My copy of this book has very worn covers. It has been well read and has little scraps of paper as bookmarks. It is stamped a number of times with the stamp of its previous owner, Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber. Rabbi Ferber was born in Kovno in 1879. He was a renowned Torah and Talmudic … Continue reading What was Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber of London reading? Sefer Ohr Hatzvi by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Barlas, Lublin, 1875.
Author: Jewish Miscellanies
Jeffrey Maynard is an author and collector of Anglo-Jewish books and antique Judaica.
Ingathering, by Rabbi Jacob Schachter (of Belfast), Jerusalem, 1966.
Rabbi Jacob Schachter was born in Rumania in 1886. His father, Rabbi Abraham Schachter, the son of Yehuda Leib, was born in Dorban in Serbia in 1853. Rabbi Abraham Schachter was Rabbi of Prumushike, Batashan (Botosani) in Rumania. Rabbi Jacob received Semicha (his rabbinical diploma) in 1911, and from 1913 to 1920 was Rabbi at … Continue reading Ingathering, by Rabbi Jacob Schachter (of Belfast), Jerusalem, 1966.
Sefer Lashon Zahav, by British Chief Rabbi David Tevele Schiff, Offenbach, 1822.
Sefer Lashon Zahav was written by Rabbi David Tevele HaKohen Schiff. It gets its title because the values of the Hebrew letters in both the word Zahav and the name David add up to fourteen. Rabbi David Tevele Schiff served as Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Rabbi of the Great Synagogue of London … Continue reading Sefer Lashon Zahav, by British Chief Rabbi David Tevele Schiff, Offenbach, 1822.
Sefer Mate Moshe, by Rabbi Moses of Premeslo, edited by Rabbi Mordechai Knoblowicz of Hendon Adath Yisroel, London, 1958.
This is a solid volume of Rabbinic Laws, first published at the end of the sixteenth century. It was edited by Rabbi Mordecai Chanoch Knoblowicz, who was the Rabbi of the Hendon Adath in Brent Street. The Hendon Adath Yisroel Synagogue was started in 1938, and in 1940 Rabbi Knoblowicz became the Rav until his … Continue reading Sefer Mate Moshe, by Rabbi Moses of Premeslo, edited by Rabbi Mordechai Knoblowicz of Hendon Adath Yisroel, London, 1958.
A Book of Jewish Thoughts by Chief Rabbi Dr. J. H. Hertz, Cairo, 1943.
I've previously written about another copy of this book: Dayan Gollop's copy of a Book of Jewish Thoughts. However, this one is a different and scarce edition. Rabbi Hertz's book was originally written for distribution to Jewish soldiers serving in the British forces in the First World War. It was handed out to countless Jewish … Continue reading A Book of Jewish Thoughts by Chief Rabbi Dr. J. H. Hertz, Cairo, 1943.
Begilufin – Fergangene Welten – Past Worlds about Chassidim and Folklore, by Rabbi Yehoshua Szpetman, London 1951.
This is a very readable (if you read Yiddish) book by Rabbi Joshua (Shiya) Szpetman (pronounced Shpetman). He was a native of Lublin, in Poland, who had already been a Rosh Yeshiva (Head of a Rabbinical Academy) when he emigrated to London on the 1930s. He was the "red rabbi", writer, author, orator, and preacher, … Continue reading Begilufin – Fergangene Welten – Past Worlds about Chassidim and Folklore, by Rabbi Yehoshua Szpetman, London 1951.
A present from Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim, New York, 1946, and Dr. Falk, the Baal Shem of London…
This little booklet, entitled Album of the Great Rabbis of Israel was given out by Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim to its donors in 1946. The "transplanted" Yeshiva "on American soil" was then at 59 west 88th Street, New York. It consists of portraits of the greatest Rabbonim, with a short description of each, starting with the … Continue reading A present from Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim, New York, 1946, and Dr. Falk, the Baal Shem of London…
Faith of Israel, by Rabbi Tobias Goodman, London 1834.
Rabbi Tobias Goodman was a pioneer. He was a Rav in London early in the nineteenth century who was famous for being the first Rabbi to give sermons in English in the synagogue. He was Chazan ("Reader") at the Western Synagogue which was then in Denmark Court. He gave English sermons in Liverpool, and London. … Continue reading Faith of Israel, by Rabbi Tobias Goodman, London 1834.
Amudei Yaavetz, by Yaakov ben Tzvi Charif, printed by Joseph Massel, Manchester, 1897.
I have very little information about the author of this book. He is Yaakov ben Tzvi, sometimes identified as Yaakov Tzvi Alberstadt, and according to Rabbi Yitzchok Yaakov Reines was from Nishvez. He appeared in Manchester in the 1890s, where he lived in a state of economic uncertainty and wrote or published several books. I … Continue reading Amudei Yaavetz, by Yaakov ben Tzvi Charif, printed by Joseph Massel, Manchester, 1897.
The Jews in Europe, Their Martyrdom and Their Future, Board of Deputies of British Jews, London, 1945.
This is an interesting 64 page book, published by the Board of Deputies in 1945, just before the end of World War II. The Board of Deputies was founded in 1760. It is an elected, cross-communal, representative body, in the Anglo-Jewish community. The Deputies are directly elected by the synagogues and communal organisations that they … Continue reading The Jews in Europe, Their Martyrdom and Their Future, Board of Deputies of British Jews, London, 1945.
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