List of chief rabbis of the United Kingdom
Encyclopedia
The following list of Chief Rabbis of the United Kingdom gives information regarding the Chief Rabbi
of the mainstream majority Orthodox
Ashkenazi
community of the United Kingdom
, and various other Orthodox communities located within the Commonwealth of Nations
. The Chief Rabbi's full title is the "Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth".
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
of the mainstream majority Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
community of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and various other Orthodox communities located within the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. The Chief Rabbi's full title is the "Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth".
List
Term | Incumbent | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
1704 — 1756 | Aaron Hart | Rabbi of the Great Synagogue Great Synagogue of London The Great Synagogue of London was, for centuries, the centre of Ashkenazi synagogue and Jewish life in London. It was destroyed during World War II, in the Blitz.-History:... , died in office |
|
1758 — 1764 | Hart Lyon Hirschel Levin Rabbi Hirschel Ben Arye Löb Levin was Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and Berlin, and Rabbi of Halberstadt and Mannheim.... |
Rabbi of the Great Synagogue, resigned | |
1765 — 1766 | David Tevele Schiff Tevele Schiff Chief Rabbi David Tevele Schiff was the chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and the rabbi of the Great Synagogue of London from 1765 until his death.... |
Rabbi appointed by the Great Synagogue | |
1765 — 1780 | Meshullam Solomon Meshullam Solomon Israel Meshullam Solomon was one of two rival Chief Rabbis of the United Kingdom and the rabbi of the Hambro' Synagogue. Solomon claimed authority as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom from 1765 to 1780, while Rabbi Tevele Schiff claimed the same authority from 1765 to 1791... |
Appointed in opposition by Hambro and the New Synagogues United Synagogue United Synagogue is an organisation of London Jews that was founded with the sanction of an Act of Parliament, in 1870. , it remains the largest religious grouping within the British Jewish community and indeed in Europe, covering 62 Orthodox Jewish communities... ; return to Hamburg confirmed the primacy of David Tevele Schiff |
|
1780 — 1791 | David Tevele Schiff Tevele Schiff Chief Rabbi David Tevele Schiff was the chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and the rabbi of the Great Synagogue of London from 1765 until his death.... |
Chief Rabbi, died in office | |
1791 — 1802 | Post vacant | ||
1802 — 1842 | Solomon Hirschell Solomon Hirschell Rabbi Solomon Hirschell was the Chief rabbi of Great Britain, 1802-42. He is best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to stop the spread of Reform Judaism in Britain by excommunicating its leaders.... |
Chief Rabbi, died in office | |
1845 — 1890 | Nathan Marcus Adler Nathan Marcus Adler Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler was the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1845 until his death, probably the most prominent 19th century rabbi in the English-speaking world.-Life:... |
Chief Rabbi | |
1891 — 1911 | Hermann Adler Hermann Adler Rabbi Hermann Adler CVO was the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1891 to 1911. The son of Nathan Marcus Adler, the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica writes that he "raised the position [of Chief Rabbi] to one of much dignity and importance."Born in Hanover, like his father, he had both a... |
Appointed delegate Chief Rabbi in 1879 due to failing health of his father Nathan Marcus Adler Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler was the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1845 until his death, probably the most prominent 19th century rabbi in the English-speaking world.-Life:... |
|
1913 — 1946 | Joseph Herman Hertz Joseph H. Hertz ----Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz, CH was a Jewish Hungarian-born Rabbi and Bible scholar. He is most notable for holding the position of Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom from 1913 until his death in 1946, in a period encompassing both world wars and The Holocaust.- Early life :Hertz was born in the... |
Chief Rabbi, died in office | |
1948 — 1965 | Israel Brodie Israel Brodie Sir Israel Brodie KBE was the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth 1948–1965.He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He served as a Rabbi of Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia from 1923-1937, was evacuated from Dunkirk, and finished the War as Senior Jewish Chaplain... |
Chief Rabbi, retired | |
1966 — 1991 | Immanuel Jakobovits Immanuel Jakobovits Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits, Kt was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. His successor is the present Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks.-Biography:... |
Chief Rabbi, retired | |
1991 — present | Jonathan Sacks Jonathan Sacks Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks, Kt is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. His Hebrew name is Yaakov Zvi... |
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See also
- Chief RabbiChief RabbiChief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities...
- British JewsBritish JewsBritish Jews are Jews who live in, or are citizens of, the United Kingdom. In the 2001 Census, 266,740 people listed their religion as Jewish. The UK is home to the second largest Jewish population in Europe, and has the fifth largest Jewish community worldwide...
- History of the Jews in EnglandHistory of the Jews in EnglandThe history of the Jews in England goes back to the reign of William I. The first written record of Jewish settlement in England dates from 1070, although Jews may have lived there since Roman times...
- History of the Jews in ScotlandHistory of the Jews in ScotlandThe earliest date at which Jews arrived in Scotland is not known. It is possible that some arrived, or at least visited, as a result of the Roman Empire's conquest of southern Great Britain, but there is no direct evidence for this...
- History of the Jews in WalesHistory of the Jews in WalesThe history of the Jews in Wales starts with the establishment of Jewish communities in South Wales in the eighteenth century CE. In the thirteenth century, shortly after Wales was conquered by Edward I of England, he issued the 1290 Edict of Expulsion expelling the Jews from England, and executed...
- History of the Jews in Northern IrelandHistory of the Jews in Northern IrelandThe Jews of Northern Ireland have lived primarily in Belfast, where the Belfast Hebrew Congregation, an Ashkanasi orthodox community, was established in 1870...