The first Chassidic Rebbe who made his home in London between the two World Wars was Rabbi Chanoch Heinoch Dov Rubin, the Rebbe of Sassov. He came to London in 1925 with his wife and three young children and established a small beis midrash (house of study) at 14 Fordham Street in the East End. … Continue reading What was the Sassover Rebbe reading? A signed volume containing three books bound together and an interesting Berlin subscription list.
Category: London
Jewish Fairy Stories, by Gerald Friedlander, Minister of the Western Synagogue,(c 1920), London.
This book gives me the opportunity to write about its author, the Reverend Gerald Friedlander, Minister of the Western Synagogue, then in St. Alban's Place, London. He is another of Britain's slightly forgotten Jewish clergy. Gerald Friedlander was born in London on December 2nd, 1871. He was a son of Myer Friedlander, who was a … Continue reading Jewish Fairy Stories, by Gerald Friedlander, Minister of the Western Synagogue,(c 1920), London.
Chevelei HaNeshama uMusar Hayahadut, in Yiddish, by Rabbi Yehoshua Szpetman of London, printed in Warsaw, 1938.
This book is by Rabbi Joshua Szpetman, known by his diminutive name "Shiya". Rabbi Szpetman was a native of Lublin, who had already been a Rosh Yeshiva (Head of a Rabbinical Academy) in Poland when he emigrated to London. He was the Rabbi of the Nelson Street Sephardishe Synagogue in the East End of London … Continue reading Chevelei HaNeshama uMusar Hayahadut, in Yiddish, by Rabbi Yehoshua Szpetman of London, printed in Warsaw, 1938.
Dinei Mamanot (Civil Law – Definition of Categories) by Dayan Yechezkel Abramsky, London 1939.
This important little booklet was published by Dayan Yechezkel Abramsky in London in 1939, and printed by Israel Narodiczky in Whitechapel, London. It has been reprinted in Israel, and sometimes gets quoted in various articles on Jewish law, but this is the original printing. Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky was born in Daskovichy, near Grodno, in 1886. … Continue reading Dinei Mamanot (Civil Law – Definition of Categories) by Dayan Yechezkel Abramsky, London 1939.
Sefer Zichron, in honour of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, edited by Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky, London 1942.
This is an interesting book. Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinsky was the leading Rabbinical Posek (Rabbi who makes Jewish legal decisions) and spiritual guide of his generation. He was born in 1863 and by the end of the nineteenth century he was a key leader of European Jewry, living in Vilna, Lithuania. His book, Shaylos VeTeshuvos … Continue reading Sefer Zichron, in honour of Rabbi Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, edited by Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky, London 1942.
Sefer Hayeled – a gift book for Jewish children, London 1944.
This is not just a childrens' book. It is an evocative piece of social history, consisting of material that had been previously published in Hayeled - (The Child), a magazine intended for children who had been evacuated from London during the Second World War. The book effectively provides instructions for children on how to live … Continue reading Sefer Hayeled – a gift book for Jewish children, London 1944.
The Jewish Chronicle, London, 1915 – Advertisements, Announcements etc. (250th Post)
This is a bound volume of the Jewish Chronicle for 1915 that I added to my collection some years ago. The paper is a little fragile, but has held up well. There is a noticeable downgrade in quality of paper towards the end of the year - something that would not be noticeable of I … Continue reading The Jewish Chronicle, London, 1915 – Advertisements, Announcements etc. (250th Post)
A Companion to the Authorized Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire, London, 1922.
The quintessential Anglo-Jewish Hebrew and English Siddur, sometimes known as "Singers Prayer Book", was compiled by the Reverend Simeon Singer. Rabbi Simeon Singer was born in London in 1846. He was educated at Jews College in London and while still there became a part-time Minister (in 1867 at the Borough Synagogue) and teacher. He moved … Continue reading A Companion to the Authorized Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire, London, 1922.
Commemorative Brochure of the Sixteenth Siyyum of the Halukat HaMishnah, Hendon Adath Yisroel Synagogue, London, 1965
Each of the participants in the Halukat Hamishna project undertakes to study a different Tractate of the Mishnah. By that means the entire Mishna is learned within a few months. This is followed by a siyum to mark its completion and the commencement of a new cycle. I have previously written about the brochure that … Continue reading Commemorative Brochure of the Sixteenth Siyyum of the Halukat HaMishnah, Hendon Adath Yisroel Synagogue, London, 1965
Lord Meyor’s Show-Day 1837, by Wilfred Samuel, London 1950.
This interesting little item, an early Jewish Museum, London publication, caught my eye because of a family connection. My late father and grandfather both used to buy jewellery from the firm of M. H. Meyer that is mentioned. The author, Wilfred Sampson Samuel, was a British businessman and historian who was born in London in … Continue reading Lord Meyor’s Show-Day 1837, by Wilfred Samuel, London 1950.
Jewish Miscellanies 