Simon Glazer

Simon Glazer (or Shimon Glazer; 1876?-1938) was an Orthodox Jewish rabbi who flourished at the turn of the twentieth century. He was known for founding and leading two major organizations of American Orthodox rabbis.

Background Born in a Lithuanian Jewish family in Kaunas, Lithuania (known as Kovno at the time, or Kovne in Glazer's native Yiddish), his year of birth is not certain, and may have been either 1876 or 1878. He was president of the Council of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, and co-founded the Agudath ha-Rabbanim, the Assembly of Hebrew Orthodox Rabbis of America.

Glazer's professional career was spent primarily in Montreal and New York City. He came to be the chief rabbi of the United Synagogues of Montreal and Quebec City before he moved to New York.

Glazer wrote a number of books, and was a supporter of Zionism. He campaigned for a Congressional resolution on the Jewish Palestine question in the 1920s. He also organized an effort, through the rabbinic organizations he led or participated in, to delay the institution of quotas on Jewish immigration to the United States. The effort was unsuccessful in that the legislation passed, but successful in that it delayed it long enough to allow thousands of Jews to come to the US. After the laws passed, he received authority from President Warren G. Harding to adopt five Romanian orphans, in order to provide them entry into the country.

His 26 books include: Sefer Maaneh Halashon: Tefillot al Bet A'lmin - Prayers Upon the Cemetery Revised and Translated in English (1928) New York. History of Israel. (Based upon Graetz-Doubnow) in 6 volumes (1930). Star Hebrew Book Co., New York. The Palestine Resolution A Record Of Its Origin (1922), Cline Publishing Company on behalf of United Synagogues of Greater Kansas City, Kansas City, Mo. The Five Books of Moses (Haphtoroth and the Five Megiloth); Prayers for the Sabbath; Enumeration of the 613 Commandments; New and Accurate Translation of All the Verses Whence the Commandments are Inferred (1935) Maimon Publishing/Ktav Publishing House, Inc., New York. Mishnah Torah Yod Ha-Hazakah, Translated (1927). Maimonides Publishing. The Jews of Iowa. Complete History and Accurate Account of their Religious, Social, Economical and Educational Progress in this State; History of the Jews of Europe, North and South America in Modern Times; and a Brief History of Iowa (1904) Koch Brothers Printing Company, Des Moines, Iowa. The Bar Mitzvah Pulpit: Sermonettes for Bar Mitzvah Boys and Others (1928) Star Hebrew Book Co., New York. Guide of Judaism: Moreh ha-Yahadut : A Systematic Work for the Study and Instruction of the Whole Scope of Judaism (1917) Hebrew Publish Company, New York.