The first Jewish newspaper in England was not the Jewish Chronicle - it was the Voice of Jacob, founded by Jacob Franklin (1809–1877), a traditional Orthodox Jew from a prominent family with connections to the Anglo-Jewish elite. He established the Voice of Jacob in order to address the low level of Jewish knowledge and observance … Continue reading The Voice of Jacob, the first Anglo-Jewish Newspaper, edited by Jacob Franklin, London, founded September 1841. (This volume 1845-1846).
Selichos Mikol Hashanah – one of the first Hebrew books printed in England by a Jewish printer – London, 1770
This is one of the first books printed by a Jewish printer in London. It is the Selichos (penitential prayers) for the High-Holydays and Fast Days, according to the custom of the Jewish communities of Poland, Hungary and Moravia, יצ״ו which is the abbreviation for yevarchem tzurenu veyishmerem - "may (God) our stronghold bless them … Continue reading Selichos Mikol Hashanah – one of the first Hebrew books printed in England by a Jewish printer – London, 1770
Sefer HaChaim – The Book of Life by Reverend B. H. Ascher, London 1847
Rabbi Benjamin Henry (Binyomin Chaim) Ascher was born in Posen in 1812 and emigrated to London in 1840. He was the 'Kabbronim' Rabbi the funeral Rabbi of the Great Synagogue in Dukes Place, London. His job was to visit the sick and dying and to attend funerals and comfort the bereaved. he was the first … Continue reading Sefer HaChaim – The Book of Life by Reverend B. H. Ascher, London 1847
Seder Brit Avraham by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Shapira, London 1908
This is an early book printed in 1908 by Israel Narodiczky in Whitechapel, London. (Number 64 in Moshe Sanders book of Narodiczky publications.) It is an unusual, mystical work of prayer based on the covenant between God and the Patriarch Abraham by Rabbi Aryeh Leib ben Jacob Shapiro (Spiro?). I have tried to research who … Continue reading Seder Brit Avraham by Rabbi Aryeh Leib Shapira, London 1908
Lord Kitchener and his work in Palestine, by Dr. Samuel Daiches, London 1915.
This book has interesting associations. It was published in 1915 and is a lecture given by Dr. Samuel Daiches to the Jews College Union Society in London on February 7th, 1915. Field Marshall Lord Herbert Kitchener was the British Secretary of State for War and was the creator of the largest volunteer army that Britain had … Continue reading Lord Kitchener and his work in Palestine, by Dr. Samuel Daiches, London 1915.
Seder Tephila VeTachnunim – A Service of Prayer and Intercession on behalf of the sufferers from the renewed attack on religion and human freedom, London 1938.
This little booklet was published by the Office of the Chief Rabbi for the fast of 17th Tammuz, on Sunday 17th July, 1938. On this day, this services took place in many British synagogues. In the historic Great Synagogue in Dukes Place in the City of London (founded in 1790 and due to be destroyed … Continue reading Seder Tephila VeTachnunim – A Service of Prayer and Intercession on behalf of the sufferers from the renewed attack on religion and human freedom, London 1938.
Sefer Tehilim – The Hebrew Psalter or Psalms of David, George Offor, London 1820
This 200 year-old book is an example of Hebrew printing in London by a non-Jewish publisher and printer. It was edited and published by George Offor, a writer, book dealer and collector and scholar of Hebrew and other languages. George Offor was born in 1787, the Baptist son of a book dealer, also called George … Continue reading Sefer Tehilim – The Hebrew Psalter or Psalms of David, George Offor, London 1820
The London Board for Shechita 1804-1954 by Albert M. Hyamson, London 1954
This book is the story and history of the London Board for Shechita (Slaughtering of Kosher Meat). It is, in itself, a surprisingly interesting history book. However, the ephemera that have been preserved by being slipped into my copy provide the story of the occasion. One of the first steps taken when the Jewish Community … Continue reading The London Board for Shechita 1804-1954 by Albert M. Hyamson, London 1954
Mendelssohn’s Jerusalem, Vol I, A Treatise on Ecclesiastical Authority and Judaism by Moses Mendelssohn, translated from the German by Moses Samuels, London 1838.
Moses Samuel (occasionally Samuels) was born in London in 1795, and moved with his widowed mother to Liverpool in 1805. He was a scholar, a linguist and also established a business as a watchmaker and jeweler. Samuel studied the philosophy of Moses Mendelssohn, whom he called “the grand luminary of science and knowledge” and became … Continue reading Mendelssohn’s Jerusalem, Vol I, A Treatise on Ecclesiastical Authority and Judaism by Moses Mendelssohn, translated from the German by Moses Samuels, London 1838.
Armistice Day Prayer, Office of the Chief Rabbi, London 1923.
This folded sheet was published and distributed by the office of the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire, Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz, in 1923. Rabbi Hertz had been elected Chief Rabbi in 1913. It is the prayer to be recited at the service of the Anniversary of Armistice Day (November 11th), which marked the end … Continue reading Armistice Day Prayer, Office of the Chief Rabbi, London 1923.
Jewish Miscellanies 