Gunther Plaut
| Rabbi Wolf Gunther Plaut C.C., O.Ont. | |
|---|---|
Rabbi Dr. W. Gunther Plaut, C.C., O.Ont.
|
|
| Position | Rabbi Emeritus |
| Synagogue | Holy Blossom Temple |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 1, 1912 Münster, Germany |
| Died | February 8, 2012 (aged 99) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Denomination | Reform |
| Children | Jonathan V. Plaut and Judith Plaut |
| Semicha | Hebrew Union College |
Wolf Gunther Plaut, CC, O.Ont (November 1, 1912 – February 8, 2012) was a Reform rabbi and author. Plaut was the rabbi of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto for several decades and since 1978 was its Senior Scholar.
He was born in Münster, Germany. His father's name was Jonas and his mother's name was Selma. Gunther had a younger brother, Walter, who was the Rabbi of Temple Emanuel of Great Neck, NY at the time of his death in 1964 at the age of 44. Gunther received his Doctor of Laws degree and in 1935 fled the Nazis and went to the United States. In 1939, he received his ordination as a Rabbi from Hebrew Union College. After receiving his U.S. citizenship on March 31, 1943, he enlisted as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. He was eventually assigned to the 104th Infantry "Timberwolf" Division and served as a frontline chaplain with the 104th in Belgium and Germany. He held pulpits in Chicago, Illinois 1939-49) and at Mount Zion Temple in St. Paul, Minnesota (1948–1961). He moved to Holy Blossom Temple in 1961.
He published a volume of commentary on the Torah and Haftarah, which has become the standard Humash used by the Reform movement. He was a long-time columnist for the Canadian Jewish News as well as a contributor of opinion pieces to various Canadian newspapers such as the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. He was the first recipient of the W. Gunther Plaut Humanitarian Award. In 1978, he was the honoree of the Toronto Jewish National Fund Negev Dinner.
...
Wikipedia