Page 52 - HaMizrachi Tisha B'av 5782 USA

Rabbi Charlap or Rabbi Herzog?

The Chief Rabbi Controversy of 1936

Rabbi
Yirmiyohu
Kaganoff

hen Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak
HaKohen Kook passed away
in 1935, two eminent rabbis
W were considered to fill the
position as Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of
Eretz Yisrael. Both Rabbi Yaakov Moshe
Charlap and Rabbi Yitzchak HaLevi
Herzog, the finalists for the position,
were highly respected gedolei yisrael
and poskim who identified strongly
with Mizrachi and shared Rav Kook’s
vision for a halachic Jewish state in
Eretz Yisrael. Both rabbis were com-
fortable working together with people
of different backgrounds and were
respected by many non-orthodox Jews.
At the same time, the candidates had
significant differences. Rabbi Charlap, Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Charlap Rabbi Yitzchak HaLevi Herzog
(PHOTO: ZVI ORON-ORUSHKES/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
(PHOTO: PUBLIC DOMAIN/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
who prided himself on having never
stepped outside of Eretz Yisrael, was a secular education at the Sorbonne its first chief rabbi. During his years
product of the cheder/yeshivah system. and a doctorate at the University of in Ireland, he became acquainted with
Having been born and educated in the London. A classic renaissance man, he several great Torah scholars based in
‘old yishuv’ (the religious community in was fluent in numerous modern and London, including Rav Kook, who lived
Israel that predated the modern Zion- ancient languages, and conversant in
ist movement), Rabbi Charlap received a wide variety of academic disciplines. in London during much of World War I.
no secular education. Despite being a Unlike Rabbi Charlap, he was a man While Rabbi Herzog was in Eretz Yis-
close student and friend of Rav Kook, of the world who lived in the cultured rael in 1934 for his father’s funeral,
who was often viciously attacked by the position of Chief Rabbi of Tel
members of the old yishuv, he main- nations of the west, only visiting Eretz Aviv-Yaffo, a position once held by Rav
tained close ties with the community. Yisrael once to make funeral arrange-
At the same time, Rabbi Charlap ments for his father. Kook, became available. Rabbi Herzog
shared Rav Kook’s kabbalistic per- By contrast, Rabbi Herzog’s extensive actively pursued the position, giving
spective on secular Zionism and wrote Torah knowledge was largely self- lectures and meeting with great Torah
many important books elucidating Rav taught. He never attended any yeshi- scholars throughout the land, believ-
Kook’s kabbalistic perspective. When vah, and his primary face-to-face rebbe ing that this position would enable
Rav Kook passed away, Rabbi Charlap was his father. Nevertheless, while him to move to Eretz Yisrael. The other
was appointed his successor as the pursuing his secular education, he cor- finalists for the position were Rabbi
active Rosh Yeshivah of Merkaz Harav. responded extensively with the great Joseph B. Soloveitchik, at that time the

Rabbi Herzog’s background was Torah giants of his era. Appointed the head of Boston’s Council of Orthodox
starkly different. Born in Lomz, Chief Rabbi of Dublin, Rabbi Herzog Synagogues, and Rabbi Moshe Avig-
Poland, he moved as a child with was involved in Ireland’s struggle for dor Amiel, then the rabbi of Antwerp.
his family to England and later to independence, and when the Irish Free A member of Mizrachi, Rabbi Amiel
Paris, where he received an advanced State was born, Rabbi Herzog became received the movement’s support and

52 |