Rabbi Solomon Hirschell (12 February 1762,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

– 31 October 1842, London) was the

Chief Rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') 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 ...

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

, 1802–42. He is best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to stop the spread of

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous sear ...

in Britain by excommunicating its leaders. His name is also spelt Hirschel and Herschell. His father was a

Polish Jew The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...

from

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

, Hirschel Levin, Chief Rabbi of London and Berlin and a friend of

Moses Mendelssohn Moses Mendelssohn (6 September 1729 – 4 January 1786) was a German-Jewish philosopher and theologian. His writings and ideas on Jews and the Jewish religion and identity were a central element in the development of the ''Haskalah'', or ' ...

. His older brother was the Talmudist

Saul Berlin Saul Berlin (also Saul Hirschel after his father; 1740 at Glogau – November 16, 1794 in London) was a German Jewish scholar who published a number of works in opposition to rabbinic Judaism. Early life He received his general education prin ...

. He died on 31 October 1842 (27th of Cheshvan 5603), and was buried in the

Brady Street Cemetery The Brady Street Cemetery is a historic Jewish cemetery on Brady Street in Whitechapel in the East End of London, E1. The cemetery opened in 1761 as the burial ground for the New Synagogue and was subsequently used by the Great Synagogue. It ...

near Whitechapel in London's East End.

References

"Solomon Hirschel – High Priest of the Jews"
(Susser archive) * * ttp://www.oztorah.com/2009/02/the-british-chief-rabbinate/ The British Chief Rabbinate ;Specific 1762 births 1842 deaths English people of Polish-Jewish descent Chief rabbis of the United Kingdom English Orthodox rabbis 19th-century English rabbis Rabbis from London Date of birth unknown English people of German-Jewish descent Burials at Brady Street Cemetery 18th-century English rabbis {{UK-rabbi-stub