Joel Rinaldo (June 11, 1870, New York City– December 23, 1956) was a restaurateur whose restaurant and hotel, Joel's Bohemia, near Times Square, was a Manhattan institution from 1902 to 1925.[1]

Joel Rinaldo, 1913

Life

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Rinaldo was born in New York City on June 11, 1870 to Marks Rinaldo and Minnie (Ellis) Rinaldo, immigrants from Poland ultimately of Portuguese Jewish origin.[2][3][1]

He opened his restaurant "Joel's" in 1902, catering to artists, writers, revolutionaries, and other bohemians.[1]

In 1910, Rinaldo self-published his theory of evolution, "polygeneric theory", which hypothesized that each species was independently created when its time had come. In 1921, following Prohibition-based raids on his establishment,[4] he published Psychoanalysis of the "Reformer": A Further Contribution to the Sexual Theory which purported to demonstrate that the passion for reform of their neighbors by those who favored prohibition was a neurosis akin to a passion for "rape" or "eating caviar".[5] [6][7]

Rinaldo retired to Brooklyn in 1926[1] and died on December 23, 1956.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Benjamin De Casseres, "Joel's", The American Mercury 26:103:360 (July 1932)
  2. ^ Peter Merritt Rinaldo, The Rinaldos from Poland: A Family History [1]
  3. ^ a b FamilySearch [2]
  4. ^ "Seize $75,000 Liquor in Big 'Dry' Drive". The New York Times. September 2, 1920. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  5. ^ Rinaldo, Joel (1921). Psychoanalysis of the "Reformer": A Further Contribution to the Sexual Theory. Lee Publishing Company. p. 25.
  6. ^ "You Mustn't Crack Up the Darwinian Theory at Joel's". The New York Times. November 2, 1913. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  7. ^ Peters, Lisa N. (February 18, 2011). "Max Weber's Joel's Café: A Forgotten New York Establishment Comes to Light". Spanierman Modern Contemporary and Modern Art Blog. Retrieved March 26, 2011.

Works

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  • Rinaldo's Polygeneric Theory, self-published (1910), hardcover
  • Psychoanalysis of the "Reformer" A Further Contribution to the Sexual Theory, preface by Andre Tridon, Lee Publishing Company (1921), 137 pages.
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