Rabbi Moses Aaron Kutchinsky was born in Grobova, Poland in about 1874. He studied under Rabbi Yehuda Leib Kowalski, a follower of Rabbi Avraham of Sochaczew. His parents with their family emigrated to London in 1892 where his father, Hirsch (Harris) Kutchinsky founded a jewellery manufacturing company in the East End of London. Rabbi Harry … Continue reading Gevuros Moshe Aharon, by Moshe Aharon (Morris) Kutchinsky, London.
Verter Fun A Revolutzioner – The Words of a Rebel (in Yiddish) by Peter Kropotkin, translated by Rudolf Rocker, London 1906.
This book is a classic, published by the Arbeiter Freund - The Workman's Friend. There is no printers imprint, but it was probably printed by Israel Narodiczky at his press in Whitechapel and has printers ornaments or fleurons at the beginning of each chapter. It was first published during Kropotkin's imprisonment and contains articles written … Continue reading Verter Fun A Revolutzioner – The Words of a Rebel (in Yiddish) by Peter Kropotkin, translated by Rudolf Rocker, London 1906.
In Kampf Farn Land (In the fight for a country, diary of a Jewish Legionnaire), Louis Nirenstein, London 1928.
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.
Yavo Halevi, part two, by Rabbi Yoel Horowitz of Antwerp, proofread by Isaac Last, London 1911.
Part one of this book appeared in 1910, printed by Israel Narodiczky in Whitechapel, London, and was reviewed by the Jewish Chronicle in the issue of April 1st, 1910. Yoel Horowitz, who was apparently both a businessman and a scholar, was the son of Rabbi Alexander Horowitz from Stanislav, who was the son of Rabbi … Continue reading Yavo Halevi, part two, by Rabbi Yoel Horowitz of Antwerp, proofread by Isaac Last, London 1911.
Jews’ College Jubilee Volume, London, 1906.
Jews College, London, which was a college of the University of London until recent years and has been renamed the London School of Jewish Studies and moved to Hendon, was founded in 1855 as a Rabbinical College in London. This Jubilee book commemorates the first fifty years of Jews College, and starts with a detailed … Continue reading Jews’ College Jubilee Volume, London, 1906.
Dissertations on the Prophesies of the Old Testament, David Levi, London, 1793.
David Levi was one of the earliest Anglo-Jewish scholars, bilingual in Hebrew and English, and a fierce defender of the Jews. He was born to poor immigrant parents in London in 1742 and worked as a shoemaker, then as a hatter, then as a printer. He was very well read and wrote about Judaisn for … Continue reading Dissertations on the Prophesies of the Old Testament, David Levi, London, 1793.
Jewish Religious Education, Rabbi Dr. Solomon Schonfeld, London 1943.
It is not my place to write a biography of Dr. Solomon Schonfeld, as so much has been written about him. Suffice it to say that he was born in London in 1912, the son of Rabbi Victor Schonfeld, that he was instrumental in rescuing Jews from Nazi repression before the Second World War and … Continue reading Jewish Religious Education, Rabbi Dr. Solomon Schonfeld, London 1943.
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.
Captain Alfred Dreyfus – from Vanity Fair, London 1899.
This very striking image of Captain Dreyfus on trial at Rennes is from the Vanity Fair issue of September 7th, 1899. The Dreyfus Affair was a scandal that rocked France in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A Jewish artillery captain in the French army, Alfred Dreyfus (1859-1935), was falsely convicted of passing … Continue reading Captain Alfred Dreyfus – from Vanity Fair, London 1899.
Ro’ui LeVilah or Roya La-Bilah (Proper Mingling) by Rabbi Pinchas Gerber, London 1932.
Rabbi Pinchas Shmuel Yaakov Gerber was born in Zeimis, near Kovno in approximately 1861. He emigrated to the United Kingdom, where he was appointed Rabbi of a congregation in Edinburgh, Scotland. There, he was involved in some controversies over whether the British Rabbinate recognized his qualifications to give divorces (gets) and to supervise the kosher … Continue reading Ro’ui LeVilah or Roya La-Bilah (Proper Mingling) by Rabbi Pinchas Gerber, London 1932.
Jewish Miscellanies 