William Frankel (3 February 1917 – 18 April 2008) was the editor of the British weekly newspaper ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' from 1958 until 1977. He wrote the books ''Friday Nights'' (1973), ''Israel Observed'' (1980), ''Survey of Jewish Affairs'' (1982–1992), and ''Tea With Einstein and Other Memories'' (2006). Freedland, Michael
William Frankel
''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', April 25, 2008. __TOC__

Early life

Frankel was born in London, the son of Isaac Frankel, an

Orthodox Jew Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...

, the

beadle A beadle, sometimes spelled bedel, is an official of a church or synagogue who may usher, keep order, make reports, and assist in religious functions; or a minor official who carries out various civil, educational, or ceremonial duties on the ...

of the Artillery Lane synagogue in Spitalfields, and a stallholder in

Petticoat Lane Petticoat Lane Market is a fashion and clothing market in Spitalfields, London. It consists of two adjacent street markets. Wentworth Street Market is open six days a week and Middlesex Street Market is open on Sunday only. The modern market ...

. He attended the

Davenant Foundation School Davenant Foundation School is a Christian Ecumenical secondary school, founded in 1680, currently in Loughton, Essex, England. History Foundation in Whitechapel In February 1680 the Reverend Ralph Davenant, rector of St Mary's Whitechape ...

, at that time located in the East End; the

Regent Street Polytechnic The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Aug ...

; then the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

, graduating with honours in law.

Career

He read for the bar, becoming a barrister in 1944 as a member of the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

. He also became general secretary of the Mizrachi Organisation of Great Britain and Ireland, a religious Zionist group. He joined ''The Jewish Chronicle'' as general manager in 1955. In 1967, he was interviewed by Bernard Braden about contemporary controversies in the press and the future of the Middle East. In 1968–69, he was visiting professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. He acted as special adviser to ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

'' on Jewish and Israeli affairs, and held a number of public or honorary posts, including president of the Mental Health Review appeals tribunal (1978–89), chairman of the Social Security Appeal Tribunal (1979–89); an executive of the

Wiener library The Wiener Holocaust Library () is the world's oldest institution devoted to the study of the Holocaust, its causes and legacies. Founded in 1933 as an information bureau that informed Jewish communities and governments worldwide about the pe ...

, the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

archives based in London; president of the

New Israel Fund The New Israel Fund (NIF) is a United States-based non-profit NGO established in 1979. It describes its objective as social justice and equality for all Israelis. The New Israel Fund says it has provided $300 million to over 900 Israeli civil so ...

since 1997; and was awarded an honorary fellowship of

Girton College, Cambridge Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1948, it was granted full college statu ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frankel, William 1917 births 2008 deaths British newspaper editors British Jews Alumni of the University of London Fellows of Girton College, Cambridge