Rothenberg, Morris

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ROTHENBERG, MORRIS

ROTHENBERG, MORRIS (1885–1950), U.S. jurist, communal leader and Zionist. Rothenberg, who was born in Dorpat, Estonia, was taken to the U.S. in 1893. He was admitted to the New York bar in 1905. An expert in labor law, Rothenberg served as an arbiter in numerous labor-management disputes. During World War i, he was a member of a federal bread price-fixing commission. In 1937 New York Mayor La Guardia appointed Rothenberg to a ten-year term as city magistrate, and he was reappointed by Mayor O'Dwyer in 1947.

Extremely active in Jewish affairs from his youth, Rothenberg was a founder and executive committee member of the Jewish Welfare Board, a founder of the Joint Distribution Committee, and an executive committee member of the Council for German Jewry. He was also president of the Zionist Organization of America (1932–35). A founder of the Jewish Agency for Palestine (1929), Rothenberg was cochairman of its international council (1933, 1935).

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