The only periodical of its kind for young Jews in Great Britain at the end of the nineteenth century, Young Israel models itself to a degree on other children's magazines of the time. Young Israel was published monthly between 1897 and 1901. My copy is from November 1897 - or so I thought, until I … Continue reading Young Israel, A Magazine for Jewish Youth, London, November (December) 1897.
Sefer Hafla’a, by Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz, Lvov, 1816 and Warsaw, 1861.
I have two editions of this fundamental and basic book, which consists of Novellae (Chidushim) on Tractate (Masseches) Kesuvos. This important Tractate of the Talmud covers marriage contracts, but also many other important discussions which are relevant today. For, example, whether a hostage who says that she was not violated while a hostage can marry … Continue reading Sefer Hafla’a, by Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz, Lvov, 1816 and Warsaw, 1861.
Soldiers from Judaea, Rabbi L. Rabinowitz, London 1944.
Rabbi Louis Isaac Rabinowitz was born in Scotland in 1907. His father, Rabbi Jacob Rabinowitz, had emigrated from Eastern Europe to become a rabbi in Edinburgh, Scotland. Jacob Rabinowitz was the descendant of a long line of Lithuanian rabbis. I have written previously about his Haggadah, which was published in 1907. He later moved to … Continue reading Soldiers from Judaea, Rabbi L. Rabinowitz, London 1944.
Henry Shaw, Hillel Director, 1961 (Press Photograph)
Henry Shaw was born in Notting Hill in London in 1911. His younger brother was Rabbi Kopul Rosen. Their parents surname was Rozrazowsky, and Henry changed his last name to Shaw during the Second World War when he was an army officer. He was the United Synagogue's Social Welfare Youth Officer from 1946 to 1949, … Continue reading Henry Shaw, Hillel Director, 1961 (Press Photograph)
Moral Instruction by Hai Gaon, by Rabbi Hermann Gollancz, Oxford, 1922
This is a book that has been copied and translated from manuscripts held in the British Museum by Rabbi Hermann Gollancz. Rabbi Hai Gaon was the last of the Geonim of Pumbeditha. With him the era of the Geonim came to an end. The Geonim were the brilliant Talmudic scholars who headed the great Yeshivos … Continue reading Moral Instruction by Hai Gaon, by Rabbi Hermann Gollancz, Oxford, 1922
Sefer Shimushoh Shel Torah, by Rabbi David Feldmann, London, 1951.
Rabbi David Feldmann announced his intention to publish a book called Shimusha Shel Torah at the end of his annotated edition of the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in 1926. In the meantime, following the rise of Nazi Germany, he left his position in Leipzig and emigrated to England. This book was not published until 1951, when … Continue reading Sefer Shimushoh Shel Torah, by Rabbi David Feldmann, London, 1951.
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried, with Ir David, by Rabbi David Feldman, Leipzig, 1924.
Rabbi David Feldman (he sometimes spelled it Feldmann) was born in Tolno in the Ukraine. He received semicha (his rabbinical diploma) from Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein (known, after his book, as the Aruch HaShulchan), and Rabbi Shalom Mordechai Schwadron. Rabbi Feldman was appointed Rabbi of the Ahavath Torah Synagogue of the Brodde Community in Leipzig … Continue reading Kitzur Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried, with Ir David, by Rabbi David Feldman, Leipzig, 1924.
Samson Raphael Hirsch’s Cultural Ideal and Our Times, by Jakob Rosenheim, translated by Dr. I. E. Lichtigfeld, London, 1951.
There's a lot in this book - the subject, the author, the translator, the publisher and the printer. The subject, Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch (1808-88) was a German rabbi and religious thinker. He was born in Hamburg where he received a general as well as a traditional Jewish education. His teacher in Hamburg was Isaac … Continue reading Samson Raphael Hirsch’s Cultural Ideal and Our Times, by Jakob Rosenheim, translated by Dr. I. E. Lichtigfeld, London, 1951.
Sulzbach Talmud – 1755 to 1770
I have a number of volumes of the Talmud, printed in Sulzbach, Bavaria, on various dates in the mid-eighteenth century. Hebrew printing had begun in Sulzbach, an old-established Jewish community, in 1669. These editions of the Talmud are the second and third editions printed in Sulzbach by Meshulam Zalman (known as Zalman) son of Aharon … Continue reading Sulzbach Talmud – 1755 to 1770
The Alexandra Theatre, Stoke Newington Road, London – Yiddish theatre venue, Picture Post, October 16th, 1948.
This is a one page article from the magazine Picture Post, with photography by Felix H. Man. The Alexandra Theatre, at 65 and 67 Stoke Newington Road, opened on 27 December 1897 as 'The Alexander Theatre and Opera House'. It was an architecturally significant building and could seat at least 1,700 people. After changes of … Continue reading The Alexandra Theatre, Stoke Newington Road, London – Yiddish theatre venue, Picture Post, October 16th, 1948.
Jewish Miscellanies 