Yaakov Ben Zion Mendelsohn ( he, יעקב בן ציון הכהן מענדעלסאן) (October 12–14, 1875 – August 5, 1941)The AJC Year Book gives a birth date of 12 October 1875. Mendelson's autobiography states that he was born on the first day of Sukoth 5736, which corresponds to 14 October 1875 (or late evening of 13 October). was a renowned Russian-born

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...

Jewish scholar, communal

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

Talmudist The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the center ...

, Halachist, and rabbinical author (''mechaber seforim)''.

Early life

Mendelson was born Yaakov Ben Zion Morein in 1875, in Kreitzburg, part of the

Vitebsk district Vitebsk District ( be, Віцебскі раён, russian: Витебский район, Vitebsk Raion) is a district of Belarus in Vitebsk Region. The administrative center of the district is the city of Vitebsk, administratively separated from ...

of what was then

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, to his parents Menachem (Yiddish: Mendel) and Beila Rochel Morein. (The town later changed to Latvian hands, and the German name became Latvian ''Krustpils.'' In 1962, it was also united with the town of Jēkabpils, across the

Daugava River , be, Заходняя Дзвіна (), liv, Vēna, et, Väina, german: Düna , image = Fluss-lv-Düna.png , image_caption = The drainage basin of the Daugava , source1_location = Valdai Hills, Russia , mouth_location = Gulf of Riga, Baltic Se ...

.from it, and are now known together as Jēkabpils). His rigorous Talmudic education started at age 7, and culminated with ''

semicha Semikhah ( he, סמיכה) is the traditional Jewish name for rabbinic ordination. The original ''semikhah'' was the formal "transmission of authority" from Moses through the generations. This form of ''semikhah'' ceased between 360 and 425 C ...

'' ordination from the Rabbi Yosef Rosen, the "

Rogatchover Gaon Joseph Rosen (Yiddish: יוסף ראָזין, ''Yosef Rosin''; 1858 – 5 March 1936) known as the Rogatchover Gaon (Genius of Rogachev) and Tzofnath Paneach (Decipherer of Secrets—the title of his main work), was a rabbi and one of the mo ...

," one of the rabbinic greats of the time. Morein met Rabbi

Sholom Dovber Schneersohn Sholom Dovber Schneersohn ( he, שלום דובער שניאורסאהן) was the fifth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch chasidic movement. He is known as "the Rebbe Rashab" (for Reb Sholom Ber). His teachings represent the emerg ...

("Rashab") and his son, Rabbi

Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn Yosef Yitzchak (Joseph Isaac) Schneersohn ( yi, יוסף יצחק שניאורסאהן; 21 June 1880 – 28 January 1950) was an Orthodox rabbi and the sixth Rebbe (spiritual leader) of the Chabad Lubavitch Chasidic movement. He is also known a ...

("Rayatz"), the fifth and sixth Rebbes of Chabad-Lubavitch as a teenager. It was Rashab who recommended he study with the Rosen. Under the influence of Rashab and the ROgathcover, he adopted some Chabad practices, but remained primarily a Lthuanian-oriented rabbi. Shortly after his ordination, he was betrothed to a cousin, Feiga Skuy, but his marriage was postponed when he was drafted into the Russian Army. The army was very harsh for Jewish soldiers, and commanders were well known for trying to break the Jews from their religion. Morein deserted. After escaping Russia, he had several close calls evading Russian agents throughout Europe. He changed his surname to Mendelson ("Mendel's son,"), to make it harder for the government to track him.

The British years

Eventually, Mendelson emigrated to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. At age 22, he found a position as Rabbi and Dayan of

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

, and of the ‘Chevras Torah’

shul A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

there. He sent for his cousin Feiga, and they married in Leeds. In 1905, he took a new position as rabbi of

Gateshead Gateshead () is a large town in northern England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank, opposite Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle to which it is joined by seven bridges. The town contains the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, Millennium Bridge, Sage ...

, and later, as rabbi of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. In Glasgow, Mendelson demonstrated his community leadership and concern for its well-being countless times. In two instances, he thwarted cartels controlling certain commercial aspects of ritual, to keep prices stable. (See details in '' Communal advocacy and disputes''.)

Chief Rabbi of Newark

When

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

broke out, Mendelson's son Chaim was old enough to be drafted. After Mendelson's experience with the Russian Army, he wanted to avoid that, and relocated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1915. He would spend the rest of his life, personally and professionally, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area. In 1921 he was appointed as Chief Rabbi of Newark, with primary jurisdiction over matters of

Shechita In Judaism, ''shechita'' (anglicized: ; he, ; ; also transliterated ''shehitah, shechitah, shehita'') is slaughtering of certain mammals and birds for food according to ''kashrut''. Sources states that sheep and cattle should be slaughtered ...

and

Kashrus (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...

; he held the position until his death. Mendelson changed synagogue positions several times, leading ''Congregation Adas Yisroel'', then ''Chevra B'nai Jacob Anshe Galicia,'' and finally founding his own shul, ''Congregation Beis Hamedrash Hagadol''. To do so, he bought the defunct synagogue building formerly run by Rabbi Meyer Isserman. He opened an expanded building next door on August 14, 1934, in a large ceremony attended by hundreds of locals along with rabbis from Passaic, West New York, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia, and members of the New York press. The new congregation was commonly known as the Bergen Street Shul. Distinguished for his scholarship and devotion to the Jewish community, Mendelson was a member of '' Knesseth ha-Rabbanim'' (the Assembly of Hebrew Orthodox Rabbis of America and Canada), where he was considered an expert in kashruth. He became a leader of the organization, and was featured at or presided over many of its conventions: * 11th convention, addressing issues of cooperation among Orthodox rabbis, improving education, marital law, religious courts, and kosher meat, * 13th convention, he gave the keynote address (10 February 1930), focusing on unity across rabbinic organizations, Sabbath observance, Palestine, kashruth, Prohibition, and alien registration. * 15th convention, presided, and elected vice president of the organization * At the September 10, 1940 convention session, he made an impassioned plea, to all of American Jewry, for the support of war refugees. 1927 ACC

Because of his close relationship with Rashab and Rayatz, Mendelson was a director and vice-president of their American organization, the ''Association of Chabad Hasidim Nusach Ari of the United States and Canada.'' His name appeared on their letterthead in two places.

Legacy

Mendelson died in 1941, leaving a widow, five sons, four daughters and twelve grandchildren. Another son, Shmuel Dov, died in a scalding accident in Gateshead in 1905. Interment is at

North Arlington Jewish Cemetery North Arlington Jewish Cemetery is a cemetery dating to the turn of the 19th century, and located in North Arlington, New Jersey, along Belleville Turnpike (New Jersey Route 7). It is situated on a roughly triangular four-acre piece of land, bet ...

, whose Newark Orthodox section was purchased and organized under his aegis. His synagogue, ''Beis Hamedrash Hagadol,'' continued to function, until an eminent domain seizure for the construction

Interstate 78 Interstate 78 (I-78) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Northeastern United States, running from I-81 northeast of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, through Allentown to western and northern New Jersey and terminating at the Holland Tunn ...

. Both the synagogue and Mendelson's house, one block east at 349 Chadwick Avenue, were condemned. He was the personal Talmud teacher to a young

Gedalia Dov Schwartz Gedalia Dov Schwartz (January 24, 1925 — December 9, 2020) was an eminent Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and posek (halakhic authority) who lived in Chicago, Illinois. From 1991 to 2013, when he gave his position as Av Beth Din to Rabbi Yona Rei ...

, who became a leading American rabbi in New York and Chicago. Mendelson was an author of Talmudic and Rabbinic works. He wrote six volumes of scholarship: *''Sha’arei Tzion'' (Leeds, 1903) - on the Talmud (with approbation from Rabbi Shlomo HaKohen, Dayan of

Vilna Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

) *''Sefer Hatzid'' (Leeds, 1904) - laws relating to ritual slaughter *''Midrash Yaavetz'' (Glasgow, 1911) - Halacha and

Aggadah Aggadah ( he, ''ʾAggāḏā'' or ''Haggāḏā''; Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: אַגָּדְתָא ''ʾAggāḏəṯāʾ''; "tales, fairytale, lore") is the non-legalistic exegesis which appears in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, ...

on the

Book of Genesis The Book of Genesis (from Greek ; Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, ( "In the beginning") ...

Midrash Yaavetz had approbations from Rabbi Nosson Halevi Bamberger of

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg is ...

; Rabbi Menachem Dovber Dagutski of Manchester; Rabbi Refoel Zilberman of Tzfas; Rabbi Eliyahu Posek of Alapolia in Russia; Rabbi Eliezer Dan Yachai of Lutzin and Rabbi Shlomo Yaakov Koton of Leshenov, and with a warm letter from Rabbi Akiva HaCohen Matlon of Heina in Minsk province, at the time part of Russia. *''Mishnas Yaavetz on Chagiga'' (Leeds, 1903) a summary of the final rulings of this volume of

Talmud Bavli The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

*''Mishnas Yaavetz'' (1928) an anthology of three previously unpublished books by the author ** Vol. One on

androgyny Androgyny is the possession of both masculine and feminine characteristics. Androgyny may be expressed with regard to biological sex, gender identity, or gender expression. When ''androgyny'' refers to mixed biological sex characteristics in ...

** Vol. Two of Talmudic novellae ** Vol. Three of

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

Many of Mendelson's children and grandchildren took leadership positions in national Jewish organizations and local Jewish communities; see ''

Relatives Relatives can refer to: * Kinship * ''Relatives'' (1985 film), a 1985 Australian movie * ''Relatives'' (2006 film), a 2006 Hungarian movie * "Relatives", a song by Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Beilin; yi, ישראל ביילין ...

, ''below. One of his grandchildren claims to have a collection of ''

zemiros Zemirot or Z'miros ( he, זמירות ''zǝmîrôt'', singular: zimrah but often called by the masculine zemer) are Jewish hymns, usually sung in the Hebrew or Aramaic languages, but sometimes also in Yiddish or Ladino. The best known are tho ...

'', Sabbath meal devotional songs, composed by his grandfather.

Relatives

Mendelson's son Harry and his descendants reverted to the original family surname of Morein, though other family members continued to use Mendelson. Harry Morein was a founder of the Young Israel of Newark, and an early advocate to change New Jersey's Sunday blue laws, forbidding commerce on Sunday. Today, he has many descendants involved in communal life at the national and local levels, including kashruth administration at the

Orthodox Union The Orthodox Union (abbreviated OU) is one of the largest Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United States. Founded in 1898, the OU supports a network of synagogues, youth programs, Jewish and Religious Zionist advocacy programs, programs for ...

, and the teaching faculty of

Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a private Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City."About YU
on the Yeshiva Universit ...

's Manhattan Talmudical Academy High School and cantorial leadership. He arranged for a cousin, Rabbi Dovid Menachem Morein, to come to Gateshead as the town's first

Melamed Melamed, ''Melammed'' ( he, מלמד, Teacher) in Biblical times denoted a religious teacher or instructor in general (e.g., in Psalm 119:99 and Proverbs 5:13), but which in the Talmudic period was applied especially to a teacher of children, and ...

. Morein's son Wolf was rabbi of the North London Shul, while his daughter Bluma married Rabbi Gedalia Schneider,

Rosh Yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

of London's Yeshiva Toras Emes ("Schneider's Yeshiva"). It was the only Yeshiva in London of the classic Lithuanian mold, and many of its top students moved on to Gateshead, Bluma's hometown, to become early members of the Gateshead

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

in the 1940s. Mendelson's son, Cantor Nechemya "Chemmy" (Nathan) Mendelson was a founding member and president of the Cantors Assembly. He served as Chazzan of Montreal's

Congregation Shaar Hashomayim Congregation Shaar Hashomayim () is an Ashkenazi synagogue in Westmount, Quebec. Incorporated in 1846, it is the oldest traditional Ashkenazi synagogue in Canada and the largest traditional synagogue in Canada. History Former building of Sha ...

from 1938 to 1973. Nathan Mendelson was succeeded in that position by his son, David Mendelson. Brothers Jacob "Jackie" Mendelson and Solomon, or Sol, "Tucky" Mendelson are grandchildren. Both have been presidents of the

Cantors Assembly Cantors Assembly (CA) is the international association of hazzanim (cantors) affiliated with Conservative Judaism. Cantors Assembly was founded in 1947 to develop the profession of the hazzan, to foster the fellowship and welfare of hazzanim, and t ...

, with Jackie serving in 2003-2004, and Sol serving President, Programming Chair, Journal Editorial Board member, journal article author, and leading many events on behalf of the organization, including: * 1983 recruitment seminar at

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. The university attracts students from 48 states and 43 countries. The university and it ...

Hartt School of Music The Hartt School is the comprehensive performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford located in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States, that offers degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and ...

* 1987 annual convention * 1996 annual convention * 1992 lay meeting * 1984-1988 committee membership on the approach to Hazanut * 1989 joint project with

National Coalition Supporting Soviet Jewry The National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry (NCSEJ), formerly the National Council for Soviet Jewry (NCSJ), is an organization in the United States which advocates for the freedoms and rights of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltic S ...

First Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

Israeli support trips (together with brother Jackie), and organization of the trips * Shoah remembrance project In addition to Mendelson's descendants, several close relatives by marriage had significant impact on the Newark '' kehila,'' mostly originating with his support. Louis Skui (later Sky) was Mendelson's brother-in-law and chief '' shochet''. Upon Mendelson's death, due to the previous dispute with Rabbi Konvitz, Sky was unable to work as a ''shochet''. He opened Sky Hebrew Books (later SkyBook), a large supplier of books and ''

etrog Etrog ( he, אֶתְרוֹג, plural: '; Ashkenazi Hebrew: ', plural: ') is the yellow citron or ''Citrus medica'' used by Jews during the week-long holiday of Sukkot as one of the four species. Together with the ''lulav'', ''hadass'', and '' ...

s'' to congregations across the United States for over 50 years. Joseph Gross was president of Mendelson's Bergen Street Shul, administrator of the Mendelson-lead Vaad Hakashruth, and later '' mechutan'' to the Mendelsons, after the marriage of children Samuel Gross and Leesa Mendelson. Samuel was later a president of the shul, in the 1940s and 1950s.

Communal advocacy and disputes

In Glasgow, Mendelson defied business interests to bring down communal costs for Passover

Matzah Matzah or matzo ( he, מַצָּה, translit=maṣṣā'','' pl. matzot or Ashk. matzos) is an unleavened flatbread that is part of Jewish cuisine and forms an integral element of the Passover festival, during which ''chametz'' (leaven and f ...

and

Mikvah Mikveh or mikvah (, ''mikva'ot'', ''mikvoth'', ''mikvot'', or (Yiddish) ''mikves'', lit., "a collection") is a bath used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism to achieve ritual purity. Most forms of ritual impurity can be purifi ...

use. At one point, to prevent

price gouging Price gouging is a pejorative term used to describe the situation when a seller increases the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair. Usually, this event occurs after a demand or ...

, he rented the production facilities of Consolidated Biscuit, kashered it, and ran Matzah production, causing the prior bakery cartel to lose all business for the year. In Newark, he published a controversial ruling regarding the permissibility, under certain conditions, of using a Shochet who is not Sabbath-observant. The opinion is cited and argued against by Rabbi Shimon Shkop. In 1921, he succeeded Rabbi Dov Ber Halperin as the kashruth authority for Newark, on consensus of most local rabbis, ritual slaughterers, lay leaders, and kashruth supervisors in the city. The position included responsibility for Jewish slaughterhouses, butchers, and the kosher operations of Swift & Co., and effectively made him chief rabbi of the city. Around 1925, Rabbi Joseph Konvitz created a rival kosher supervision in the city. He won the Swift & Co. kosher division's contract, displacing the incumbent city kashruth agency, and attempted to become the sole kashruth authority for Newark. The two parties and their organizations brought allegations, rebuttals, and counterallegations against each other. Konvitz filed a lawsuit in religious court (

Beth Din A beit din ( he, בית דין, Bet Din, house of judgment, , Ashkenazic: ''beis din'', plural: batei din) is a rabbinical court of Judaism. In ancient times, it was the building block of the legal system in the Biblical Land of Israel. Today, it ...

), while Mendelson got a consensus of leading rabbis to back his position. There resulted a permanent rift in the city over rabbinate, with competing Vaadei Kashruth.

Sources

General references

Semi-autobiographic introduction to Midrash Yaavetz (pages 8-9)American Jewish Year Book Vol. 44 (1942–1943)
*New York Times Archives *Memoirs of son Harry Morein and son-in-law Dr. Sam Gross.

Related materials (external links)

''Midrash Yaavetz''
*''Mishnas Yaavetz''
Volume One

Volume Two

Volume Three

Noted references

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mendelson, Yaakov Ben Zion 1875 births 1941 deaths People from Krustpils Municipality Russian Jews Scottish Orthodox rabbis American Haredi rabbis Jewish American writers Haredi Judaism in the United States Clergy from Newark, New Jersey 20th-century British rabbis Clergy from Glasgow Newark, New Jersey Russian emigrants to the United Kingdom Russian emigrants to the United States 20th-century American rabbis