Bernheim was a prominent member of the Jewish community, and was active in the Union of American Hebrew Congregations and the American Jewish Committee. He donated to establish the first library at the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. In Louisville, he funded the first home for the Young Men's Hebrew Association and funded an addition to the Jewish Hospital. Bernheim, an adherent of Reform Judaism, continues to have great-grandchildren who follow in his footsteps in the continuation of the Reform Movement and philanthropic activity. In 2007 in his honor, his granddaughter Amanda Roth Block donated to the Hebrew Union College in New York City to President Rabbi David Ellenson a lithograph, "Moses and the Burning Bush", which was inspired by her grandfather's dedication to the Reform movement. Bernheim's library at the Hebrew Union College was renovated to be the home of priceless documents and rare Torah scrolls.