Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth
Senior rabbi of British Orthodox Jews
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of Great Britain and the Commonwealth is the senior rabbi of the United Synagogue, a union of British Orthodox Jewish synagogues. The Chief Rabbi is considered to be one of the more, if not the most prominent Jewish spiritual leader in the UK. They often represent the larger Jewish community of the UK to the government and the Crown.[1] The Chief Rabbi's full title is the "Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth", previously "... of the British Empire". His title and position has historically, since 1758, been considered to be Britain's equivalent of the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Orthodox Jewish community.[2]
Two Chief Rabbis have been ennobled and entered the House of Lords: Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, and his predecessor, Rabbi Lord Immanuel Jakobovits. The current chief rabbi is Ephraim Mirvis.[3][4]
List
| No. | Image | Name | Term | Title | Notes | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | _-_Google_Art_Project.jpg) |
Aaron Hart | 1704 – 1756 | Rabbi of the Great Synagogue | Died in office | |
| 2 |  |
Hirschel Levin | 1758 – 1764 | Rabbi of the Great Synagogue and Hambro Synagogue | Resigned | |
| 3 |  |
Tevele Schiff | 1765 – 1766 | Rabbi of the Great Synagogue | Rabbi appointed by the Great Synagogue |
|
| 4 |  |
Meshullam Solomon | 1765 – 1780 | Rabbi of the Hambro Synagogue | Appointed in opposition by Hambro and New Synagogues; return to Hamburg confirmed the primacy of David Tevele Schiff |
|
| 5 | |
Tevele Schiff | 1780 – 1791 | Chief Rabbi | Died in office | |
| 1791 – 1802 | Post vacant | |||||
| 6 |  |
Solomon Hirschell | 1802 – 1842 | Chief Rabbi | Died in office | |
| 7 |  |
Nathan Marcus Adler | 1845 – 1890 | Chief Rabbi of the British Empire | Oversaw the creation of the United Synagogue | |
| 8 |  |
Hermann Adler | 1891 – 1911 | Chief Rabbi of the British Empire | Appointed delegate Chief Rabbi in 1879 due to failing health of his father |
Died in office |
| 9 | .jpg) |
Joseph Hertz | 1913 – 1946 | Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom | Died in office | |
| 10 |  |
Israel Brodie | 1948 – 1965 | Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth | Knighted 1969 | Retired |
| 11 |  |
Immanuel Jakobovits | 1966 – 1991 | Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth | Knighted 1981 Life peer 1988 |
Retired |
| 12 |  |
Jonathan Sacks | 1991 – 2013 | Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth | Knighted 2005 Life peer 2009 |
Retired |
| 13 | |
Ephraim Mirvis | 2013 – present | Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth | Knighted 2023 | Currently serving |