wife Sadie bequeathed their collection to the Perkins School of Theology, which houses the "Sadie and David Lefkowitz Collection of Judaica". Sadie Lefkowitz was also active in the National Association of Temple Sisterhoods. A Mason, Rabbi Lefkowitz continued to attend meetings knowing that Klansmen were present. He discussed incidents of violence to convince other members that the Klan was inhibiting progress of their booming city.