This book, which is over 250 years old, is one of the earliest books printed by a Jewish printer in England. It was printed by L. Alexander in 1772 in London. The Ashkenazi community in London started to flourish under the new rabbinic leadership of Rabbi David Tevele Schiff, who was appointed Chief Rabbi in … Continue reading Pirkei Avoth. The Sentences and Proverbs of the Ancient Fathers… Called Abouth… Translated into English with comments by Maimonides [and R. Abraham Tang], London 1772.
A Guide for Jewish Students, Inter-University Jewish Federation, London, 1970.
This modern-looking guide is over fifty years old, and is packed with information for the new "fresher" Anglo-Jewish student in 1970. Not just for London, but information for Jewish students all over the British Isles. The Inter University-Jewish Federation was founded in 1919, and changed its name to the Union Of Jewish Students in the … Continue reading A Guide for Jewish Students, Inter-University Jewish Federation, London, 1970.
Board of Deputies of British Jews, Annual Report 1959, London 1960.
1959 seems to have been a relatively quiet year. However, the Report starts with a long and interesting list of Synagogues, throughout the United Kingdom and beyond, and the names of their representatives on the Board. Also, how many of the eleven meetings of the Board each Deputy actually attended! The Report was printed by … Continue reading Board of Deputies of British Jews, Annual Report 1959, London 1960.
Chayenu, Organ of Jewish Religious Labour. London, 1946.
Here is an interesting publication from 1946. Britain was literally digging itself out from the rubble of the war, Europe, or what was left of it, was dealing with survivors and displaced persons, and over in Palestine the Jews were dealing with a hostile and confused British government. This magazine is full of interesting articles … Continue reading Chayenu, Organ of Jewish Religious Labour. London, 1946.
A History of the Central Synagogue, by Rabbi Cyril Shine, London, 1970.
This interesting booklet describes the history of the Central Synagogue, Great Portland Street, in the West End of London, from it's origins in the mid-nineteenth century. It was published in 1970.
Shu”t Mahara”ch Ohr Zarua, by Rabbi Chaim ben Isaac Ohr Zaua of Vienna, Leipzig, 1860 – from the B. Strauss Library.
Berthold-Baruch Strauss, born in 1901, was a book collector, originally from Leipzig in Germany, who came to England with his private library in 1933, and was able to add to it significantly in Britain until his early death in 1962. He had a catalogue of his library printed in 1959. In the first section he … Continue reading Shu”t Mahara”ch Ohr Zarua, by Rabbi Chaim ben Isaac Ohr Zaua of Vienna, Leipzig, 1860 – from the B. Strauss Library.
Bei Unz in Veitshepel (This Whitechapel of Ours), A. M. Kaizer, London 1944 (Yiddish)
Arye Myer (Arnold) Kaizer was a writer, humourist, journalist and also an Anglo-Jewish communal leader. However, the story starts with his father, Rabbi Alter Noah Michalensky, who was born in 1852 in Neschitz, near Kovel. He was the first Chassidic Rebbe to settle in London. In January 1895 he came to London, bringing his three … Continue reading Bei Unz in Veitshepel (This Whitechapel of Ours), A. M. Kaizer, London 1944 (Yiddish)
Board of Deputies of British Jews, Annual Report, London, 1948.
The Annual Report, actually printed in 1949, starts with a fascinating list of Synagogues and other organizations who were represented on the Board, with the names of the Deputies. These include 127 London Synagogues, five in Dublin, seven in Glasgow, 11 in Leeds, seven in Liverpool, and 31 in Manchester. I wonder if all of … Continue reading Board of Deputies of British Jews, Annual Report, London, 1948.
Milin DeRabanan MeTalmud HaYerushalmi (Sentences by the Rabbis of the Jerusalem Talmud), by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Dziubas, Leeds (England), 1940.
This is a handy pocket-sized reference book. It is an index of sayings from the Jerusalem Talmud, in alphabetical order, with the name of the Tractate and page number for each one. It was, interestingly, printed in 1940, at the height of the Second World War, in Leeds, England, by Saul Tunick. The author, Rabbi … Continue reading Milin DeRabanan MeTalmud HaYerushalmi (Sentences by the Rabbis of the Jerusalem Talmud), by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Dziubas, Leeds (England), 1940.
The Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Seventy-First Annual Report, London, 1971.
I am sometimes amazed that my youthful personal experiences have become history and part of my Anglo-Judaica collection. The British Zionist Federation in 1971 was a large organization, involved in many facets of Jewish life in Britain beyond its Zionist scope. Much of its time in 1971 was taken up in organizing elections for the … Continue reading The Zionist Federation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Seventy-First Annual Report, London, 1971.
Jewish Miscellanies 