Louis Rabinowitz (; 1984–1906) was an Orthodox

rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...

, historian and

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also defined as the study of ...

of the 20th century.

Biography

Louis Rabinowitz was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, and was descendant of a long lineage of Lithuanian Rabbis. His lineage to Rabbi

Meir Katzenellenbogen Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen (c. 1482 – 12 January 1565) (also, Meir of Padua, or Maharam Padua, ) was a German rabbi born in Katzenelnbogen. Biography Meïr ben Isaac, who was often called after his native town, was the founder of the Katz ...

, the Maharam of Padua, and to the House of David, is detailed in ''The Unbroken Chain''.Rosenstein, Neil. "The Unbroken Chain: Biographical Sketches and Genealogy of Illustrious Jewish Families from the 15th–20th Century," Volumes 1 and 2, Revised Edition, CIS Publishers: New York, 1990. . He was the Grandson of Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Rabinowitz of Lomza, and son of Rabbi Jacob Rabinowitz, who immigrated from

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

to become the Rabbi of

at the end of the nineteenth century, and later moved to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he became the Rabbi of the Montagu Road Beth Hamedrash in Hackney. Louis Rabinowitz was related to many distinguished Rabbis. His brother, Eliezer Simcha Rabinowitz, was the Rabbi in Kingsbury, London;

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

, Hull, and finally of Cheadle in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. His brother-in-law, Rabbi Dr. Julius Newman was the Rabbi of the

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

community in London, and another brother-in-law was the noted synagogue stained glass window designer, David Hillman, son of Rabbi Shmuel Hillman of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and brother-in-law of Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, the first

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. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. Hillman's windows are to be found in many of the major London synagogues, such as St. John's Wood, Marble Arch, the Central Synagogue, Hampstead Garden Suburb, the New Synagogue (Egerton Road) and the Hendon Synagogue, as well as at the Renanim Synagogue in

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

. His sister, Dr. Fanny Rabinowitz, who immigrated to Israel from London in the early 1950s, was a well known

doctor who was influential in founding the nursing school at the Hadassah Hospital. She was also a recipient of the Yakir Yerushalayim ("Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem") award, making her and Louis the only sister and brother combination to have been so honoured.

Rabbinic career

Rabinowitz served as rabbi in several London synagogues, including those in

Shepherd's Bush Shepherd's Bush is a suburb of West London, England, within the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham west of Charing Cross, and identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Although primarily residential in character, its ...

, South Hackney, and

Cricklewood Cricklewood is a town in North London, England, in the London Boroughs of Camden, Barnet, and Brent. The Crown pub, now the Clayton Crown Hotel, is a local landmark and lies north-west of Charing Cross. Cricklewood was a small rural hamlet ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he was appointed Senior

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

chaplain of the British Army; he served with Allied forces in the Middle East and during the

Normandy invasion Operation Overlord was the codename for the Battle of Normandy, the Allied operation that launched the successful liberation of German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. The operation was launched on 6 June 1944 ( D-Day) with the ...

. In 1945 Rabinowitz accepted a position as

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. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

of the United Hebrew Congregation of

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...

and the Federation of Synagogues of Transvaal and the

Orange Free State The Orange Free State ( ; ) was an independent Boer-ruled sovereign republic under British suzerainty in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century, which ceased to exist after it was defeated and surrendered to the British Em ...

in South Africa. He became a professor of

Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...

at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), commonly known as Wits University or Wits, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg, South Africa. The universit ...

and headed the Johannesburg beth din. Rabbi Rabinowitz was an ardent follower of Zeev Jabotinsky and his brand of

Revisionist Zionism Revisionist Zionism is a form of Zionism characterized by territorial maximalism. Revisionist Zionism promoted expansionism and the establishment of a Jewish majority on both sides of the Jordan River. Developed by Ze'ev Jabotinsky in the 1920s ...

. Rabinowitz gained notability by publicly discarding his

military decorations Military awards and decorations are distinctions given as a mark of honor for military heroism, meritorious or outstanding service or achievement. A decoration is often a medal consisting of a ribbon and a medallion. Civil decorations awarded ...

in 1947 in protest of British policies in the

Mandatory Palestine Mandatory Palestine was a British Empire, British geopolitical entity that existed between 1920 and 1948 in the Palestine (region), region of Palestine, and after 1922, under the terms of the League of Nations's Mandate for Palestine. After ...

, which he viewed as a violation of Britain's

mandate for Palestine The Mandate for Palestine was a League of Nations mandate for British Empire, British administration of the territories of Mandatory Palestine, Palestine and Emirate of Transjordan, Transjordanwhich had been Ottoman Syria, part of the Ottoman ...

. It has been argued that this was the reason why his candidacy for the British Chief Rabbinate in the mid-1960s was later passed over in favour of Rabbi Immanuel Jakobovits. Frequently outspoken in his political opinions, he was a harsh critic of the South African National Party's

apartheid Apartheid ( , especially South African English: , ; , ) was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an ...

policies following the South African general election of 1948.Changing Places
''The New York Times''. 21 June 2012South African Chief Rabbi Challenges Govt. on Color Bar in Worship
''Jewish Telegraphic Agency''. 14 May 1957

Political career

In Israel, Rabinowitz became involved in Jerusalem municipal politics, serving as a city council representative and (1976–1978) and as Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem. He also became the Rabbi of the Herut-Etzel (Achdut Yisrael) Synagogue in the Nachlaot neighbourhood of Jerusalem, replacing Rabbi Aryeh Levin (the Rabbi of the Prisoners) following his death in 1969. While his positions on religion were considered to be quite liberal for an orthodox Rabbi, his political positions in

were right wing. He was a founder of the Movement for a Greater Land of Israel and opposed the Israeli withdrawal from the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

as part of the

Camp David Camp David is a country retreat for the president of the United States. It lies in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont, Maryland, Thurmont and Emmitsburg, Maryland, Emmitsburg, a ...

Peace agreements with

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He fell out with his friend, Prime Minister

Menachem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Isra ...

, over this issue. Rabinowitz died in 1984, at the age of seventy-eight. His funeral was attended by President Chaim Herzog, to whom he was related, and former Israeli Foreign Minister

Abba Eban Abba Solomon Meir Eban (; ; born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban; 2 February 1915 – 17 November 2002) was a History of the Jews in South Africa, South African-born Israeli diplomat and politician, and a scholar of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. D ...

. He was interred on Har HaMenuchot.

Awards and recognition

He was named a Yakir Yerushalayim ("Worthy Jerusalemite") by the municipal government in 1980. City of Jerusalem official website

Published works

*Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''Sparks from the anvil: sermons for

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...

s, holy days, and festivals''. Pp. xxvi, 347. New York: Bloch Publishing Co., 1955. *Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''Soldiers from Judaea; Palestinian Jewish units in the Middle East, 1941–1943''. With an introduction by James Parkes. Pp. 79. London: V. Gollancz Ltd., 1944. *Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''Jewish merchant adventurers, a study of the Radanites''. Pp. 212. maps. London: E. Goldston, 1948. *Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''Far East mission''. Pp. 223. illus. ohannesburg? 1952*Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''A guide through Jewish life''. rd ed. Pp. vii, 212. ohannesburg, South Africa? Federation of Synagogues Women's Guild of South Africa, c. 1990. *Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''The greatness of

Solomon Solomon (), also called Jedidiah, was the fourth monarch of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel and Judah, according to the Hebrew Bible. The successor of his father David, he is described as having been the penultimate ...

''. Pp. 51, illus. el-Aviv World Wizo Dept. of Organisation & Education, 97-*Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''The land and the people: a brief history of the Jewish people''. Pp. 53. Jerusalem: Israel Digest, 1968. *Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''Ma`a´se Rav.'' Pp. 110. Tel-Aviv: ''Mi´srad ha-bitahon'', 981*Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''Light and salvation; sermons for the high holy days''. Pp. 349. New York: Bloch Pub. Co. 1965 *Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''The social life of the Jews of northern France in the XII-14th centuries, as reflected in the rabbinical literature of the period''. 2d ed. Pp. 268. New York, Hermon Press 972 or 3*Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''Soldiers from Judaea, Palestinian Jewish units in the Middle East, 1941–1943''. Pp. 84. New York: American Zionist Emergency Council, by arrangement with V. Gollancz, London, 1945. *Rabinowitz, Louis I. ''The Herem hayyishub; a contribution to the medieval economic history of the Jews.'' Pp. 184. London: E. Goldston, 1945

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rabinowitz, Louis Isaac 1906 births 1984 deaths 20th-century South African historians 20th-century British rabbis Jewish South African anti-apartheid activists British Army personnel of World War II Burials at Har HaMenuchot Chief rabbis of South Africa Deputy mayors of Jerusalem 20th-century Israeli historians Israeli Orthodox rabbis Jewish historians Clergy from Edinburgh Royal Army Chaplains' Department officers Scottish emigrants to Israel Scottish Orthodox rabbis Scottish people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent South African activists South African people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent South African Zionists World War II chaplains White South African anti-apartheid activists South African anti-apartheid activists 20th-century South African rabbis 20th-century Scottish Jews City councillors of Jerusalem 20th-century English Jews 20th-century English rabbis Revisionist Zionists