Editing Louis Finkelstein (section)

==Chancellorship at JTS==
Finkelstein was appointed chancellor of JTS in 1940 and remained chancellor until 1972. He positioned JTS as the central institution of [[Conservative Judaism]], which experienced extraordinary growth during those years. Thousands of Jews living in America's cities moved to the suburbs and joined and built Conservative synagogues, and the movement emerged as the branch of Judaism with the largest number of synagogues and members. Finkelstein's leadership led [[Ari L. Goldman]], in his obituary for Finkelstein in the ''[[New York Times]]'', to describe Finkelstein as "the dominant leader of Conservative Judaism in the 20th century."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/30/nyregion/louis-finkelstein-96-leader-of-conservative-jews.html|title = Louis Finkelstein, 96, Leader of Conservative Jews|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 30 November 1991|last1 = Goldman|first1 = Ari L.}}</ref>
During Finkelstein's leadership, the seminary flourished, growing from a small rabbinical school and teacher training program to a major university of Judaism. Finkelstein also established the seminary's Cantor's Institute, the Seminary College of Jewish Music, the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (predecessor of the Graduate School), and a West Coast branch of the seminary that later became the [[University of Judaism]] (now the [[American Jewish University]]).

In a personal conversation, Finkelstein called the Conservative movement "a gimmick to get Jews back to real Judaism." His personal problems with the movement were reflected in his practice of coming to Conservative synagogues after having already prayed morning prayers, apparently regarding the synagogues' liturgical practices to be religiously flawed.<ref>Jack Wertheimer, Jews in the Center: Conservative Synagogues and their Members, Rutgers University Press, 2002. Page 14.</ref>

Public outreach was among Finkelstein's top priorities. One of his signature programs was a radio and television show called [[The Eternal Light]], which explored Judaism and Jewish holidays. Interfaith dialogue was a particular priority. Finkelstein established the Institute for Religious and Social Studies, which brought together [[Protestant]], [[Roman Catholic]] and Jewish scholars for theological discussions. His efforts were considered so significant that an article about him was featured in ''Time Magazine'' including his picture on its cover on the edition of October 13, 1951.  In 1986, the institute's name was changed to the Finkelstein Institute in his honor.

Finkelstein's contacts went well beyond the religious community. He was intimate with leading political and judicial figures and, in 1957, enticed Chief Justice [[Earl Warren]] of the United States Supreme Court to spend a Sabbath at the seminary studying the [[Talmud]]. Finkelstein served as the official Jewish representative to President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s commission on peace, and, in 1963, President [[John F. Kennedy]] sent him to Rome as part of an American delegation to the installation of [[Pope Paul VI]]. He also offered a prayer at the second inauguration of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]].