This book - in Yiddish - tells the story of a Jewish soldier who fought in a Jewish Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers of the British Army in World War I. Louis (Yehuda Leib) Nirenstein was born in the village of Pyesk, in the Grodno district of Byelorussia. He emigrated to the United States in … Continue reading In Kampf Farn Land (In the fight for a country, diary of a Jewish Legionnaire), Louis Nirenstein, London 1928.
Category: Zionism
Moses by Achad Ha-Am, translated from Hebrew to English by Leon Simon, London 1917.
This is another early Zionist pamphlet, originally written in Hebrew in 1904 and translated into English by Leon Simon. It was published in 1917, the year of the Balfour Declaration, by "The Zionist" in London (but printed in Leeds). Achad Ha-Am, which means 'one of the people' was the pen name of Asher Zvi Hirsch … Continue reading Moses by Achad Ha-Am, translated from Hebrew to English by Leon Simon, London 1917.
Moledet No. 9 – published by the Jewish National Fund Education Department, London 1954.
I just bought this childrens' magazine for my collection, and was so pleased with it that I decided to write about it. It is beautifully produced and illustrated with 96 pages plus a fold-out map of Israel. Perhaps a little expensive for 1954 - priced at two shillings. The first name in the list of … Continue reading Moledet No. 9 – published by the Jewish National Fund Education Department, London 1954.
Zionism and the Jewish Religion, by F. S. Spiers, London 1918.
Frederick Solomon Spiers, OBE, wrote this booklet, originally in 1915, published by the Zionist Organization in London. He is another almost forgotten leader and activist of Anglo-Jewry. Yet, at his funeral at Willesden Cemetery in 1926 - he died of a heart ailment at the early age of 50 - the mourners included the elite … Continue reading Zionism and the Jewish Religion, by F. S. Spiers, London 1918.
Palestine and the Jewish Future, by Berl Locker, London, 1942.
This booklet, by Berl Locker, sets out the case for resettling large numbers of Jewish refugees who would survive the war (remember - this was written early in 1942) in the territory of Palestine. It is very readable and goes through recent history, as it was at that time. He writes about Jewish Socialism, antisemitism … Continue reading Palestine and the Jewish Future, by Berl Locker, London, 1942.
Order of Service for Israel Independence Day, edited by Moses Friedlander, published for Armin Krausz by Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd., London 1964
This book copies the traditional style of the blue 20th Century Adler Machzorim (Holiday Prayer Books), and has a similar binding. It is interesting because it combines prayers and celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut with some British flavours. My copy was owned, and is stamped by Rabbi Aaron Ben Zion Shurin. He was a native … Continue reading Order of Service for Israel Independence Day, edited by Moses Friedlander, published for Armin Krausz by Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd., London 1964
Mevaser Tov (Harbinger of Good Tidings) by Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, London, 1852.
There is a street in Jerusalem called Rechov Alkalai, which people often mistake for the writer of the dictionary. Actually, it is named after Rabbi Yehudah Alkalai, who came up with the idea that the Jewish people should organize to settle in the Land of Israel, at a much earlier date than the modern Zionist … Continue reading Mevaser Tov (Harbinger of Good Tidings) by Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, London, 1852.
The Jewish Year Book 1939 – Zionist and Pro-Palestine Organizations.
This is the Jewish Year Book 1939, published by the Jewish Chronicle, London, England. The pages scanned are those of Zionist organizations just before the Second World War. The entries show a very great depth of support in the Jewish community of the time, with large numbers involved.
Anti-Semitism in Germany, by Israel Cohen, London 1918.
What is striking about this little booklet is the date. We expect the 1930s and 1940s - the era of the Holocaust. But this was published by the London Jewish Chronicle in 1918, towards the end of the First World War. Even allowing for the fact that this was a time of great anti-German sentiment, … Continue reading Anti-Semitism in Germany, by Israel Cohen, London 1918.
Menuchas Shabbos, by Rabbi Samuel Jacob Rabinowitz of Liverpool, Yiddish, London 1919.
This little booklet is a speech on Sabbath rest, in Yiddish. It was published in 1919 by the Liverpool branch of Mizrachi at a price of sixpence. Rabbi Samuel Jacob Rabinowicz was born in Kelme, Lithuania, in 1857, and died in Liverpool, England, in 1921. He held rabbinical posts at Ivye, Aleksot, and Sopotskin and … Continue reading Menuchas Shabbos, by Rabbi Samuel Jacob Rabinowitz of Liverpool, Yiddish, London 1919.
Jewish Miscellanies 