Rabbi Max A. Shapiro (1917-2009) born in Massachusetts, was a Reform movement rabbi in the United States. After graduating from Clark University, he earned a masters degree in education from Boston Teacher’s College. He served as a chaplain at Lawson General Hospital, in Atlanta, Georgia., during World War II, an experience that motivated him to enter the rabbinate. From 1944-1946, Shapiro served in the Middle East, and contributed to the writing of a history of the U.S. Air Force. In 1950, Shapiro was admitted to Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Following his ordination, in 1955, he took the post of assistant rabbi at Temple Israel in Minneapolis, and in 1963, its senior rabbi. In Minnesota, he became the first adjunct professor of Jewish Studies at United Theological Seminary in New Brighton. Rabbi Shapiro was also a visiting professor for more than 20 years at Hamline University’s Department of Religion and Philosophy. He was awarded a doctorate in education from University of Cincinnati in 1960. In the larger Minneapolis, Rabbi Shapiro co-founded the Center for Jewish-Christian Learning at the University of St. Thomas. He also served as the center’s director until his retirement in 1996.