A rabbi for the whole city

By Lori Sturdevant

Last update: October 19, 2009 - 10:47 AM

In 1946, a visiting journalist branded Minneapolis "the capital of anti-Semitism in the United States." No one would level that claim today, and Rabbi Max Shapiro, who died last week at age 92, contributed much to the change.

Temple Israel's longtime leader was a natural network builder. He combined a passion for social justice with a winsome nature, gentle wit, and caring attitude that easily attracted a following. His disarming openness to people of all persuasions did much to knock down barriers to interfaith understanding in this city -- even as his devotion to his own congregation spurred its growth. Temple Israel is now the 10th largest Reform Jewish congregation in the world.

When I had the Minneapolis Tribune's religion beat in the mid-1970s, I called often on Rabbi Max for tips, comments, and perspective. He was invariably helpful to a young, ill-informed journalist -- as he was, I suspect, to everyone he met. He was truly a rabbi to the whole city, and his city is a better place becaue of his service.

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