Stephen Samuel Wise (Wise Stephen Samuel)

(1874-1949)
Born in Budapest (Hungary) on 17 March 1874, at the age of one year, he moved with his parents in the U.S.. After receiving his Ph.D. from Columbia University, Wise trained to become a rabbi while studying privately in the U.S. and abroad. Acting as a rabbi, he began in New York and in Portland (pc. Oregon). In 1907, Wise organized the Free Synagogue in New York, based on the principles of openness and free expression of views. He played a prominent role in the campaign to the ouster of mayor of New York, James J. Walker 1932. Rabbi Wise contributed to the establishment of the Zionist Organization of America, the American Jewish Congress and World Jewish Congress. Special role he played in the grounds of the Jewish Institute of Religion, the liberal school of the rabbis. Wise died in New York on April 19, 1949.