Judah Leo Landau
Judah Leo Landau (23 April 1866 – 26 August 1942) was a Galician-born South African rabbi and writer. A noted scholar, poet, and playwright, he served as the inaugural Chief Rabbi of South Africa from 1915 until his death in 1942.
Early life
Landau was born in Zaliztsi (Załośce), near Brody, Galicia.[1] He was a descendant of the Chacham Tzvi and the Noda Biyehudah.[2] After attending the fourth Zionist Congress in London in 1900, Landau remained in England for three years. He was rabbi of the North Manchester Congregation.[3]
Johannesburg
In 1903, he was appointed to lead the Johannesburg Hebrew Congregation.[4] Following the formation of the United Hebrew Congregation of Johannesburg in 1915, Landau was declared its Chief Rabbi.[5] In the same year, he established the Johannesburg Beth Din.[6]
References
- Saron, Gustav (2001). The Jews of South Africa: an illustrated history to 1953, with an epilogue to 1975. p. 57.
- Eisenstein, Judah David (1911). Otzar Yisrael Volume VI (in Hebrew). p. 53.
- "Chief Rabbi Juda L. Landau of Johannesburg Dies at Seventy-seven". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 27 August 1942.
- Musiker, Naomi (October 2016). "The Rabbinate and South African Politics, 1898 to the present". Jewish Affairs (Rosh Hashanah 2016). p. 54.
- United Hebrew Congregation of Johannesburg. Constitution and Bye-Laws. Passed and adopted by the members on Sunday, June 13th, 1915. W.E. Hortor & Co., LTD., Leader Works. 1915. p. 3.
- Isaacs, Rabbi Dr D. (May 2004). "Our Chief Rabbis - Past and Present". Jewish Tradition (Shavuot 5764). p. 8.
Religious titles | ||
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Preceded by New office |
Chief Rabbi of South Africa Judah Leo Landau 1915-1942 |
Succeeded by Louis Isaac Rabinowitz |