Harry Freedman

Reason to Believe (eBook, PDF)

The Controversial Life of Rabbi Louis Jacobs

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Louis Jacobs was Britain's most gifted Jewish scholar. A Talmudic genius, outstanding teacher and accomplished author, cultured and easy-going, he was widely expected to become Britain's next Chief Rabbi.

Then controversy struck. The Chief Rabbi refused to appoint him as Principal of Jews' College, the country's premier rabbinic college. He further forbade him from returning as rabbi to his former synagogue. All because of a book Jacobs had written some years earlier, challenging from a rational perspective the traditional belief in the origins of the Torah.

The British Jewish community was torn apart. It was a scandal unlike anything they had ever previously endured. The national media loved it. Jacobs became a cause celebre, a beacon of reason, a humble man who wouldn't be compromised. His congregation resigned en masse and created a new synagogue for him in Abbey Road, the heart of fashionable 1960s London. It became the go-to venue for Jews seeking reasonable answers to questions of faith.

A prolific author of over 50 books and hundreds of articles on every aspect of Judaism, from the basics of religious belief to the complexities of mysticism and law, Louis Jacobs won the heart and affection of the mainstream British Jewish community. When the Jewish Chronicle ran a poll to discover the Greatest British Jew, Jacobs won hands down. He said it made him feel daft.

Reason To Believe tells the dramatic and touching story of Louis Jacobs's life, and of the human drama lived out by his family, deeply wounded by his rejection.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Bloomsbury UK eBooks
• Seitenzahl: 304
• Erscheinungstermin: 12. November 2020
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781472979360
• Artikelnr.: 60431784

Autorenporträt

Harry Freedman is Britain's leading author of popular works of Jewish culture and history. His publications include The Talmud: A Biography, Kabbalah: Secrecy, Scandal and the Soul, The Murderous History of Bible Translations Leonard Cohen: The Mystical Roots of Genius and Britain's Jews. He has a PhD on an Aramaic translation of the Bible from the University of London. He lives in London with his wife Karen. You can follow his regular articles on harryfreedman.substack.com.

Inhaltsangabe

List of Illustrations Introduction 1 An Unlikely Rabbi 2 Becoming an
English Rabbi 3 A Reasonable Faith 4 High Society 5 In the Limelight 6
Jews' College 7 Friends in Need 8 A Bigger Affair 9 New London Synagogue 10
An International Reputation 11 Stability 12 A Mood, not a Movement 13 Out
of the Pulpit 14 Personal Belief 15 Winding Down Notes Glossary
Acknowledgements For Further Reading Index A Note on the Author