{{redirect|Yitzhak Herzog|his grandson, the modern-day President of Israel|Isaac Herzog}} {{Short description|First Chief Rabbi of Ireland and Israel (1888–1959)}} {{EngvarB|date=October 2013}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox Jewish leader | honorific-prefix = Rabbi | name = Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog<br>יִצְחָק הַלֵּוִי הֶרְצוֹג | honorific-suffix = | title = Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel | image = Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog 1945 portrait.jpg | caption = Herzog in 1945 | denomination = | synagogue = | synagogueposition = | yeshiva = | yeshivaposition = | organization = | organizationposition = | began = 1948 | ended = 1959 | predecessor = | successor = Isser Yehuda Unterman (In Israel) | semicha = | rabbi = | rank = | other_post = Chief Rabbi of Ireland (1919–1936)<br/> Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine (1936–1948) | birth_name = | birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1888|12|3}} | birth_place = Łomża, Poland | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1959|07|25|1888|12|3}} | death_place = Jerusalem, Israel | buried = Sanhedria Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel<ref>{{cite news |title=All Israel Mourns Death of Chief Rabbi Herzog, Buried in Sanhedria |url=http://pdfs.jta.org/1959/1959-07-27_143.pdf |access-date=2017-04-01 |work=Daily News Bulletin |agency=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=1959-07-27 |page=1 }}</ref> | residence = | parents = | spouse = Sarah Herzog | children = Chaim Herzog<br/>Yaakov Herzog | occupation = | profession = | employer = | alma_mater = | signature = | website = }}

[[File:PikiWiki_Israel_13464_Chief_rabbis_visit_Ashkelon.jpg|thumb|240px|A visit to Ashkelon by Rishon Lezion Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog (1955)]] '''Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog''' ({{langx|he|יִצְחָק הַלֵּוִי הֶרְצוֹג}}; 3 December 1888 – 25 July 1959), also known as '''Isaac Herzog''' or '''Hertzog''',<ref>The spelling 'Hertzog' appears on his official letter of recommendation for Rev. Joseph Unterman, November 1938, in the signature as well as in the seal</ref> was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasting from 1921 to 1936.<ref name="jafi">{{cite web | title = Herzog, Chaim (1918–1997) | work = Israel and Zionism | publisher = The Department for Jewish Zionist Education | url = http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/people/BIOS/herzog.html | access-date = 5 November 2007 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070926223940/http://www.jafi.org.il/education/100/people/BIOS/herzog.html | archive-date = 26 September 2007 | df = dmy-all }}</ref> From 1936 until his death in 1959, he was Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine and of Israel after its creation in 1948. He was the father of Chaim Herzog and grandfather of Isaac Herzog, both presidents of Israel.

==Biography== Yitzhak Halevi Herzog was born at Łomża in Russian Poland, the son of Liba Miriam (Cyrowicz) and Joel Leib Herzog. He moved to the United Kingdom with his family in 1898, where they settled in Leeds. His initial schooling was largely at the instruction of his father who was a rabbi in Leeds and then later in Paris.<ref>{{cite book |title=Living History – A Memoir |first=Chaim |year=1996 |publisher=Pantheon Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-679-43478-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/livinghistorymem00herz/page/6 6] |last=Herzog |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/livinghistorymem00herz }}</ref>

Herzog later moved to Ireland and became a fluent Irish speaker. He was known as "the Sinn Féin Rabbi" for his support of the First Dáil and the Irish republican cause during the Irish War of Independence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Benson |first=Asher |title=Jewish Dublin |publisher=A&A Farmer Ltd |location=Dublin |year=2007 |page=22 |isbn=978-1-906353-00-1}}</ref> Herzog studied at Wesley College, Dublin, and was involved with the Federation of Zionist Youth and ''Habonim Dror'', the Labour Zionist movement, during his teenage years.

After mastering Talmudic studies at a young age, Yitzhak went on to attend the Sorbonne and then later the University of London, where he received his doctorate. His thesis made him famous in the Jewish world, concerned his claim of re-discovering tekhelet, the type of blue dye once used for the making of tzitzit.<ref>{{cite book |title=Living History – A Memoir |first=Chaim |year=1996 |publisher=Pantheon Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-679-43478-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/livinghistorymem00herz/page/7 7] |last=Herzog |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/livinghistorymem00herz }}</ref>

In 1935 he visited Palestine for the first time with a strong desire to settle there.<ref>{{Cite web |title=תולדות הרב יצחק אייזיק הלוי הרצוג / איתמר ורהפטיג - פרויקט בן־יהודה |url=https://benyehuda.org/read/30684 |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=benyehuda.org}}</ref>

Later that same year, Abraham Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel died, and Herzog was elected as the second Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel and moved to reside in Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite web |title=תולדות הרב יצחק אייזיק הלוי הרצוג / איתמר ורהפטיג - פרויקט בן־יהודה |url=https://benyehuda.org/read/30684#ch164 |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=benyehuda.org}}</ref>

In 1936, he testified in front of the Peel Commission in London and participated in 1939 in the London Conference of 1939 between Jews and Arabs from Mandatory Palestine, convened by the British government.

During the Arab Revolt, he called, together with other rabbis, for adherence to the Havlagah policy of the Haganah and for avoidance of acts of revenge.<ref>{{Cite web |title=⁨כרה הרבנים הראשיים ⁩ &mdash; ⁨⁨Davar⁩ – ⁨דבר⁩ 17 November 1937⁩ &mdash; National Library of Israel │ Newspapers |url=https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/dav/1937/11/17/01/article/310 |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=www.nli.org.il |language=en}}</ref>

He died on July 25, 1959, and was buried in the Sanhedria Cemetery in Jerusalem.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRAVEZ |url=https://gravez.me/en/deceased/31657FAB-57EA-4CDF-A950-ABC2544C7878 |access-date=2024-03-13 |website=gravez.me}}</ref>

Herzog's descendants have continued to be active in Israel's political life. His son Chaim Herzog was a general in the Israel Defense Forces and later became ambassador of Israel to the UN and sixth President of Israel. His son Yaakov Herzog served as Israel's ambassador to Canada and later as Director General of the Prime Minister's Office. He also accepted an offer to become Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth but due to ill health never took up that role.

His grandson Isaac Herzog is the President of Israel.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-02-06|title=Isaac Herzog elected Israel's 11th President|language=en|work=Globes|url=https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-isaac-herzog-elected-israels-11th-president-1001373055|access-date=2021-06-02}}</ref> He also previously served as a member of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, and head of the opposition. He previously served as housing and tourism minister and minister of welfare<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/personalities/pages/isaac%20herzog.aspx |access-date=2023-03-25 |archive-date=October 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003070750/https://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/aboutisrael/state/personalities/pages/isaac%20herzog.aspx |title=Isaac Herzog |website=www.mfa.gov.il}}</ref> and later was chairman of the Jewish Agency.

==Rabbinic career== Herzog served as rabbi of Belfast from 1916 to 1919 and was appointed rabbi of Dublin in 1919. A fluent Irish speaker{{Citation needed|reason=I couln't find it Chaim Herzog's memoir|date=July 2022}}, he supported the First Dáil and the Irish republican cause during the Irish War of Independence, and became known as "the Sinn Féin Rabbi".<ref>{{cite book |title=Jewish Dublin |last=Benson |first=Asher |year=2007 |publisher=A&A Farmer Ltd |location=Dublin |isbn=978-1-906353-00-1 |page=22 }}</ref> He went on to serve as Chief Rabbi of Ireland between 1922 and 1936, when he immigrated to Palestine to succeed rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook as Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi upon his death. He became a supporter of both the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and the Irgun.<ref>Calder Walton, 'British Intelligence and Threats to British National Security After the Second World War,' in Matthew Grant (ed) [https://books.google.com/books?id=86YOyupJFN4C&pg=PA144 ''The British Way in Cold Warfare: Intelligence, Diplomacy and the Bomb 1945-1975,''] A&C Black, 2011 pp.141-158 p.151.</ref> [[File:88459 safed rabbi isaac yitzchak herzog square PikiWiki Israel.jpg|thumb|371x371px|Sign commemorating rabbi Herzog, in the Artists' quarter of Safed, near Beit Castel gallery.]] In May 1939, shortly before the Second World War, the British put out the White Paper of 1939 restricting Jewish immigration to Palestine. After leading a procession through the streets of Jerusalem, on the steps of the Hurva Synagogue he turned and said: "We cannot agree to the White Paper. Just as the prophets did before me, I hereby rip it in two." Some 40 years later, on 10 November 1975 Chaim Herzog repeated his father's gesture with the UN resolution that Zionism is equal to racism.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lammfromm|first=Arnon|title=Chaim Herzog, HaNasi HaShishi (Chaim Herzog, the Sixth President)|year=2009|publisher=Israel State Archives|location=Jerusalem|isbn=978-965-279-037-8|pages=296|language=he}}</ref>

==Published works== Herzog was recognised as a great rabbinical authority, and he wrote many books and articles dealing with halachic problems surrounding the Torah and the State of Israel. Indeed, his writings helped shaped the attitude of the Religious Zionist Movement toward the State of Israel. Herzog authored: *''Main Institutions of Jewish Law'' *''Heichal Yitzchak'' *''Techukah leYisrael al pi haTorah'' *''Pesachim uKetavim'' *''The Royal Purple and the Biblical Blue''

== Awards and recognition== * In 1958, Herzog was awarded the Israel Prize, in rabbinical literature.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/PrasIsrael/Tashyag/Tashkab_Tashyag_Rikuz.htm?DictionaryKey=Tashyah |title=Israel Prize recipients in 1958 (in Hebrew) |publisher=Israel Prize Official Site |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120208115723/http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/PrasIsrael/Tashyag/Tashkab_Tashyag_Rikuz.htm?DictionaryKey=Tashyah |archive-date=8 February 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==See also== *History of the Jews in Ireland *History of the Jews in Northern Ireland *Herzog (disambiguation) *Shmuel Wosner *List of Israel Prize recipients

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{commons category-inline}} *{{wikiquote-inline}}

{{s-start}} {{s-rel|jw}} {{s-new}} {{s-ttl|title=Chief Rabbi of Ireland|years=1919–1936}} {{s-aft|after=Immanuel Jakobovits}} {{s-bef|before=Abraham Isaac Kook}} {{s-ttl|title=Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine|years=1936–1948}} {{s-non|reason=Position abolished}} {{s-new}} {{s-ttl|title=Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel|years=1948–1959}} {{s-aft|after=Isser Yehuda Unterman}} {{end}} {{Chief Rabbinate of Israel}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Herzog, Yitzhak}} Category:1888 births Category:1959 deaths Category:People from Łomża Category:People from Łomża Governorate Category:Levites Category:20th-century British rabbis Category:Chief rabbis of Ireland Category:Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom Category:British Ashkenazi Jews Category:Irish Ashkenazi Jews Category:Irish nationalists Category:British emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Category:Ashkenazi Jews in Mandatory Palestine Category:Israeli people of Polish-Jewish descent Category:University of Paris alumni Category:Alumni of the University of London Category:Orthodox rabbis in Mandatory Palestine Category:Chief rabbis of Israel Category:Israel Prize Rabbi recipients Category:Israel Prize in Rabbinical literature recipients Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog Category:Burials at Sanhedria Cemetery Category:Irish Zionists Category:Clergy from Belfast Category:20th-century Irish rabbis Category:Immigrants of the Fifth Aliyah