The first is by Marshallik, the blogging name of Israel Zangwill. I haven't traced the original report, but he is saying that following the death of Kaiser Frederick III on June 15 Rabbi Marcus Lehmann suggested that all Jewish boys born between the day of his death and July 15 should be named Frederick. Zangwill has some fun at Lehmann's expense.
The second is a letter called Wanted, a Dayan. The anonymous writer acknowledges that "Aristocrats who ride on Shabbos, and eat, drink and enjoy themselves in non-Jewish hotels, want, of course, neither a Dayan nor kosher meat. As, however, no law in England prevents anyone from being a pious Baptist, no law yet prevents anyone from being a pious Jew." He signs with a very interesting initial, which he explains. I'm telling you, these guys had style.
To explain the reference to 'Brighton or to Bayswater' - Chief Rabbi Nathan Adler lived in Brighton and his son, Hermann, who also had semikha, lived in Bayswater. They could have paskened on a chicken.
ReplyDeleteThere is a famous story that a women once did tramp from the East End to Bayswater (West London) with a chicken. When she knocked on Hermann Adler's door a maid answered. The women inquired whether the rabbi was in, at which the maid went to the foot of the stairs and called 'Dr Adler, Dr Adler'. The women retored 'it doesn't need a doctor, it's dead!'
There was another dayan of course, R Yaakov Reinowitz.
Ben
ReplyDeleteWould it be very presumptuous of me to request that, as you have already posted the first of your Hermann Adler jokes, you post the other 3? My favourite is the one about the Dennington Park Rd choir.
Kol tuv
Martin
I second Martin.
ReplyDeleteIconfessto not grasping the meaning of thee initials. Explain it, dear chap, will you?
ReplyDeleteHe explains it in the sentence before: M.C.M.S.E. is Member of a Chevra and Member of an English Synagogue. Since he reverses the E and the S, maybe there's another allusion which he did not explain, for example perhaps MCMSE converted into Hebrew letters is supposed to mean something, but I can't make out what.
ReplyDeleteHermann Adler attended Hampstead Synagogue one Shabbat morning. The synagogue had a mixed choir (see Elton B, 'Did the Chief Rabbinate move to the Right? A case study: the mixed choir controversies 1880-1986' Jewish Historical Studies 2004).
ReplyDeleteR Adler asked the Minister 'Mr Green, I hope your choristers don't sit together'
Rev AA Green replied 'my dear Chief Rabbi, they don't even sing together'
Thanks Ben
ReplyDeleteI believe there are still 2 more H Adler jokes in your repetoire. Perhaps you could grace us with those as well.
I assume you will continue to post them one at a time, so that you can plug more of your books and articles.
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ReplyDelete