[3] Levinthal's time at Temple B'nai Shalom discouraged him from the rabbinate due to the constant pressure to raise funds.
He introduced a number of innovations at Temple Petach Tikvah, including late Friday night services, youth clubs, a daily Hebrew school, and congregation-affiliated organizations.
[4] He was later elected by the congregation as rabbi for life, and in 1974 the main sanctuary was named the Israel H. Levinthal Synagogue.
[5] Levinthal was considered a distinguished pulpit orator from the start of his rabbinic career and was especially adept in Midrashic interpretation.
He was a founder of the Brooklyn Jewish Center, and under his leadership it became the largest and most influential Jewish center in Brooklyn, developing a model daily Hebrew school, a progressive school that combined secular and Hebrew education, an institute for adult studies, and weekly public forums.
He visited Mandatory Palestine on numerous occasions as both a Zionist and a representative of American organizations, including at the laying of the cornerstone of Hebrew University and the dedication of the Jerusalem Synagogue Center.
Jews were leaving Brooklyn for the suburbs in the 1960s, and by 1973 he had to curtail the Center's activities, close the Hebrew school, and cancel Friday night services.