Chief Rabbi Hertz, 1920

Joseph Herman Hertz, 25 September 1872–14 January 1946, was the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire. Image File history File links J_H_Hertz. ... Image File history File links J_H_Hertz. ... September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years). ... 1872 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... January 14 is the 14th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Chief rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognised religious leader of that countrys Jewish community. ... The British Empire was the worlds first global power and the largest empire in history. ...

Early life

Joseph Hertz was born in Rebrin, Slovakia, and emigrated to New York City in 1884. He was educated at New York City College (BA), Columbia University (PhD) and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (Rabbi, 1894, the Seminary's first graduate). His first Ministerial post was at Syracuse, New York. The Empire State Building (right) and the Chrysler Building (left) are easily recognized symbols of New York City to the world. ... 1884 is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar). ... Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. ... The Jewish Theological Seminary of America The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, known in the Jewish community simply as JTS, is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism. ... 1894 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Clinton Square in Downtown Syracuse Syracuse is an American city in Central New York. ...

In 1898, he moved to South Africa, to the Witwatersrand Old Hebrew Congregation, Johannesburg. He stayed there until 1911, despite attempts by President Paul Kruger in 1899 to expel him for his pro-British sympathies and for advocating the removal of religious disabilities of Jews and Catholics in South Africa. He was also Professor of Philosophy at Transvaal University College, 1906-8. 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Witwatersrand is a low mountain range which runs through Gauteng in South Africa. ... City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... 1911 (MCMXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... Paul Kruger Stephanus Johannes Paul Kruger (10 October 1825 – 14 July 1904), fondly known as Oom Paul (Afrikaans for Uncle Paul), was a prominent Boer resistance leader against British rule and president of the Transvaal Republic in South Africa. ... 1899 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... These five broad types of question are not the only subjects of philosophical inquiry, and there are many overlaps between the categories which are subsumed within the discipline under the four major headings of Logic, Ontology, Epistemology, and Axiology. ... Flag of Transvaal The Transvaal (lit. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

In 1911, he returned to New York to the Orach Chayim Congregation.

Chief Rabbi

In 1913, Hertz was appointed Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Empire, a post he held till his death. His period in office was marked by many arguments with a wide variety of people, mainly within the Jewish community; the Dictionary of National Biography describes him as a "combative Conservative". It was said of him that he was in favour of resolving disagreements by calm discussion - when all other methods had failed. 1913 (MCMXIII) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The British Empire was the worlds first global power and the largest empire in history. ... The Dictionary of National Biography (or DNB) is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history. ...

Despite his title, he was not universally recognised as Chief Rabbi even in England. While he was the Chief Rabbi of the United Synagogue and the established Orthodox Jewish communities, the United Synagogue was generally regarded by the new and very orthodox immigrants who had arrived since the 1880s as not orthodox enough for them. While they probably had no disregard for him personally, they could not respect his office. He tried both persuasion and such force as he could muster to influence them, generally in vain. This was ironic, since he - himself an East European - was naturally disposed to sympathise with them against the Jewish establishment. He added to his credibility among these immigrants by persuading Rabbi Yehezkel Abramsky to become head of the London Beth Din. Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... United Synagogue is an organization of London Jews that was founded with the sanction of an act of parliament, in 1870. ... Separate articles treat Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Orthodox Judaism. ... // Events and Trends Technology Development and commercial production of electric lighting Development and commercial production of gasoline-powered automobile by Karl Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach First commercial production and sales of phonographs and phonograph recordings. ... Rabbi Yehezkel Abramsky, 1886-1976, was one of the Worlds most eminent rabbis of the 20th Century. ... A beth din (בית דין, Hebrew: house of judgment, plural battei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. ...

He antagonised others by his strong support for Zionism in the 1920s and 1930s, when many prominent Jews were against Zionism, fearing that it would lead to accusations against the Jewish community of divided loyalty. Poster promoting a film about Jewish settlement in Palestine, 1930s: Toward a New Life (in Romanian),The Promised Land (in Hungarian) 1844 Discourse on the Restoration of the Jews by Mordecai Noah, page one. ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America and in Australia as the Roaring Twenties . In Europe it is sometimes refered to as the Golden Twenties. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ...

He was strongly opposed to Reform Judaism and Liberal Judaism, though he did not allow this to create personal animosities, and had no objection in principle to attending the funerals of Reform Jews. Reform Judaism can refer to (1) the largest denomination of Judaism in America and its sibling movements in other countries, (2) a branch of Judaism in the United Kingdom, and (3) the historical predecessor of the American movement that originated in 19th Century Germany. ... Liberal Judaism is a term used by some communities worldwide for what is otherwise also known as Reform Judaism or Progressive Judaism. ...

However, despite all this, his eloquent oratory, lucid writing, great erudition and obvious sincerity earned him the respect of the majority of British Jews and many outside the Jewish community. His commentary on the Torah is still to be found in most Orthodox synagogues and Jewish homes in Great Britain. Torah (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ...

He was ex officio President of Jews' College, and Acting Principal, 1939-45. He was President of the Jewish Historical Society of England, 1922-3, and of the Conference of Anglo-Jewish Preachers. He was on the Board of Governors of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Chairman of the Governing Body of its Institute of Jewish Studies. He was Vice-President of a wide variety of Jewish and non-Jewish bodies, including the Anglo-Jewish Association, the London Hospital, the League of Nations Union, the National Council of Public Morals and King George's Fund for Sailors. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים) is one of Israels oldest, largest and most important institutes of higher learning and research. ... Part of the front of the Royal London Hospital The Royal London Hospital, formerly the London Hospital, is a hospital in Whitechapel, London. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ...

His great granddaughter is the writer Noreena Hertz. Photo of Noreena Hertz by Julian Andrews Dr. Noreena Hertz (1967) (born in England) is an economist and campaigner. ...

Calendar reform

In the 1920s, Hertz successfully organised international opposition to proposed calendar reform. The League of Nations was considering a calendar amended so that a given date would fall on the same day of the week every year. This requires that one day every year (two in leap years) is not any day of the week but a "world day". Thus, once or twice a year there would be eight days rather than seven between consecutive say Saturdays. Thus the Jewish Sabbath, which must occur every seventh day, would be on a different weekday each year. The same applies to the Christian Sabbath. Hertz realised that this would cause problems for Jews and Christians alike in observing their Sabbaths, and mobilised worldwide religious opposition to defeat the proposal. Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America and in Australia as the Roaring Twenties . In Europe it is sometimes refered to as the Golden Twenties. ... Various reforms to the Gregorian calendar currently used by most of the world have been proposed. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... This article concerns the Sabbath in Christianity. ...

Publications

Affirmations of Judaism, a collection of his sermons, was well regarded. He published a further four volumes of sermons, addresses and studies.

A Book of Jewish Thoughts, a selection of Jewish wisdom through the millennia, was immensely popular and ran to 25 editions.

The Fight for the Sabbath at Geneva, an account of his work opposing calendar reform.

Hertz edited notable commentaries on the Torah (1929-36, one volume edition 1937) and the Jewish Prayer Book or Siddur (1946). Torah (תורה) is a Hebrew word meaning teaching, instruction, or law. ... -1... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The siddur is the prayerbook used by Jews the world over, containing a set order of daily prayers. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

He contributed to the Jewish Encyclopedia and the Encyclopedia Britannica. The Jewish Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. ... 1913 advertisement for the 11th edition, with the slogan When in doubt - look it up in the Encyclopædia Britannica The Encyclopædia Britannica (properly spelt with æ, the ae-ligature) is the oldest English-language general encyclopedia. ...

Honours

He was made a Companion of Honour in 1943. He was also Commander of the Order of Léopold II and had a Columbia University medal. The Order of the Companions of Honour is a British and Commonwealth Order (decoration). ... 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ... King Léopold II His Majesty King Léopold II of the Belgians (Louis Philippe Marie Victor) (April 9, 1835–December 17, 1909), succeeded his father, Léopold I of Belgium, to the Belgian throne in 1865 and remained king until his death. ... Columbia University is a private university in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. ...