Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog
First Chief Rabbi of Ireland and Israel (1888–1959)
Who was Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog?
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog lived from December 3, 1888 to July 25, 1959. He was the father of Chaim Herzog and grandfather of Isaac Herzog, both presidents of Israel. Yitzhak Halevi Herzog was born at Łomża in Russian Poland, the son of Liba Miriam (Cyrowicz) and Joel Leib Herzog. In 1898 he moved with his family to the United Kingdom, where they settled in Leeds. His initial schooling was largely at the instruction of his father who was a rabbi in Leeds and then later for the Polish Jewish community in Paris. From 1936 until his death in 1959, he was Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine and of Israel after its creation in 1948. Herzog later moved to Ireland and became a fluent Irish speaker. Herzog was involved with the Federation of Zionist Youth and Habonim Dror, the Zionist Labour movement, during his teenage years.
Historical significance
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (Hebrew: יִצְחָק הַלֵּוִי הֶרְצוֹג; 3 December 1888 – 25 July 1959), also known as Isaac Herzog or Hertzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasting from 1921 to 1936. He was known as "the Sinn Féin Rabbi" for his support of the First Dáil and the Irish republican cause during the Irish War of Independence. Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, also known as Isaac Herzog or Hertzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasting from 1921 to 1936.