Hail to the Chief Rabbi

Title: Hail to the Chief Rabbi

Location: Jerusalem

Document: Southern Israelite

Time: 1937

It goes without saying that during those days [leading up to and during World War II and the Holocaust], the eyes of millions of Jews worldwide turned to the home of the chief rabbi in Yerushalayim, with requests for assistance, sagacity, and comfort, in the manner that the Jewish People have historically turned towards gedolei Yisrael in times of adversity and distress.

As in the days of Rav Shmuel Hanagid, Don Yitzchak Abarbanel in Spain, Menashe ben Israel in Holland, and Rav Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor in Kovno, all of whom in previous generations knocked on doors of various government officials, European kings, and leaders, to attend to the needs of their people, so too the chief rabbi, Rav Yitzchak Isaac HaLevi Herzog trekked from one government office to another, begging for assistance on behalf of his beleaguered nation in grave danger.

—Rabbi Aharon Benzion Shurin

From 1916 to 1936, Rav Yitzchak Isaac HaLevi Herzog (1888–1959) enjoyed a relatively quiet and lucrative rabbinical career in Ireland. As chief rabbi of Ireland, he maintained close ties with the government, supported the Irish War of Independence, and did much to oversee religious life in Ireland. In stark contrast to the tranquility of Dublin, his career as chief rabbi of Eretz Yisrael under the British Mandate, and first chief rabbi of the State of Israel coincided with likely the most tumultuous two decades in Jewish history. Succeeding Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohein Kook in 1936, he served in that capacity until his own passing 23 years later.

Shortly after he assumed his post, the Great Arab Revolt broke out, and in the ensuing political turmoil, the British issued the infamous “White Paper,” severely curtailing Jewish immigration to Palestine. Rav Herzog led a large demonstration against the draconian anti-immigration policy, and dramatically ripped a copy of the White Paper to shreds. Decades later, his son Chaim Herzog was serving as the Israeli ambassador to the UN when Resolution 3379, declaring that “Zionism is racism,” was adopted. Chaim Herzog echoed his father’s action by tearing the resolution in half from the podium.