The appointment of Rabbi Harris Lezarus as Acting Chief Rabbi, following the death of Chief Rabbi Joseph Herts, has aroused some opposition here.
A meeting of the executive committee of the Federation of Synagogues issued a statement today declaring that Rabbi Lazarus cannot speak for all British Jews, since the Federation, representing 70,000 persons, was not consulted concerning his appointment, and, therefore, cannot accept him as the spiritual leader of the country’s Jews, Rank and file members of the United Synagogue have also questioned the authority of its officers to name a new chief rabbi.
Addressing a meeting of the Board of Deputies, Prof. Selig Brodetsky, president, said that the announcement of Rabbi Lazarus’ appointment referred only to functions connected with the United Synagogue, adding that the executive committee of the Board will meet shortly to deal with the question.
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.
