Rabbi Max Leon Forman was born in Albany, New York in 1919 into a family with a long and illustrious lineage of Rabbis. He was raised in Philadelphia and awarded a four year scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania where he was an All-American fullback on the Penn Soccer team. He played semi-professional soccer while earning his Rabbinical degree at the Jewish Theological Seminary, and later awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity. His first pulpit was in Petersburg, Virginia then assumed the leaderships at B’Nai Aaron in Philadelphia, Hollis Hills Jewish Center in Queens, NY, retired but then encouraged to unretire and lead Temple Emanuel in Palm, Beach, Florida. The author of several books, including Rx for Living, which predated the inspirational Chicken Soup series. He married Diana Slavin, herself an author, sociologist and creator of the world-famous Bible Dolls. Together their raised four children, Gayl, Cyrelle, Barr and Donna. Rabbi Forman was an inspiration teacher and speaker, who often gave his sermons in English, but also in Yiddish and Hebrew. Rabbi Forman succumbed in 1991 after a lengthy illness.
