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By S. DAVID
Irish
In
The Chief Rabbi
Jewish tradition speaks of how
versed one of the sages of the
Talmud was in astronomy. This
sage has his counterpart in the
unique Chief Rabbi of Israel,
Isaac Herzog, who has lately taken
up the study of physics. Rabbi
Herzog is also something of a
mathematician and in addition
speaks a multitude of languages,
including Hebrew, Russian, French,
Arabic and English with an Irish
accent.
It is the last which always pro
vokes the most eye lifting. An Irish
Jew is of itself something of an
anomaly to most. If Mr. Shitreet,
the Israeli Chief of police, came
from Ireland, it would be remem
bered that the police and the
police and the spiritual leaders
are essentially concerned in for
warding the same objectives — the
keeping of the Ten Commandments
in their different ways, of
cour.-e. Again, to the Irish them
selves it should o easion no sur
prise, foi Irish legend provides a
precedent. According to this leg
end. the Prophet Jeremiah paid a
visit to the Emerald Isle five cen
turies before th .■ common era.
Recently, when Rabbi Herzog
visited Toronto to address an Israel
Bond function, one of the first to
buy an Israel Bond was a local
Iii'ii club. It v a 1 ' their way of pay-
ng tribute to a fellow Irishman.
"I am a former Irishman my
self," said Rabbi Herzog address-
ng a meeting of Irish in the States.
"On e an Irishman — always an
Irishman" called out one of his
hearers.
A spot of shamrock is in him
which he has managed to fuse
with the rose of Sharon. The Chie"
Rabbi is frankly fond of Ireland,
and when in a conversational
mood, he is apt to regale one with
stories of old Erin. It may even
be about the clergy of Ireland
with whom he had many fraternal
contacts in days of old. He may
tell the one about Pat receiving
the last rites and asking the priest
for a repeat. "Once is enough” ad
monishes the priest. "It will take
you where you want to go. Pat,
my boy, why do you want me to
repeat the words?”
"It isn't the words, Father, it’s
your breath," Pat replies.
Rabbi Herzog told Eamon do
Valero, who visited him in Israel,
that the Jews and Irish have one
thing in common, the Jews do not
speak Hebrew and the Irish do
not speak Gaelic. The Jews in
Israel are apparently meeting with
more success in restoring the He
brew tongue than the Irish are
having with Gaelic, but there are
other ties than this negatives qual
ity. Both were landless people, the
Irish landless in their own land
until lately and both are a
widely dispersed people. Both
doubtless partake of some common
attributes from this irregularity.
Slight in figure, clad in a black
coat, the Chief Rabbi always walk
ing with his cane is a picturesque
figure. He oozes wit, and warm
friendliness. During a press con
ference, a reporter asked about a
book he was carrying.
"It is the Bible. Do you want
me to teach it to you'.'" The Chief
Rabbi went on to relate the well-
known story about Hillel. "A man
came to a rabbi once and said,
Teach me Judaism while I stand
on one leg.' The rabbi said, I can
do that. The Bible says, Love th.v
neighbor as thyself. That is the
law. All t. e re.-t is elaboration.’ ’’
Visiting the White House, he
soon was engaged with President
Truman in matching quotations
from the Bible. He has a genious
for invoking the common touch.
His father. Rabbi Joel Herzog,
at one time the Chief Rabbi of
Paris, was regarded a brilliant Tal
mudist and the son evinced pre
cocity. At the age of 25, the doc
torate of letters was conferred
on him by the University of Lon
don. Members of the extremists
Naturei Karta, the ultra orthodox
group who refuse to acknowledge
the redemption of Israel save by
supernatural intervention, when
vexed with the Chief Rabbi, like to
call him "Doctor” Herzog.
Rabbi Herzog for a time was
dubious about following the rab
binical calling. He had in fact gone
so far as to pursue studies at the
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The Southern Israelite
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