Joseph P. Weinberg

Rabbi Joseph P. Weinberg (1937-1999) was the fifth senior rabbi at Washington Hebrew Congregation (Washington, DC). Born in Chicago, Weinberg graduated from Northwestern University and immediately entered Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. Following his ordination in 1963, he served as assistant rabbi at a San Francisco congregation before coming to Washington. He marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma and was arrested twice, and in Washington, played a leading role in efforts to improve racial relations and fight poverty. He helped start Ya’chad, a Jewish organization promoting affordable city housing and Carrie Simon House, a transitional home for unmarried mothers in Northwest Washington. He was also a fervent supporter of Israel and campaigned for years to help Soviet Jews emigrate.