A Worthy Successor (Vol. 2, Issue 9)

In choosing Rabbi Herzog as chief rabbis of the Ashkenazic Kehila of Palestine, the electors have shown an appreciation of the importance of that office and of the tremendous influence it can wield.

Rabbi Herzog is fully qualified to maintain the prestige which his great predecessor gave to this position. He is recognized as a great Talmudic scholar and is also well grounded in the culture of the contemporary world. His great ability in systematization and organization are evidence by the first volume of his work on “The Institutions of Jewish Law”, which appeared recently.

It is to be hoped that the new chief rabbi will not only succeed in implanting Jewish tradition, but will change it from the property of the relatively small portion of the population to a great force guiding the life of the country.

We hope that Rabbi Herzog will attack the question of revitalizing orthodox Jewish life. His experience in western Europe should enable him to recognize the full extent of the problem. We hope that he will not ignore it, as is the tendency of many of our religious leaders.

There is a further service which we believe Rabbi Herzog has in his power to render, namely, the unification of the various factions which comprise orthodox Jewry. Under his leadership the bitter dissention which has made all attempts to organize religious Jewry futile, should be eliminated.