Rabbi Tovia Preschel

http://www.toviapreschel.com/ Rabbi Tovia Z”L, 91, a well known Talmudic scholar and journalist, was born in 1922 to Moshe and Pearl Liba (Shapira ) Preschel. Moshe Preschel, a successful businessman was a son of Rabbi Yochanan Preschel, Rabbi of Sniatyen, Galicia, the author of various Seforim and a contributor to a variety of Torah journals. In addition to attending Talmud Torah in Vienna, Austria, Tovia’s parents engaged private rebbes to teach him. One of them was Rabbi Shmuel Hubner ztl who was later to translate several volumes of the Talmud into Yiddish, underground while living in Belgium during the Nazi occupation in WWII. Towards the end of 1938, following the Anschluss, when Austria was taken over by Germany, Tovia was taken to London on one of the Kindertransports organized by Rabbi Solomon Shoenfeld. Tovia’s farewell to his parents in Vienna was the last time he was to see his mother. She was later deported from France to Auschwitz where she perished.

In London Tovia Preschel studied for many years at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva. His main teachers were the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Elya Lopian, ZTL one of the great Mussar leaders of his generation, Rabbi Shlomo Nachman Greenspan ZTL, a well known rabbinical scholar and author and Rabbi Arye Ze’ev Gurwitz ZTL one of Rabbi lLya Lopian’s son- in -laws, who was to later serve as Rosh Yeshiva in Gateshead, England.

During many of those years, Tovia Preschel was a steady Shabbos and Yom Tov guest of Rabbi Yechezkel Abramsky ZTL, head of the London Bais Din. Tovia would arrive at the Abramsky home every erev Shabbos and erev Yom Tov and return to his home, every Motzaei Shabbos and Motzaei Yom Tov. A life long relationship developed between the Abramskys and Tovia who would continue to visit the family when The Abramskys settled in Jerusalem Tovia who had been active on behalf of Irgun Zvai Leumi in London, served as a volunteer in the IDF during the war of Independence. In Jerusalem Tovia Preschel served for a period as an editor at Mossad HaRav Kook. He also contributed to Encyclopedia Talmudit in its original Hebrew version as well as to the English edition. He was the author of the entry, “Talmud” in Encyclopedia Americana. Rabbi Preschel contributed many articles on Jewish and Rabbinical scholars to the Encyclopedia Judaica and Encyclopedia IVrit as well as to various collections of biographies such as Eleh Ezkerah edited and published by Dr. Isaac Lewin on behalf of Agudas Yisrael. Writing in Hebrew, Yiddish and English, he worked for various Jewish newspapers including the Israeli dailies Herut, HaTzofeh and Hamodia and the NY weekly Jewish Press.

Rabbi Tovia Preschel also wrote for Torah periodicals such as Sinai, HaDarom, published by Rabbinical Council of America , HaPardes, of Agudas Harabbonim of America and Or Hamizrach under the auspices of US Mizrachi and various other Torah collections.

______________________________________________________________ The Haggadah in the Times of London 1840

by Rabbi Tovia Preschel Z"L

There are extant large and rich collections of Passover Haggadot, in public libraries and in the possession of private collectors. I doubt, however, whether the Haggadah, about which I would like to write today, is to be found among them. I refer to the English translation of the Haggadah which appeared in the London “Times” of 1840. It was in the days of the Damascus Affair. Early in 1840 a Franciscan Father and his servant disappeared in Damascus. The local French consul and the Muslim authorities charged the Jews with his murder for ritual purposes. Prominent Jews of the city were arrested and after they had been subjected to most cruel tortures “confessed” to the crimes. The blood libel aroused indignation and protests all over Europe. Statesmen and rulers supported the actions taken by Jews all over the world to refute the charges and to bring about the release of the imprisoned. Among the big European papers which came to the defense of the Jews, was also the London “Times” which continuously stressed the fact that the so called “confessions” had been extracted under torture. As a “democratic” paper the “Times” also printed letters and statements by those who believed the accusations to have been true. These again produced a host of protests and denials. On July 6th, the paper printed a lengthy extract from Menasseh Ben Israel’s famous letter to Oliver Cromwell, where he refuted and denied all accusations and slanders, including that of the blood libel which were hurled at the Jews for centuries. Six weeks later the “Times” printed an English translation of the Haggadah. It appeared in the issue of August 17th and carried the headline “Celebration of Passover by the Jews.” The introductory paragraph read as follows: A correspondent has furnished the annexed very minute account of this ceremony which will be exceedingly curious in itself to most of our readers and at the same time has an evident bearing on this Damascus case. It repeals strongly the barbarious notion that human blood or blood of any kind is central to its celebration. In the following the “Times” gave a detailed description of the search and burning of the of Hametz, of all the ceremonials of the Seder plus a verbatim translation of the Haggadah from the beginning until the start of the meal, i.e. until after the Korech. Two final paragraphs described the rest of the Seder and other laws of Passover. They read as follows: “Then they eat supper after which they say Grace. They then read portions of the customary prayers (the monthly and Sabbath prayers) which occupy frequently to a late hour at night. Then they retire. The second night the ceremony is just the same. After the ceremony they are prohibited from eating and drinking anything except water, tea or coffee.” “During the eight days of Passover they eat and drink from new utensils or those put away from year to year with the exception of china, glass, gold and silver, which they are allowed to use by putting the china and glass in water for three days and boiling the gold or silver. They are allowed to follow their calling four days of the eight, keeping the two first and the two last.” It may be of interest to note that in the same issue the “Times” also printed a leading article on the Damascus case. It deals among others with the state of the Jews all over the world and propagated the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland. May I quote from it: “All who have paid any attention to the history of modern Judaism know, that especially in recent years, the minds of the Jews have been earnestly directed towards Palestine and that in anticipation of a reconstruction of the Jewish state many are prepared to avail themselves of the facilities which events may afford to return to the land of their fathers.” The final sentence read as follows: “The Jews although bereft of their Temple, their city and their country have never ceased to be a people, In the East they are scattered, wandering , oppressed, despising and despised, cultivating a peculiar literature, divided into hostile sects, cherishing hopes ever disappointed and never abandoned. In Europe, an Asiatic people, they partake largely of European civilizations, but amidst their diversities of language of custom, of occupation and of opinions, they seem, with invincible tenacity to adhere to all essential distinctive national characteristics. It is for Christian philanthropists and enlightened statesmen of Europe to consider whether this remarkable people does not present materials which when collected and brought into fusion under national institutions might not be advantageously employed for the interests of the civilization to the East.” Reprinted from The Jewish Press, March 31, 1961.