Edward Nathan Calisch

Who was Edward Nathan Calisch?

Edward Nathan Calisch was a prominent American Reform Rabbi.

Calisch studied at the University of Cincinnati and was ordained as Rabbi after graduating in the second graduating class of Hebrew Union College.

In 1887, Calisch accepted a pulpit in Peoria, Illinois. In 1891, he became rabbi of Congregation Beth Ahabah in Richmond, Virginia.

In 1893, Calisch's congregation felt the need for a more modern prayer ritual. They authorized Calisch to revise a prayer-book. That prayer book was the first Hebrew book printed in Richmond.

In 1908, Calisch earned a Ph.D from the University of Virginia.

Calisch was a prominent figure in Richmond's civic life, where his talents as an orator were much in demand. He was an executive member of the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Welfare Board, the Joint Distribution Committee and the Virginia War History Commission.

In 1945, after more than four decades of service, Calisch retired.