Chief Rabbi Yitzhak (Isaac) Halevi Herzog

Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1889–1959), also known as Isaac Herzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of the Irish Free State, his term lasting from 1921 to 1936. From 1937 until his death, he was Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine and Israel, once formed.

Biography

Rabbi Herzog was born in Lomza, Poland, and moved to the United Kingdom with his family in 1898, where they settled in Leeds. His initial schooling was largely at the instruction of his father, Joel Leib Herzog, who was a rabbi in Leeds and then later in Paris.

After mastering Talmudic studies at a young age, Yitzhak went on to attend the Sorbonne and then later the University of London, where he received his doctorate. His thesis, which made him famous in the Jewish world, concerned his claim of re-discovering Techelet, the type of blue dye once used for the making of Tzitzit.

Rabbi Herzog served as rabbi of Belfast from 1916 to 1919 and was appointed rabbi of Dublin in 1919. He went on to serve as Chief Rabbi of the Irish Free State between 1922 and 1936, when he immigrated to Palestine to succeed Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook as Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi upon his death.

Legacy

Rabbi Herzog's descendants have continued to be active in Israel's political life. Chaim Herzog, the rabbi's son, was a general in the Israel Defense Forces and later became president of Israel. Currently, his grandson Isaac Herzog is a member of the Knesset, Israel's parliament and the country's minister of welfare. He has previously served as housing and tourism minister.

Works

Rabbi Herzog was recognised as a great rabbinical authority, and he wrote many books and articles dealing with halachic problems surrounding the Torah and the State of Israel. Indeed, his writings helped shaped the attitude of the Religious Zionist Movement toward the State of Israel. Rabbi Herzog authored:

Main Institutions of Jewish Law

Heichal Yitzchak

Techukah leYisrael al pi haTorah

Pesachim uKetavim

The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue