Bernhard H. Feustmann

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1873-1882

Bernhard H. Feustmann served for nearly a decade as Keneseth Israel’s tenth President, from 1873 to 1882. During his term, Keneseth Israel joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), now known as the Union for Reform Judaism. UAHC had been founded five years earlier by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise.

Feustmann was born on November 2, 1824 in Oberphalz, Bavaria. He worked in Philadelphia as a wholesale distributor of clothing and notions in a joint company called Feustmann and Kaufmann. His business was located as 519 Market Street, Philadelphia. Feustmann also served as Secretary of the Mount Sinai Cemetery Association for Israelites at 25 North Third Street, Philadelphia. He had a wife and children, although their names, ages, and number are unknown. He died on December 9, 1881, leaving his estate to his wife and children, and bequeathing various sums to the Jewish Hospital Association, the Jewish Foster Home, and the “Familien Waisen Verein.” He is buried at Mount Sinai Cemetery.