This is a beautiful book in English, describing the laws, customs and songs sung on the Sabbath day by orthodox Jews, with notes that include sources and references for the customs.
Rabbi Joseph Apfel came from Berlin and arrived in Leeds just before the war. In 1939, the position of First Reader at the Old Great Synagogue (later the United Hebrew Congregation) was offered to him. Unable to obtain a post as a rabbi, he was at least able to make use of his sweet voice as chazzan (cantor). He served for nearly 40 years until his retirement in 1978. His son, David Apfel, is Chazzan (Cantor) of the Beth Medrash Hagadol Synagogue in Leeds.
In 1947 Joseph Apfel’s rabbinic qualifications and expertise were at last recognised when he was appointed to the Leeds Beth Din (Rabbinical Court), and in 1968 he became Av Beth Din (Senior Judge), a position he held with distinction until his death in 1996.
The Jewish Sabbath was printed by the Narod Press in Whitechapel, London.
In 1996 Dayan Apfel published “Yad Yosef”, which contains his collected writings. It also contains letters from numerous great Torah scholars including Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg, Rabbi Dov Berish Wiedenfeld, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Isaac Jacob Weiss and Rabbi Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch.
Jewish Miscellanies 