James Wax’s passion for social justice was ignited by the economic and social injustices he witnessed in his hometown, inspiring him to strive for a better world and improve the lives of others through activism and advocacy.

James Aaron Wax was born to the only Jewish family in the small Mississippi River town of Herculaneum, Missouri, on December 20, 1912. His parents, Rose and Morris Wax, immigrated to the U.S. from a small village inside Russia’s Pale of Settlement only two years before, and settled in Herculaneum where a mining company’s smokestack dominated life. Morris Wax taught his son these tenets of Judaism: Be a moral and honorable person and be a good citizen.

Rabbi Wax’s education, marked by perseverance and a drive for social justice, led from a Bachelor’s degree to his rabbinical ordination, intertwining Jewish tradition with universal human dignity.

James’ ambition was to study law and become governor of Missouri, but a sermon by Rabbi Ferdinand Isserman changed his plans. As a student at Washington University, he attended services at Temple Israel in St. Louis where he first heard Rabbi Isserman preach, challenging the Temple youth to fight against injustice. Young James said to himself, “If this is Judaism, this is for me.”

Growing up, James never went to religious school. He never had a Jewish friend. He was not a Bar Mitzvah. The Great Depression forced his transfer to Missouri State Teachers College in Cape Girardeau, graduating in 1934. Encouraged by a Methodist minister in Herculaneum to become a rabbi, James applied to the Hebrew Union College (HUC) in Cincinnati.

In his early career, Rabbi James Wax evolved from an assistant rabbi in St. Louis to a nationally recognized figure, advocating for social justice and ethical issues, and laying the foundation for his future leadership in religious and social activism.

In 1946, Rabbi Wax began a transformative 32-year tenure at Temple Israel in Memphis, where he advanced to senior rabbi, embraced social justice within Reform Judaism, and implemented changes aligning Jewish traditions with contemporary practices.

Rabbi Wax’s civil rights leadership, marked by his presidency of the Memphis Ministers Association and activism after Dr. King’s assassination, underscores his significant role in racial equality efforts.

As Memphis faced escalating tensions in March 1968, Rabbi Wax’s stance shifted dramatically following Dr. King’s assassination. This led him to spearhead a historic march to City Hall and confront the mayor, a decision that echoed nationally.

Rabbi Wax’s impassioned sermon on April 5, 1968, honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., sparked intense reactions and a deluge of feedback, reflecting the deep divisions and challenges he faced in his pursuit of social justice.

“Martin Luther King . . . fought to break the chains that have oppressed people, he sought to give men dignity, he sought to make this a better world in which to live. Martin Luther King was one of the greatest men of this century because he personified the greatest teachings in Judaism and Christianity, and he did it without violence. He sought to appeal to the heart and the conscience of man.”
— Rabbi Wax sermon on the eve of Shabbat, April 5, 1968

On the eve of Shabbat, April 5, 1968, only a few hours after his encounter with Mayor Loeb, Rabbi Wax delivered the briefest and, perhaps, most passionate sermon of his rabbinate.

After his rebuke of the mayor, Rabbi Wax received an avalanche of phone calls and letters. He sent those letters to the American Jewish Archives, perhaps for safekeeping or perhaps to protect his critics and future generations. There are 121 letters criticizing his encounter with Mayor Loeb, and 81 in support.

“Very few made reference to the racial aspect of the situation,” Rabbi Wax recalled. “There were, of course, a large number of calls and many letters supporting my position, from members of the congregation and many Christian people. The number of letters and calls supporting my position did not equal those who were against it.”

“Then came the mail, violent and threatening. For weeks we would not keep our phone on at night for the ugly messages – or just silence. Other so-called friends stopped speaking to us and there were some angry Temple members. However, our Temple’s long policy of ‘freedom of the pulpit’ prevailed and the Board of Trustees refused to consider or discuss requests that the Rabbi should be fired. He had no contract so he could have been. Several (Memphis) ministers lost their pulpits over their participation.” — Helen Wax

Reflecting on his emotional response to Dr. King’s death, Rabbi Wax acknowledged his impassioned approach, while his colleague, Rabbi Danziger, highlighted the complex and dangerous times that followed, marking a significant shift in Wax’s approach to activism.

Weeks later, Wax reflected in a letter to a fellow rabbi: “My own remarks, which were carried by national television, were very emotional and impassioned. There was some criticism of the manner in which I spoke. I’ll admit I was needlessly emotional. It should have been more restrained, but the circumstances were such that I couldn’t do differently.”

For months after Dr. King’s death, when Rabbi Wax stood on the pulpit, Temple Israel Rabbi Emeritus Harry Danziger, Rabbi Wax’s assistant rabbi at the time, sat behind him and kept his eyes on the entrance to the sanctuary “because this was a dangerous time.”

Rabbi Danzinger said of his colleague:
“This was not in his mind his finest hour. He was not a marcher. He didn’t go to demonstrations. He believed problems should be solved by leaders coming together and making decisions, which is how a lot worked in Memphis prior to this. For him, the fact that all of this took place with the sanitation strike was a deep disappointment, even though for many people, this was his finest hour.”

Rabbi Wax’s commitment to mental health sometimes captured headlines across Tennessee. He believed that state-run mental health hospitals should not be subjected to political influence, which brought him into direct conflict with Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton. In 1975, Rabbi Wax vehemently opposed Gov. Blanton’s patronage efforts at Western State Hospital in Bolivar, Tennessee, to fire the hospital’s professional superintendent and replace him with one of the governor’s political cronies. The state Mental Health Board later adopted a policy statement submitted by Rabbi Wax prohibiting hospital employees from dismissal except by the hospital’s superintendent.

In 1981, the Mental Health Commission named the James A. Wax Activities Building at the Memphis Mental Health Institute in honor of its senior member. Rabbi Wax retired from the board in 1984 after 28 years of service and appointments by five governors.

Rabbi Wax’s proudest moment came September 17, 1976, when the first Shabbat service was held in the new Temple Israel at 1376 East Massey Road.

A Legacy of Leadership, Courage & Meaning

The dedication of the new Temple Israel was the climax of an improbable story about a Jewish boy who rose to become one of the nation’s leading Reform rabbis and who helped to shape the history of Memphis. He preached the meaning of Judaism and he faithfully lived it, inspiring others to share his courage and to stand for what was right by the laws of man and God.

On March 11, 1978, Rabbi Wax gave his final sermon as senior rabbi of Temple Israel. Throughout retirement, Rabbi Wax continued to write columns about social justice for local media, taught at the Memphis Theological Seminary, and continued his service as a rabbi to small Mid-South Jewish communities. Another priority was to build bridges between religious groups. His memberships and honors are numerous, including the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the Memphis Ministers Association. He gave more than 750 sermons, wrote thousands of letters, and gave numerous interviews on Judaism.

Rabbi Wax died on October 17, 1989, after suffering an aneurysm while conducting Yom Kippur services at Temple Beth El in Helena, Arkansas. His last words were about the moral right of every person to have decent, affordable health care. His death and interment at Temple Israel Cemetery spawned tributes from across the country by people of all faiths.

Said Rabbi Wax’s friend, Rev. Frank McRae: “Jews are better Jews and Christians are better Christians because Jimmy was around.”

Rabbi Wax’s longtime friend, Rabbi Hertz delivered the eulogy. He said inpart: “Rabbi Wax was truly a rabbi’s rabbi. For him God was very real. His broad humanitarianism enabled him to exemplify in his ministry the highest ethical traditions of prophetic Judaism…Some men build in steel, some in stone, some in glass, some in concrete. Rabbi Wax built in human hearts. He gave unsparingly of his time, energy, and heart to the troubled, the sick and the sorrowing…He leaves behind to loved ones and to his community the sweet memories of a meaningful life dedicated to the service of his fellowman. What he did and what he gave of himself shall endure as long as this Congregation remembers.”

A Legacy of Civic Leadership

Rabbi Wax was among the early supporters of efforts to build St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. He also served on the board of the United Cerebral Palsy Association, the Shelby County Tuberculosis Association, and the Mid-South Center Council for Comprehensive Health Planning

Another priority was to build bridges between religious groups, and he supported his friend and colleague, Rabbi Arie Becker, in his efforts to raise money to build a new synagogue for the city’s Conservative Jewish congregation, Beth Sholom. Rabbi Wax saw Rabbi Becker, a survivor of Auschwitz, as a kindred spirit for social justice after Becker joined 19 other Conservative rabbis in 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama, to march for racial equality only a few months before the 16^th Street Baptist Church was bombed by white supremacists killing four young girls and injuring 22 others.

Rabbi Wax was devoted to Jewish education and religious organizations, serving on the board of governors of the HUC and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. He was president of Southwest Conference of American Rabbis and served on the executive council of the American Jewish Historical Society and the American Jewish Committee.

During his rabbinate, he gave more than 750 sermons, wrote thousands of letters, and gave numerous interviews on Judaism. His position on controversial issues was well known. He opposed capital punishment, he supported the United Nations, and he opposed Tennessee’s anti-evolution law. He said: “There is not a single scientific fact, including evolution, that has undermined a single religious truth.  God remains the Creator whether the world was formed in six days or six million years.”

Temple Israel’s Rabbinical Tradition of Community Service

Since Temple Israel was founded 168 years ago, eight senior rabbis have led the congregation, each of whom embraced community service as an important part of his mission. Years before social action became the clarion call of Reform Judaism, these spiritual leaders took the teachings of the Torah beyond the synagogue to improve the health and welfare of the community at large.

Rabbi Jacob Peres, 1858-1860

The first rabbi to lead Temple Israel, then known as The Congregation of the Children of Israel, was Jacob Peres who laid the foundation of community service. Although his tenure as senior rabbi was only two years, he remained active in the Memphis community serving as president of the Memphis School Board during a time in which the city built three modern schools, established a physical education program, and strengthened the curriculum.

Rabbi Simon Tuska, 1860-1870

Simon Tusca served as Temple Israel’s senior rabbi during the Civil War and Reconstruction. He led the transition of the congregation’s worship services from Orthodox Judaism to Reform Judaism as he worked to strengthen the synagogue’s ties with the greater community. After the Civil War, Rabbi Tusca led his congregation’s highly recognized communitywide involvement in education, medical care, and philanthropy.

Rabbi Max Samfield, 1871-1915

For Max Samfield, public service was a passion. As rabbi of the congregation during the yellow fever epidemics of the 18970s, a time in which many people fled to other cities, Rabbi Samfield remained in Memphis and ministered to the sick and dying. A resolution in his honor said in part: “He ministered to the sick; brought consolation to the stricken; gave sympathy to the orphan; and by torchlight buried his dead. He made no distinction either in race or condition, but the Gentile as well as the Jew were the beneficiaries of his volunteer services.” He was held in such high esteem throughout Memphis that when he died in 1915, every streetcar of the Memphis Street Railway Company halted for a full minute in his honor.

Rabbi William Fineshriber, 1915-1924

William Fineshriber served as Temple Israel’s senior rabbi for nine years, but his influence is still felt today. An early advocate of women’s suffrage, Rabbi Fineshriber is mostly remembered for having the courage to speak out against racism and bigotry in Memphis during a time it was dangerous to do so, particularly his outspoken stance against lynching and criticism of the Ku Klux Klan as a menace to America. He was a champion of literary scholarship and freedom of thought and whose courageous advocacy of social justice would inspire this congregation for more than a century.

Rabbi Harry W. Ettelson, 1925-1954

Harry Ettlelson already was a seasoned rabbi when he became senior rabbi at Temple Israel, having also served as a Navy Chaplain during World War I. His 29-year tenure at Temple Israel embraced the precepts of what was known as Classical Reform Judaism, which proclaimed it a sacred duty of Jews “to solve the problems presented by the contrasts and evils of the present organization of society.” During his leadership, Rabbi Ettelson organized the Cross-Cut Club, a group of local clergymen who sponsored non-sectarian programs. The club later formed the nucleus of the Memphis chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

Rabbi James A. Wax, 1954-1978

Rabbi Harry K. Danziger, 1978-2000

Having endeared himself to the congregation when he served as assistant rabbi for five years under Rabbi James Wax, Harry Danziger was the overwhelming choice to succeed Rabbi Wax as senior rabbi in 1978. Rabbi Danziger worked to familiarize the greater community with Judaism as he quietly transitioned his congregation’s Judaic worship away from classical reform to traditional reform. During his rabbinical leadership, he encouraged Temple Israel’s congregants to participate in communitywide tzedakah (charitable) efforts, which culminated in Mitzvah Day when hundreds of Temple Israel members participated in service projects throughout the community. Rabbi Danziger also served as board chairman of the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA), and as president of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

Rabbi Micah Greenstein, 2000-Present

Micah Greenstein was a newly ordained rabbi when he came to Memphis in 1991 as the assistant rabbi under Rabbi Danziger. He picked up the pace of programming at Temple, created purposeful activities for the congregation, and began his dedicated and career-long effort to connect Temple Israel with
lay and religious leaders throughout the city’s Christian, Muslim, and African-American communities. Rabbi Greenstein quickly became a familiar sight at civic and religious events in Memphis and the nation, including his service as a member of the Executive Board of the National Civil Rights Museum, a member of the Board of Directors of the NAACP, an adviser to the city’s Race Relations and Diversity Institute, president of the Memphis Ministers Association, and as a popular speaker at Calvary Episcopal Church’s Lenten Series.

Presenting Sponsors

Herbert Shainberg Foundation

James A. Wax Family

Jonathan I. Wax

James A. Wax, Jr.

James R. Wax

Upstanders

Carol & Bert Barnett

Elvis & Robert T. Goldsmith Fund

Ann & Mason Hawkins

Advocates

Family of Joy & Leo Bearman

Doris & Hubert Kiersky Charitable Remainder Trust

Robin & Billy Orgel

Leigh & Craig Royal

Diane Rudner

Susan Adler Thorp

Supporters

Rose Merry Brown

Congressman Steve Cohen

Sheril & Rabbi Micah Greenstein

Natalie & Jimmy Jalenak

Elaine & Robert Kaufman

Barbara B. Lapides

Myrna & Joe Levy

May Lynn Mansbach

Memphis Jewish Federation

Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association

Monogram Foods

NAACP

National Civil Rights Museum

Judy & Nick Ringel

Diane Sachs & Robert Vidulich

Hedda Adler Schwartz

Edward J. Wise