The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-08-24
A DESCENDANT OF AARON.
HE is CALLED TO THE PLACE or
CHIEF RABBI OF LONDON

| Forty Years Have Seen IN the S'"'" VI
Jews I'm EngIand-A Peculiar People Set
Apart.
Lord Rothschild presided late in July
in London at meeting held at the
rooms of the Central Synagogue. IN
Great Portland street, of delegates to
conference summoned by his Lordship
for the purpose of considering the cleo
ton of Chief Rabbi. The vacancy
was caused by the recent death OF the
Rev. DIR. Nathan Adler. The duties OF
the office have since been discharged
by his son, the Rev. DR.. Hermann Ad-
Ter. and il was assumed by nearly ev-
cry speaker at yesterday s assembly
that the choice of the community won Id
fall upon him. The conference was at
tended by more than seventy members
comprising representatives OF the = III
ted Synagogue. the Federation OF syn
agogues and the principal London con,
pregations. with two exceptions. ana
delegates from provincial cities ana
| towns.
After discussion it was unanimously
resolved that the president OF the
/ United Synagogue (Lord Rothschiidl
should be requested TO take the neces-
sary steps for the election OF Chiei
Rabbi. 1t was resolved, with few
dissentients, that it was desirable that
the Chief Rabbi should reside III the
city. The conference unanimously eX-
pressed the hope that in arranging the
duties of the Chief Rabbi and the Eccle-
siastical Board, means might be adopt
ed for more frequent pastoral VISITS
10 provincial congregations, either by
the Chief Rabbi himself or by ministers
delegated by him. The meeting then
| adjourned. :,
| The Rev. DR.. Hermann Adler, NJ. A.,
who was mentioned as the minister
who will in all probability be called
upon to fill the post OF Chief Rabbi the
| London Times SAYS, is the second son
| of the late Chief Rabbi. the Rev. Dr.
Nathan Adler. He was born in 1857
and was educated at University college
School. University College. London. ana
the University of London. Among
his contemporaries at college were
Lord Herschell and Mr.. John
Morley. He proceeded to the
Universities of Prague and Lelpslc,
| studied Oriental languages and philoso-
phy. took the degree of Phi. ID, and re-
ctivtd the Semicha (ordiDatioD), with
the right of deciding on religious law
from the eminent Rabbinist Rapport.
10 1868 he was appointed principal OF
Jews College. London, and IN 1864
elected chief minister OF Bayswater
| Synagogue. In 1879, when the late
Chief Rabbi relinquished part OF his
duties, DR.. Hermann Adler was APP
pointed Delegate Chief Rabbi, acted in
that capacity till the Chief RABBI
death early this year, and was then re.
quest TO administer the office Of Chief
Rabbi, pending the appointment OF a
successor.
Among several works he has pub
Ijshed NAV be mentioned is Judaism a
| Missionary Faith?' to which Prof. Max
Muller replied in an essay printed IN
Chips From a German Workshop,
Lecture on the Jews in England. The
Chief Rabbis of England anglo Jewish
exhibition publications.. 'lbn Gabriel
| Poet. Philosopher and several reports
and letters on the Jews IN Palestine
prinled in the Jewish Chronicle. DR..
| Adler has also taken an interest IN
general movements of a philanthroplc
aud educational character. as Tor the
prevention of cruelty to animals and to
| children. the establishment of free
Libraries in Whitechapel and Pad.
dington, and the provision Of
recreative and technical instl-
tute for Northwest London. lie
has acted as a member of the Mansion
| House Committee for relieving the Op-
pressed Jews in Russia. and attended
the conference on the subject in Berlin
in company with Sir Julian Goldsmid.
DR.. Adler is married to Rachael. daugh-
ter of the late Mr.. S. Joseph, of London.
and has children. Although the mod
ern rabbis resemble the scribes more
nearly than the priests OF ancient Is
rael. and no qualification of birth Is re-
quisite for discharging the functions OF
| the chief rabbi. il is an interesting fact
that DR.. Adler is descendent of Aaron.
| His ancestors have immemorlally
claimed and been allowed certain
privileges in tho synagogue which
are only accorded to the descendant
of the first high priest of Israel .
OF DR.. Adler's selection the London
Standard says: 'Dr. Adler long acted
as deputy to his father, and he is Sc
| universally esteemed by his co-religion'
lists that no other candidate for the post
is likely to be thought of. The meet
| lag. however. apart from its main OBJ
| iect, had many points of interest. Fol-
one thing. the fact that it should be
held at all, or held under the conditions
which now prevail, show how fast and
| far we have moved in all that relates
to the race and the religion of Israel in
recent years. The progress. indeed,
has been astonishing. There must have
| been several gentlemen present at the
meeting who were born at a period
| when the English Jews-so far as law
| and. TO large extent. social customs
| are concerned-were still almost in the
| condition of ostracism and civ, dIsa-
biity in which medieval bigotry had
| fixed them. 1t requires considerable
| mental effort 10 belIeve-what is, never
theless, the truth--that forty-five years
ago there still remained on our statute
| books an act of Parliament which com
PEELED all Jews TO wear distinctive
dress.
That curious remnant of the Dark
Ages was. of course, obsolete; but there
were other laws in force of greater and
more burdensome effect. IL was not
until 1916 that Jewish charitable cor
porations were permitted to hold land
aud not till a dozen years later. and
after Il long and desperately bitter
struggle that Jews were enabled
to enter the House of Commons with
out nominally forswearing their re-
| ligion. And the social change is
even greater than the political. A glance
at the lighter literature Of the early
part of the century is enough to show
that, though Englishmen had left off
prosecuting the Jews, they had not got
out OF the way of regarding them with
either suspicion or contempt. In the
pages of the two great literary painters
of manners, the jew is almos. invaria-
bly, parasite. an extortioner. or "A