Affidavit of Rabbi Eliezer Silver (1940) pledging that German immigrant Rabbi Max Adler will not become a public charge.

A Luminary of American Orthodoxy

Rabbi Eliezer Silver (1882-1968), an immigrant from Kovno, was one of the most influential figures in American Orthodoxy. In 1931 Rabbi Silver was invited to Cincinnati to help "organize the Orthodox Jews of this city, who have been suffering spiritually from a lack of recognized leadership." With his trademark top hat, which was known all over Cincinnati, Rabbi Silver was deeply involved in Cincinnati life. He was important in national life as well, serving for a time as the chief rabbi of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations (Agudat Harabanim). By 1940 he was working to help rescue rabbis from Nazi dominated Europe, in this case promising that emigré Rabbi Max Adler's salary would be paid and that he would not become a public charge.