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.
![](../I/m/Judah_Leo_Landau_(-1906).jpg)
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 | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by New office |
Chief Rabbi of South Africa Judah Leo Landau 1915-1942 |
Succeeded by Louis Isaac Rabinowitz |