This is a special piece of nostalgia from my library. Bloom's in Golders Green was my late father's place to go when he wanted to take the family out to dinner. The rude, friendly waiter who had been there for years and years. The enormous portions of excellent food. And Bloom's in Whitechapel was the … Continue reading Bloom’s – The Most Famous Kosher Restaurant in Great Britain.
Category: London
What was Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Ferber of London reading? Sefer Ohr Hatzvi by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Barlas, Lublin, 1875.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Jewish Chronicle, London 1915 – A Second Selection.
There has been so much interest in the scans that I posted from my bound volume of the Jewish Chronicle for 1915 that I have decided to provide a second selection. These include details about the War, charitable lists, announcements from synagogues, Selfridges advertisements, Monickendams order form for Passover groceries, advertisements for kosher hotels, and … Continue reading The Jewish Chronicle, London 1915 – A Second Selection.
Crumbs and Character, by Rabbi Dr. Leo Jung, New York 1942.
Leo Jung was born in 1892 in Moravia, the son of Rabbi Meir Tzvi Jung. His father was appointed Chief Rabbi of the Federation of Synagogues in London in 1912. At the time the Federation was an orthodox rival to the more established and orthodox but English United Synagogue. Rabbi Meir Tzvi Jung, also, incidentally, … Continue reading Crumbs and Character, by Rabbi Dr. Leo Jung, New York 1942.
Jewish Miscellanies 