In 1902, a dramatic power shift reshaped American Judaism when wealthy German-Jewish philanthropists seized control of the struggling Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Through analysis of biennial reports, correspondence, and contemporary publications, this research traces how the Seminary's multiple crises by 1900—financial instability, dwindling support, leadership vacuums, and institutional competition—catalyzed its transformation from a small Orthodox-oriented school into the cornerstone of Conservative Judaism. Led by Jacob Schiff, Louis Marshall, and Cyrus Adler, prominent German-Jewish leaders intervened with substantial funding and recruited Solomon Schechter from England as president, though not without complex negotiations over institutional control. The old Seminary leadership demanded guarantees of traditional religious orientation while ceding administrative authority to their financial saviors. The reorganization served multiple strategic aims: "Americanizing" East European immigrants, establishing New York as the center of Jewish institutional authority, and creating a prestigious seat of Jewish learning. This pivotal transformation maintained nominal continuity with traditional Jewish scholarship while laying the foundation for Conservative Judaism's institutional development and emergence as a major force in American Jewish life.