{{Short description|Jewish-American rabbi (1884–1963)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} '''Felix Alexander Levy''' (October 20, 1884 – June 16, 1963) was an American rabbi who mostly ministered in Chicago, Illinois.
== Life == Levy was born on October 20, 1884, in [[New York City|New York City, New York]], the son of Alexander Levy and Catherine Bergdoll.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uWrXAAAAMAAJ |title=Who's Who in American Jewry, 1926 |date=January 1927 |publisher=The Jewish Biographical Bureau, Inc. |location=New York |page=375 |language=en |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> His parents were from [[Alsace–Lorraine]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dresner |first=Samuel |date=June 1965 |title=Felix Alexander Levy (1884–1963) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/23874379 |journal=[[American Jewish Historical Quarterly]] |publisher=[[American Jewish Historical Society]] |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=464–468 |jstor=23874379 |issn=0002-9068}}</ref>
Levy graduated from the [[City College of New York|College of the City of New York]] with an A.B. in 1904. He then took post-graduate courses at [[Columbia University]] and the [[Jewish Theological Seminary of America|Jewish Theological Seminary]] from 1904 to 1905. He later went to [[Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion|Hebrew Union College]], where he was ordained a rabbi in 1907 and received an honorary D.D. degree in 1939, and the [[University of Chicago]], where he received a Ph.D. in 1917. He served as rabbi of [[Temple B'rith Kodesh (Rochester, New York)|Temple B'rith Kodesh]] in [[Rochester, New York]], from 1907 to 1908. In the latter year, he became rabbi of [[Emanuel Congregation]] in [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]]. Active in Jewish religious and educational affairs, he was a lecturer for the [[Jewish Chautauqua Society]] and an associate editor of ''B'nai B'rith News''. From 1917 to 1918, he was in France as a member of the [[National Jewish Welfare Board|Jewish Welfare Board]]. He was a board of governors member of Hebrew Union College, chairman of the board of the College of Jewish Studies, and a member of the board of Jewish education. He was also an executive board member of the [[Zionist Organization of America]], president of the Liberal Ministers' Association, and vice-president of the [[American League Against War and Fascism|League Against War and Fascism]]. He wrote several books and was a contributor to ''The Reform Advocate'', ''B'nai B'rith News'', ''Hebrew Union College Monthly'', and ''The Sentinel''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9pwYAAAAIAAJ |title=The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia |publisher=The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia, Inc. |year=1942 |editor-last=Landman |editor-first=Isaac |editor-link=Isaac Landman |volume=7 |location=New York |page=10 |language=en |via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref>
[[File:Grave of Felix Alexander Levy (1884–1963) at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Levy's grave at Rosehill Cemetery]]
Levy influenced his colleagues to modify Reform Judaism's attitudes towards ''[[halakha]]'' and Jewish identity. He served as president of the [[Central Conference of American Rabbis]] from 1935 to 1937, and as president he had the Conference adopt the 1937 Columbus Platform to embody his ideas. He retired as rabbi of Emanuel Congregation in 1955, after which he served as editor of ''Judaism'' and dean of the academy for Higher Jewish Learning. A selection of his papers and sermons were published in S.D. Temkin's ''His Own Torah'' in 1969.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Levy, Felix Alexander |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/levy-felix-alexander |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=[[Encyclopedia.com]]}}</ref> He was an executive board member of the [[Jewish Publication Society|Jewish Publication Society of America]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://ajcarchives.org/AJC_DATA/Files/1964_15_DirectoriesLists.pdf |title=American Jewish Year Book, 1964 |year=1964 |editor-last=Fine |editor-first=Morris |volume=65 |pages=435 |language=en |editor-last2=Himmelfarb |editor-first2=Milton |editor-link2=Milton Himmelfarb |via=[[American Jewish Committee]] Archives |archive-date=July 15, 2020 |access-date=December 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715225237/http://www.ajcarchives.org/AJC_DATA/Files/1964_15_DirectoriesLists.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1910, Levy married Celia Schanfarber. Their children were Marjory, Suzanne, Katherine (who was dead by 1947), and Jacqueline.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/29373/?offset=0#page=198&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&q= |title=American Jews: Their Lives and Achievements |publisher=The Golden Book Foundation of America, Inc. |year=1947 |volume=I |location=New York |pages=128 |language=en |via=[[FamilySearch]]}}</ref> His son-in-law was Rabbi [[Wolfe Kelman]] and his granddaughter was Rabbi [[Naamah Kelman]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=1979-03-11 |title=Elan Ezrachi Is Fiancé Of Naamah K. Kelman |language=en-US |volume=CXXVIII |page=52 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |issue=44153 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/11/archives/marriage-announcement-7-no-title.html |access-date=2024-02-12 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Levy died from a heart attack at his home in New York City on June 16, 1963.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 June 1963 |title=Dr. Felix A. Levy Is Dead at 78; Led Rabbis' Conference in '30's |edition=Late City |volume=CXII |page=33 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |issue=38498 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/06/20/80449525.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> He was buried in [[Rosehill Cemetery]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Felix A. Levy |url=https://jewishdata.com/secure/record_detail.php?id=454093 |website=JewishData }}{{Dead link|date=August 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [http://prestohost54.inmagic.com/Presto/content/Detail.aspx?ctID=ZWY4ZGQ5NDctMTExMS00YmI4LWFkODEtOTJhMzk4ZmFlMjQ4&rID=MjQ3&qrs=RmFsc2U=&q=KE1hbnVzY3JpcHRfQ29sbGVjdGlvbnMue1RpdGxlfE90aGVyX1RpdGxlfEZ1bGxfVGl0bGV8VG9wX3JlY29yZF90aXRsZX06KEZlbGl4IExldnkpKQ==&qcf=ZWY4ZGQ5NDctMTExMS00YmI4LWFkODEtOTJhMzk4ZmFlMjQ4&ph=VHJ1ZQ==&bckToL=VHJ1ZQ==&rrtc=VHJ1ZQ== Felix A. Levy Papers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206235633/http://prestohost54.inmagic.com/Presto/content/Detail.aspx?ctID=ZWY4ZGQ5NDctMTExMS00YmI4LWFkODEtOTJhMzk4ZmFlMjQ4&rID=MjQ3&qrs=RmFsc2U=&q=KE1hbnVzY3JpcHRfQ29sbGVjdGlvbnMue1RpdGxlfE90aGVyX1RpdGxlfEZ1bGxfVGl0bGV8VG9wX3JlY29yZF90aXRsZX06KEZlbGl4IExldnkpKQ==&qcf=ZWY4ZGQ5NDctMTExMS00YmI4LWFkODEtOTJhMzk4ZmFlMjQ4&ph=VHJ1ZQ==&bckToL=VHJ1ZQ==&rrtc=VHJ1ZQ== |date=December 6, 2022 }} at the ''[[The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives|American Jewish Archives]]''
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Levy, Felix A.}} [[Category:1884 births]] [[Category:1963 deaths]] [[Category:City College of New York alumni]] [[Category:Columbia University alumni]] [[Category:Jewish Theological Seminary of America alumni]] [[Category:Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion alumni]] [[Category:University of Chicago alumni]] [[Category:19th-century American Jews]] [[Category:20th-century American rabbis]] [[Category:American Reform rabbis]] [[Category:Rabbis from New York City]] [[Category:Rabbis from Chicago]] [[Category:Religious leaders from Rochester, New York]] [[Category:Burials at Rosehill Cemetery]]