First Rabbi of New Hope Congregation in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Rev. Manfred Rabenstein was born and educated in Germany. He graduated from the Jewish Teachers and Cantorial Seminary in Cologne, Germany. From 1932 through 1938, he as both a teacher and rabbi in Germany, and during this time, he married his wife, Flora.
Shortly before the Nazi era, Rev. Rabenstein and other Jewish educators established guidelines and curriculae for Jewish Day Schools forced upon communities after expulsion of Jewish children from public schools. Because of the rising anti-semitism, the Rabensteins left Germany in 1938.
After his arrival in Cincinnati, he be-came a shochet in the E. Kahn's Sons Company, a position he held for 39 years. Rev. Rabenstein also became one of the 12 co-founders of Congregation New Hope, dedicated to the preservation of German-Orthodox traditions, and still serves as the Congregation's spiritual leader.
Congregation New Hope added a Hebrew school in 1943, and Rev. Rabenstein served as a teacher, and later the principal, until its dissolution in 1973. He also attended The University of Cincinnati. The concern that century old liturgical melodies of German Jewry would be lost prompted him to record the complete synagogue service, including weekdays, Sabbath and holidays.
In his long association with
Cincinnati Hebrew Day School, Rev. Rabenstein has served as a member of the Board and the Jewish Education Committee.
Rev. & Mrs. Rabenstein have 4 children: Rabbi Aaron Rabenstein, Bernard Rabenstein; Jacob Rabenstein; and Noami Miller.
