From Haifa to Jerusalem one day last week, pious Jews of all degrees turned out in a heavy rain to welcome to the Holy Land a sharp-eyed, black-bearded man just arrived from Europe. He was Dr. Isaac Herzog, 48, elected by a modern Sanhedrin or council of 70 Jewish elders to be Chief Rabbi of the Ashkenazic community of Palestine succeeding the late Dr. Abraham Kook.
Unlike U. S. Jews, some European congregations elect a man of learning, not necessarily a native, to head their national community. Because Judaism is congregational rather than hierarchical, he lays down no law, chiefly presides...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
