Harold B. Waintrup, 92, Abington rabbi

Rabbi Harold B. Waintrup, 92, rabbi emeritus of Old York Road Temple-Beth Am in Abington, died Thursday, Sept. 23, at the Rydal Park retirement community.

In 1951, Rabbi Waintrup became spiritual leader to members of the Old York Road Temple, who were worshiping in a colonial mansion in Abington. In 1959, the Reform congregation added Beth Am, "House of the People," to its name.

By 1991, when Rabbi Waintrup retired, the congregation had grown from 75 to 800 families. Under his supervision, the mansion had been replaced by three interlocking buildings, a sanctuary, an auditorium, and the Rabbi Harold B. and Elise Waintrup Religious School, named in honor of the rabbi and his wife.

"I grew up with these families," he told The Inquirer in 1991, "Now I'm confirming and marrying their children and grandchildren."

For a decade after he retired, Rabbi Waintrup continued to co-officiate at life-cycle events with his successor, Rabbi Robert S. Leib. He also performed pastoral duties, including visiting patients at Abington Memorial Hospital. Until a few years ago, he was still involved in informal and formal teaching at the synagogue. "We had a wonderful, fulfilling, close and loving relationship," Leib said.

Rabbi Waintrup, a committed ecumenist, teamed with the minister of Abington Presbyterian Church in the early 1950s to organize a joint Thanksgiving service, which evolved into an annual event with Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic churches also participating.

He was past president of the Eastern Montgomery Ministers Association and had served on the board of the National Conference of Christians and Jews. He was a founding member of the Suburban Council on Human Relations and was past president of the Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia.

In 1991, Rabbi Waintrup received the Joseph X. Yaffe-Robert Johnson Smith Civil Rights Awards for his work with the Eastern Montgomery County Advisory Council and the state Human Relations Commission.

Robert Johnson Smith, an African American who was pastor of Salem Baptist Church in Jenkintown, told The Inquirer at the awards ceremony that Rabbi Waintrup hosted a reception for him and his family when they finally were able to buy a house in predominantly white Abington in the 1950s.

"Harold has been very involved with human rights in the 35 years I've known him. But he's not a banner-carrying, marching-type person. He's astute at negotiation. He can also come through for you," said Smith, who died in 2001.

A native of Cleveland, Rabbi Waintrup earned a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and a master's degree in education from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in Hebrew letters from Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.

After he was ordained in 1947, he was a rabbi in Steubenville, Ohio, before coming to Abington.

As a young man, Rabbi Waintrup was a talented baseball player who was nicknamed "Spider" for his long arms. He was recruited to try out for the Cleveland Indians, his son Daniel said, but told his family he decided instead "to make his hits from the pulpit." Baseball remained a passion and in 1986, his congregation sent him to Phillies Dream Week in Clearwater, Fla.

Since 1947, Rabbi Waintrup had been married to Elise Zeme Waintrup. They met on a blind date. They enjoyed travel and were longtime subscribers to the Philadelphia Orchestra.

In addition to his wife and son, Rabbi Waintrup is survived by his daughter Miriam and four grandchildren. His daughter Debra Mittelman died in 2005.

A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 26, at Old York Road Temple-Beth Am, 971 Old York Rd., Abington. Burial will be in Shalom Memorial Park, Huntingdon Valley.