Israel Brodie

Sir Israel Brodie KBE (born May 10, 1895 in Newcastle upon Tyne ; died February 13, 1979 in Lambeth ) was the Ashkenazi Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth .

biography

Israel Brodie studied at Balliol College , Oxford . He was from 1923 to 1937 Rabbi of the Jewish community of Melbourne in Australia . As a participant in the Battle of Dunkirk , he was present at the evacuation of the cauldron. At the end of the Second World War he held the rank of Senior Jewish Chaplain , also known as Forces Rabbi . He became Chief Rabbi shortly after the war, at the age of 53, when the end of the British mandate in Palestine was a difficult time for Jews in Great Britain. In the post-war period he led the expansion of the United Synagogue in London. A dignified man of impressive appearance was a powerful preacher. He had excellent connections in the English-speaking world. He was a Freemason and his highest rank was that of Grand Chaplain of the United Grand Lodge of England .

By the Conference of European Rabbis (Conference of European Rabbis) Brodie was active in the reconstruction of the religious life of European Jews after the Holocaust involved. Brodie made a number of trips across the Commonwealth and strengthened the community with his calm but persistent demeanor, even though the last few years of his tenure were overshadowed by religious disputes. Brodie prevented Rabbi Louis Jacobs , who challenged Orthodox Judaism that the Torah was written by the hand of God, from becoming rector of the London School of Jewish Studies . On leaving office, Brodie was knighted for his services to British Judaism . He was the first Chief Rabbi to be so honored, as his predecessor only became a member of the Order of the Companions of Honor .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Israel Brodie in the Australian Dictionary of Biography
2. ↑ Yasha Beresiner: Rabbi and Mason . In: Masonic Quarterly . No. 19, October 2006, p. 10. Retrieved September 8, 2011.
3. ↑ London Gazette New Years Honors 1969

Web links

• Kovno and Oxford: Israel Brodie and His Rabbinical Career
• Rabbi Israel Brodie - 75 Years Later
• The British Chief Rabbinate