This report, covering the year ended 30th September 1939, provides a picture of the JNF at the beginning of the Second World War. There is great concern over the Jews of Poland, a community of three and a half million Jews. Where can they go? Only in Palestine can they find a home. The Jewish … Continue reading Jewish National Fund for Great Britain & Ireland, Report 5699, London 1939.
Category: Ireland
Irish Jewish Year Book 5745 (1984-1985), Dublin.
This is a relatively modern item, but it is a useful picture of the Irish Jewish community as it was in 1985, when Rabbi David Rosen was finishing a short term as the Chief Rabbi of Ireland and Editor of the Year Book (He is one of the sons of the late Rabbi Kopul Rosen … Continue reading Irish Jewish Year Book 5745 (1984-1985), Dublin.
Jewish Year Book 1917, Provincial Synagogues and Institutions, A-D.
This is the 1917 edition of the Jewish Year Book, which was published by the Jewish Chronicle and produced under difficult wartime conditions as a paperback with thinner paper. However, it is absolutely packed with information – a printed snapshot of the Anglo-Jewish community in 1917. I was asked if I could provide a scan … Continue reading Jewish Year Book 1917, Provincial Synagogues and Institutions, A-D.
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.
Kli Yakar, Lemberg, 1895. This copy belonged to Rabbi Elkan Eliezer Gavron of Dublin.
This book itself is not rare. It is a copy of Kli Yakar, printed in Lemberg in 1895. This is a Torah commentary written by Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim ben Aaron Luntschitz and originally published in 1602. The name, Kli Yakar, comes from Proverbs 20:15 where it says that wise speech is a “kli yakar”, a … Continue reading Kli Yakar, Lemberg, 1895. This copy belonged to Rabbi Elkan Eliezer Gavron of Dublin.
Schwile Olam, by Abraham Menachem Mendel Mohr, Lemberg 1856.
This is a geography book with an interesting dedication to Sir David Salomons, the first Jewish Lord Mayor of London. The author, Menachem Mendel Mohr, was born in Lemberg in 1815. He came from a traditional household, but became part of the Haskalah (The Jewish "enlightenment") and began to read secular works and gain secular … Continue reading Schwile Olam, by Abraham Menachem Mendel Mohr, Lemberg 1856.
Beis Evel and Beis HaRoeh by Myer Joel Wigoder of Dublin, Ireland, Jerusalem 1914.
Myer Joel Wigoder was a lay-scholar who published fifteen works on Midrashic and Aggadic topics. He was born in the village of Vigoda, near Vexna, Lithuania in 1855 and had a thorough Yeshiva education. Upon losing all his possessions in a fire in the town of Laizovo soon after he was married, he emigrated in … Continue reading Beis Evel and Beis HaRoeh by Myer Joel Wigoder of Dublin, Ireland, Jerusalem 1914.
Chayei Olam and Beis Haknesses by Myer Joel Wigoder of Dublin, Ireland, (1936?)
Myer Joel Wigoder was born in the village of Vigoda, near Vexna, Lithuania in 1855. He had a thorough Yeshiva education and after various trials and tribulations left Lithuania in search of a better place to economically establish his young family. He travelled to Dublin, Ireland, and was eventually joined by his brother, Doctor George … Continue reading Chayei Olam and Beis Haknesses by Myer Joel Wigoder of Dublin, Ireland, (1936?)
Sefer Ohr Hayashar by Rabbi Samuel Isaac Hillman of London on Tractate Bechoros, with a Kuntres (article) by his son-in-law, Rabbi Isaac Halevy Herzog of Dublin, Ireland, London 1921
This is a very large sized folio book with a remarkable collaboration between two heavyweights. The first is Rabbi (later Dayan) Samuel Isaac Hillman of London. This is one of his series of books called Ohr HaYashar, with his commentaries and novella on various tractates of the Talmud. This one is on Bechoros. The second … Continue reading Sefer Ohr Hayashar by Rabbi Samuel Isaac Hillman of London on Tractate Bechoros, with a Kuntres (article) by his son-in-law, Rabbi Isaac Halevy Herzog of Dublin, Ireland, London 1921
Sefer Imre Yoel on Sefer Shemos, by Rabbi Yoel Leib Halevi Herzog, London 1922
Rabbi Yoel Halevi Herzog (1866-1934) was born in Lomza. He was a member of an illustrious family. His son Isaac Herzog became Chief Rabbi of Ireland, and then Chief Ashkenazic Rabbi of Palestine. His Mechutan (father of his daughter-in-law) was Dayan Shmuel Isaac Hillman, a famed Rabbi and author, whose son David Hillman was the … Continue reading Sefer Imre Yoel on Sefer Shemos, by Rabbi Yoel Leib Halevi Herzog, London 1922
Jewish Miscellanies 