Dr. Israel Brodie, senior Jewish chaplain in the British armed services, was this week-end elected Chief Rabbi of the British Empire. He received the unanimous vote of a special conference of religious and lay leaders of the United Synagogue from all part of Britain to fill the vacancy in the Chief Rabbi’s post left with the death of Dr. Joseph H. Hertz in January, 1946.
Rabbi Brodie, a native of England, served as spiritual leader of the Hebrew Congregation of Melbourne, Australia, from 1922 to 1937. He also served as a chaplain in both world wars and saw service at Dunkirk. The Chief Rabbi’s post was filled on an emergency basis by Acting Chief Rabbi Harris M. Lazarus since 1946.
In a statement issued immediately after his election, Rabbi Brodie declared that he believed that the Jewish state in Israel will serve not only the beat interests of the Israelis and all Jews who seek to settle there, but will also serve as a spiritual center for the rest of Jewry. He also expressed the hope that Britain will recognize the Provisional Government of Israel.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
