Volume #37, Issue #1, Fall, 2004/5765
William M. Kramer
Rabbi, Professor, Scholar, Publisher, Lawyer & Mensch
1920 - 2004
by Gladys Sturman
Publisher, Western States Jewish History
It is with deep regret we inform our readers that Rabbi William M. Kramer, one
of the founders of Western States Jewish History Association, passed away in
June, 2004.
Rabbi Kramer was a many talented man with tremendous energy, imagination and
intellect. A scholar in many and varied fields, “Rabbi Bill,” as he was
affectionately known, was a pioneer in Western States Jewish scholarship. In
addition to publishing this Western States Jewish History Journal for
thirty-plus years, he accumulated a vast archive of print and photographic
material that is today of great value to historians.
The archives are the result of painstaking research. He and his colleague and
friend, Dr. Norton Stern, traveled extensively throughout the West visiting
cemeteries and photographing Jewish tombstones. They would then look up the
names of the deceased in the newspapers around the period of their death. They
would accumulate these histories of the early Jewish settlers and, where
possible, they would record interviews with their descendents.
Kramer wrote extensively for Western States Jewish History and for other
historical journals, establishing a base point for newer scholars interested in
the Jewish settlement of the American West.
At the same time, Rabbi Kramer was the Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Emet in
Burbank, taught at the University of Judaism, at USC, at UCLA and for several
decades he was a tenured senior professor at California State University at
Northridge. A versatile scholar, Rabbi Kramer taught college level Archaeology
and Art History. He had a Doctor of Hebrew Letters degree and an Honorary Doctor
of Divinity from Hebrew Union College.
Rabbi Kramer wrote weekly articles for the Heritage Newspapers as well as many
articles for countless historical, religious and legal journals. His essays,
short stories and poetry have been published in many journals.
Rabbi Kramer had an MFCC degree and was a family therapist for many years. He
also passed the California Bar in 1979 and had been a member of the noted First
Amendment firm of Fleishman & Fisher in Century City, where he wrote briefs for
the California and US Supreme Courts.
Rabbi Kramer was also an actor, model and talk show host on radio and TV. He did
little theater and videos. He played an Orthodox Rabbi on “L.A. Law,” and had
parts in a dozen or more TV programs. His patriarchal beard and appearance made
him ideal for yogurt and bagel ads, for greeting cards and T-shirts. He looked
the quintessential Rabbi.
He headed the public relations work of the Consulate General of Israel during
the Six Day War—a very important post at a very trying time.
He was a consummate collector and had extensive collections of everything from
Jewish artwork to Chanukiot; from Blue Willow china to Lincolnia. Mostly Rabbi
Kramer was a bibliophile. He read two or three books a day and had one of the
largest private collection of books in English on Jewish art and on Jews of the
American West. The latter is now part of the William Kramer Archives of the
Western States Jewish History Association.
He belonged to and presided over more organizations than we can mention here.
Rabbi Bill once told me that, of all the multitude of activities in which he was
involved, being a Rabbi was the most important. However, the foundation of
Western Jewish History stands on his shoulders. That too is important.
Cyril Leonoff, Rabbi Kramer’s counterpart in Western Canadian Jewish History
recently sent me his condolences. He wrote:
[Rabbi William Kramer’s] passing is a great loss to the study of Jewish history
of Western North America; he will be sadly missed. Yet we should celebrate his
remarkable contributions over a long thirty five year period as associate
editor, editor, editor emeritus, and author of Western States Jewish History. I
have always found Dr. Kramer’s articles on Jewish history to be not only erudite
but interesting and readable, as his enthusiasm and hamish personality shine
through every page.
Rabbi William M. Kramer, the Senate
Chaplain, while waiting for the Senate to convene the other
morning, wrote out this prayer, which he gave that day:
Keep them honest, wise and true,
Guide them in the righteous cause,
Give them a sense of humor, too.
May they have the strength to fight,
Greed, corruption and usurpation.
May they foster human rights,
God bless them in their legislation.
—The Phoenix Gazette, February 28, 1951
At this milestone of Dr. Kramer’s passing, permit me to reminisce a little about
the past. It is some twenty-four years that I have been associated with Western
States Jewish History; my first article appeared in the October 1980 issue. I
have had the privilege of collaborating with the three editors—Dr. Norton Stern,
Rabbi Kramer, and yourself. My colleagues and I have worked to extend this
history into Canada and the North.
In retrospect it is amazing the amount of material that has been discovered,
collected, analyzed, and written of Western Jewish History, on the initiative of
a relative handful of dedicated people. What has already been accomplished gives
us the incentive, often through toil and travail, to carry on.
Rabbi Kramer’s innate spirituality and his warm, jovial, mischievous personality
permeated all the many facets of his life
It is with a heavy heart that David Epstein, Managing Editor of Western States
Jewish History, and I are determined to carry on the work that Rabbi Kramer
began.
—Gladys Sturman, Publisher
One Special Memory of
Rabbi William M. Kramer
by David Epstein
I began producing Western States Jewish History for Rabbi Kramer in 1992,
shortly after the death of his associate, Dr. Norton Stern. That same year I
began to produce The American Rabbi, another journal published by the now late
Rabbi Harry Essrig. I was also publishing books. One of them, How to Explain
Judaism to Your Non-Jewish Neighbor, was being written by Rabbi Edward Zerin.
All this work was being done in my home.
One day the doorbell rang and in walked Rabbi Essrig with his always-neat
folder—everything ready to be prepared for publication. We sat at a table and
started to review the materials he wanted to use.
The doorbell rang again, and in walked Rabbi Kramer, with his old, beat-up black
lawyer’s briefcase, with papers stuffed in and sticking out. He too sat down and
began commenting on Rabbi Essrig’s materials
Once again the doorbell rang and in walked Rabbi Zerin with the unfinished
manuscript for his book.
Rabbi Kramer and Rabbi Zerin were in their early eighties, while Rabbi Essrig
was “pushing” ninety. All were alumni of Hebrew Union College—Jewish Institute
of Religion.
They started reminiscing about their days at the seminary and their favorite
teachers. They talked about how some of their teachers, men themselves in their
seventies and eighties when they were professors, would tell of their own early
experiences as student Rabbis.
I sat in awe, listening to these three wonderful Rabbis tell of their teachers’
memories of the very beginnings of Reform Judaism in America. It is one day I
will always remember.
Two of my three teachers and mentors have now passed away, but their memories
and lessons will forever be a part of my being.
William Kramer—“Rabbi Bill”—will live on in the pages of Western States Jewish
History.
—David W. Epstein, Managing Editor
Western States Jewish History
Notes from an Unfinished Autobiography
by William M. Kramer
At this High Holy Day season when our prayers deal with the
subject of who shall live and who shall die, my mind goes where my soul leads
and I think about reincarnation.
I believe that in this life I was destined to be a Rabbi, but next time around I
think I would like to be a layman.
For more than fifty years I conducted yontif services. There were sermons to
prepare. There was advertising material to get out. There were children’s
services. There were visitations to senior citizen’s homes and such.
There were apples and honey to get for after-services. There was always a
problem with the air-conditioning/heating because on hot days it was not cold
enough and on cold days it was not hot enough. And I remember how, if the World
Series was being broadcast, a large part of the congregation seemed to be
wearing hearing aides.
Nobody was ever happy with the assigned seating. There were ushers, aliyahs and
announcements.
There was the year we rented a choir and organist from the Methodist Church and
Ayn Kelohaynu sounded a lot like Amazing Grace.
Do not get me wrong. I loved being a leading Rabbi then and I love being a
praying Rabbi now. It was good to trade the responsibilities of the pulpit for
the liberation of the pews. Since [this year] I do not have a service to
administer, I ministered to my own spiritual needs close to my bride.
My father and mother morally and financially supported me at Rabbi Stephen S.
Wise’s rabbinical school. [When I graduated] my father said to me, “Billy, you
have had a wonderful education and learned a lot of Torah, now do not be a damn
fool. Go out and become a successful business man.”
Well, I did not follow his advice and, after fifty years in the pulpit, I have
no regrets. The pulpit was no prison even if I feel paroled now. I believe that
I have earned the right to sit in the congregation.
Additional Selected Quotes by Rabbi William M. Kramer
“I do not think of the divisions of Judaism as divisions. I am
annoyed when asked, after I have been introduced as a Rabbi, ‘What kind of Rabbi
are you?’ I know what they want me to answer, but I answer as I want. ‘Jewish,’
I say, ‘Jewish!’”
—Rabbi William M. Kramer
I am tempted to observe that more Rabbis are nominal
—than “phe-nomenal.”
—Rabbi William M. Kramer
I do not remember a period in my life when I was not interested
in art. After I moved to Los Angeles I began to collect artists. Actually, I
collected occasional works of art or reproductions long before that, but
collecting artists is another matter. What does it mean to collect artists? It
means that you get to know the creative personalities without necessarily
attempting to acquire their works.
—Professor William M. Kramer
Did you know that you can sing Ma’oz Tzur to the melody of
Silent Night?
I did so one Chanukah night at the Seminary.
Dr. Dinen was not amused.
—William M. Kramer, Mensch
