The Rambam, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (also known as Maimonides), was a Talmudist, halakhist (Jewish legal scholar), doctor of medicine, philosopher and communal leader. He lived in 12th-century-Egypt and his writings (in Arabic and Hebrew) spread across the Jewish world and beyond, enriching the study of Judaism, philosophy, medicine, and more. His great work was … Continue reading Mishneh Torah – Yad HaChazakah, by Moses ben Maimon (Rambam), Dyhrenfurth, 1809.
Israel Abrahams, A Biographical Sketch by Herbert Loewe, Cambridge, 1944.
Israel Abrahams died over a hundred years ago, in 1925, leaving a large legacy of writing. The book, by his friend, Herbert Loewe, was written in 1925/6, but not published until 1944. Herbert Loewe had died in 1940, and this book was privately printed as a reproduction of typescript. Israel Abrahams came from an interesting … Continue reading Israel Abrahams, A Biographical Sketch by Herbert Loewe, Cambridge, 1944.
Pri Megadim on Yoreh Deah by Rabbi Yosef Teomim, Frankfort on the Oder, 1801.
Pri Megadim (Choice Fruits) is by Rabbi Yosef Meir Teomim, head of the rabbinical court of Frankfort on the Oder. It is a deep and comprehensive learned explanation of two previous commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch and is often quoted by the Chofetz Chaim in his Mishnah Berurah. This is the third edition, printed in … Continue reading Pri Megadim on Yoreh Deah by Rabbi Yosef Teomim, Frankfort on the Oder, 1801.
Social Legislation in the Talmud, by Rabbi Dr. I. Epstein, Torah Va’Avodah Library, London, 1947.
This book was published by the “Bachad Fellowship” in England. Bachad, which are the initial letters of Brit Chalutzim Datiim, the orthodox Jewish pioneering movement, was started in Germany in 1928. It’s purpose was to equip young orthodox religious Jews with agricultural or other skills which they could use, eventually to settle in British mandated … Continue reading Social Legislation in the Talmud, by Rabbi Dr. I. Epstein, Torah Va’Avodah Library, London, 1947.
Tell It In Gath, British Jewry & Clause 43, The Inside Story, by Abba Bornstein and Bernard Home, London 1972.
One of the great Anglo-Jewish controversies of the early 1970s was the struggle over Clause 43 of the constitution of the Board of Deputies. I remember it well – for full disclosure I was briefly a member of the Board of Deputies in 1971-72. Being young and anti-establishment, I remember regarding the President of the … Continue reading Tell It In Gath, British Jewry & Clause 43, The Inside Story, by Abba Bornstein and Bernard Home, London 1972.
Jews’ College, Hundred and Eighth Annual Report, London 1965.
In 1965 Jews' College, in its newish building off Montague Square in London, was thriving. Unlike the earlier reports that I have, 1937, 1939, 1951 and 1955, Jews' College students in 1965 included people who are still around or well remembered today. All the lists are below. The Governing Body and Committees, the Teaching Staff, … Continue reading Jews’ College, Hundred and Eighth Annual Report, London 1965.
Sefer Knesses Yosef by Rabbi Dayan Zalman Yosef Aloni (Dubow), Dublin, 1959.
This book was published ten years after Dayan Aloni's book Degel Yosef (about which I have written before). It is a book about mikvaos (ritual baths), printed by C. George in London. The book has a haskamah (approbation) from Rabbi Isaac Halevi Herzog, who had been the Chief Rabbi of Ireland and was then appointed … Continue reading Sefer Knesses Yosef by Rabbi Dayan Zalman Yosef Aloni (Dubow), Dublin, 1959.
Hendon United Synagogue. Order of Service at the induction of Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Ginsbury as Minister of the Synagogue, and the Synagogue Newsletter, April 1999.
This is a relatively modern item. I had hoped to find older Hendon items for my collection, as both my sets of grandparents were members of the Raleigh Close synagogue after the war, and my father was a member in his own right from 1946, but these magazines and newsletters do not seem to have … Continue reading Hendon United Synagogue. Order of Service at the induction of Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Ginsbury as Minister of the Synagogue, and the Synagogue Newsletter, April 1999.
Prelude to Service and Installation of Dr. Immanuel Jakobovits as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth of Nations, 1967.
These two booklets were published by the Chief Rabbi's Office in London prior to and for the installation at St. John's Wood Synagogue on 11th April, 1967. The order of service is exactly that - a religious service, providing for the passing of the baton by the outgoing Chief Rabbi, Dr. Israel Brodie, to the … Continue reading Prelude to Service and Installation of Dr. Immanuel Jakobovits as Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth of Nations, 1967.
Hull Old Hebrew Congregation, Order of Service at the Re-Consecration of the Synagogue, Osborne Street, Hull, 1955.
The Hull Old Hebrew Congregation was founded, on combining two earlier synagogues, in 1826. The building at Osborne Street was built in 1903, but destroyed by German bombing on the night of 7/8 May, 1941. The replacement new building was not completed and consecrated until 1955. According to the printed Order of Service, the reconsecration … Continue reading Hull Old Hebrew Congregation, Order of Service at the Re-Consecration of the Synagogue, Osborne Street, Hull, 1955.
Jewish Miscellanies 