Berthold-Baruch Strauss, born in 1901, was a book collector, originally from Leipzig in Germany, who came to England with his private library in 1933, and was able to add to it significantly in Britain until his early death in 1962. He had a catalogue of his library printed in 1959. In the first section he … Continue reading Shu”t Mahara”ch Ohr Zarua, by Rabbi Chaim ben Isaac Ohr Zaua of Vienna, Leipzig, 1860 – from the B. Strauss Library.
Month: March 2023
Bei Unz in Veitshepel (This Whitechapel of Ours), A. M. Kaizer, London 1944 (Yiddish)
Arye Myer (Arnold) Kaizer was a writer, humourist, journalist and also an Anglo-Jewish communal leader. However, the story starts with his father, Rabbi Alter Noah Michalensky, who was born in 1852 in Neschitz, near Kovel. He was the first Chassidic Rebbe to settle in London. In January 1895 he came to London, bringing his three … Continue reading Bei Unz in Veitshepel (This Whitechapel of Ours), A. M. Kaizer, London 1944 (Yiddish)
Board of Deputies of British Jews, Annual Report, London, 1948.
The Annual Report, actually printed in 1949, starts with a fascinating list of Synagogues and other organizations who were represented on the Board, with the names of the Deputies. These include 127 London Synagogues, five in Dublin, seven in Glasgow, 11 in Leeds, seven in Liverpool, and 31 in Manchester. I wonder if all of … Continue reading Board of Deputies of British Jews, Annual Report, London, 1948.
Milin DeRabanan MeTalmud HaYerushalmi (Sentences by the Rabbis of the Jerusalem Talmud), by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Dziubas, Leeds (England), 1940.
This is a handy pocket-sized reference book. It is an index of sayings from the Jerusalem Talmud, in alphabetical order, with the name of the Tractate and page number for each one. It was, interestingly, printed in 1940, at the height of the Second World War, in Leeds, England, by Saul Tunick. The author, Rabbi … Continue reading Milin DeRabanan MeTalmud HaYerushalmi (Sentences by the Rabbis of the Jerusalem Talmud), by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Dziubas, Leeds (England), 1940.
The Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Seventy-First Annual Report, London, 1971.
I am sometimes amazed that my youthful personal experiences have become history and part of my Anglo-Judaica collection. The British Zionist Federation in 1971 was a large organization, involved in many facets of Jewish life in Britain beyond its Zionist scope. Much of its time in 1971 was taken up in organizing elections for the … Continue reading The Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Seventy-First Annual Report, London, 1971.
Hebrew, The Language of our Prayers. A Sermon preached at the Bayswater Synagogue, by Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler, London 1885.
It is Shabbos (Saturday), Parshas Shekalim, 1885 and Delegate Chief Rabbi Dr. Hermann Adler is in the then fairly new Bayswater Synagogue in the fashionable west of London. Many middle class and moderately wealthy families that originated in the East End of London have moved here. No-one can imagine that the Bayswater Synagogue will not … Continue reading Hebrew, The Language of our Prayers. A Sermon preached at the Bayswater Synagogue, by Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler, London 1885.
The Industrious Apprentice. A Sermon preached at the Great Synagogue, by Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler, London 1887.
It is Shabbos (Saturday), December 10th, 1887 and Delegate Chief Rabbi Dr. Hermann Adler is in the then almost 200 year-old Great Synagogue in Dukes Place in the City of London, the Cathedral Synagogue of Anglo Jewry. The original wealthy families have mostly moved away and his large congregation includes many new immigrants from Europe. … Continue reading The Industrious Apprentice. A Sermon preached at the Great Synagogue, by Rev. Dr. Hermann Adler, London 1887.
Tzemach David by David Gans, 2nd edition, 1692 … and Arthur, King of England (the 400th post).
Rabbi David Gans (1541-1613) wrote his famous book Tzemach David, printed in Prague in 1592. It was the first history book printed in Hebrew. This is not a critical or analytical history book, as is usual today, but a chronology. There were two parts, the first being a chronology of Jewish history, and the second … Continue reading Tzemach David by David Gans, 2nd edition, 1692 … and Arthur, King of England (the 400th post).
Levush Ateres Zahav Hagedola, by Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, Prague, 1609.
Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe was born between 1525 and 1530, in Prague, and died in 1612, so that my copy (the second edition) was printed during the author's lifetime. Rabbi Yaffe studied in Poland with Rabbi Moshe Isserles (The Rema), and with the Maharshal, Rabbi Solomon Luria. (I have previously written about my copies of the … Continue reading Levush Ateres Zahav Hagedola, by Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, Prague, 1609.
Heimland, Literisher Sammelbuch (Literary Scrapbook), Yiddish, Moscow, 1943.
Seventy Years ago, on Purim (1st March) 1953, Stalin was struck down with a stroke, leading to his death four days later. It seems appropriate to write about my copy of Heimland, a literary scrapbook which includes contributions by many of Stalin's Jewish literary victims. The Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee was a group of Soviet Jewish … Continue reading Heimland, Literisher Sammelbuch (Literary Scrapbook), Yiddish, Moscow, 1943.
Jewish Miscellanies 