Disciplines
Jewish Studies
Abstract
Rabbi Joshua Schonbrun was born in 1930 and grew up on Clinton Avenue in the Bronx, part of a close-knit, heavily Jewish neighborhood. His upbringing was deeply shaped by Jewish education, family tradition, and the presence of immigrant culture. His father was a Polish immigrant who came to the U.S. in the 1920s, and his mother was of Romanian and Hungarian descent. Rabbi Schonbrun attended Jewish day school and later the Yeshiva of the Bronx, eventually pursuing his rabbinical ordination at Yeshiva University.
As a young man, he witnessed the transformation of Jewish life in the Bronx, including the shift of Jewish families moving out of the borough in the post-war years. Rabbi Schonbrun served as the longtime rabbi of the Conservative synagogue Young Israel of Pelham Parkway, where he played a central role in Jewish life, education, and community outreach for decades. He speaks warmly of life-cycle events, weddings, funerals, bar mitzvahs, and the communal bonds that defined Jewish religious life during his tenure.
His reflections include memories of anti-Jewish sentiment, the struggle to preserve synagogue membership, and his efforts to make Jewish learning more accessible. He also shares insights into the broader demographic and economic changes that affected the Bronx and the Jewish community over time.
Recommended Citation
Amend, Kathryn, "Schonbrun, Joshua" (2024). Bronx Jewish History Project. 73.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/bjhp/73
