The London School of Jewish Studies (commonly known as LSJS, originally founded as Jews' College) is a
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
-based organisation providing adult educational courses and teacher training to the wider Jewish community.
Many leading figures in British Jewry have been associated with the School, including
Michael Friedländer
Michael Friedländer (29 April 1833 – 10 December 1910) was an Orientalist and principal of Jews' College, London. He is best known for his English translation of Maimonides' '' Guide to the Perplexed'', which was the most popular such trans ...
Jonathan Sacks
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks (8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As ...
Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
, were made by "Scholars involved with Jews' College."
History
The London School of Jewish Studies was founded as Jews' College in 1855, a rabbinical seminary in
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. The organisation was re-focused and given its present name in 1999, with an emphasis on providing a broader range of adult educational courses and training to the wider Jewish community. The rabbinical training programme was suspended, and much of the historical holdings of the library were sold off. LSJS has had growing success in its new role, and started offered rabbinical training again in 2012, in partnership with the programme set up by the London Sephardi community.
Jews' College
Jews' College was opened in
Finsbury Square
Finsbury Square is a square in Finsbury in central London which includes a six-rink grass bowling green. It was developed in 1777 on the site of a previous area of green space to the north of the City of London known as Finsbury Fields, in the p ...
,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, as a rabbinical seminary in 1855 with the support of
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...
Nathan Adler and of Sir Moses Montefiore, who had conceived the idea for such a venture as early as 1841. The college quickly established itself as a place where high quality
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 t ...
nical training was available and its alumni and staff often became prominent in Anglo-Jewry.
In 1881, the College moved to larger premises in
Tavistock Square
Tavistock Square is a public square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden near Euston Station.
History
Tavistock Square was built shortly after 1806 by the property developer James Burton and the master builder Thomas Cubitt for Fr ...
, close to
University College
In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies f ...
, where it was envisaged that Jews' College students would be able to combine their religious studies and university studies to degree level. As early as 1904, the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
granted an
Honours degree
Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, ...
in Hebrew and Aramaic, all of the candidates being from Jews' College. In 1932, with the building of Woburn House, a centre for Anglo-Jewry, still in Tavistock Square, Jews' College moved again.
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, despite the bombing of London, the College kept its doors open. Apart from the rabbinical studies and degree course,
Chazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' (, plural ; ; ) is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who leads the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term al ...
ut courses and teacher training programmes were now offered.
In 1954, the College moved, yet again, to larger premises in Montagu Place. That building in central London was sold in the early 1980s and now houses the Embassy of Sweden. The College operated from temporary premises at Finchley Synagogue for a number of years, under the leadership of Rabbi Dr
Nahum Rabinovitch
Nachum Eliezer Rabinovitch (; 30 April 1928 – 6 May 2020), born Norman Louis Rabinovitch, was a Canadian-Israeli Religious Zionist rabbi and ''posek''. He headed the London School of Jewish Studies from 1971 to 1982, and the ''hesder yeshiva' ...
. Under the auspices of Rabbi Dr
Jonathan Sacks
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks (8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As ...
and with the financial backing of Stanley Kalms, chairman of Dixons, the College relocated in 1984 to its current building, now known as Schaller House, in
Hendon
Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...
, North-West London, close to the hub of London's Jewish community.
London School of Jewish Studies
In 1998, the University of London announced that it would be terminating the "Associated Institute" status that the College and three other small institutions enjoyed. Jews' College was forced to seek an academic partner within the University in order to be able to continue its degree programmes. Without the freedom to determine its own curriculum and the financial security that came from student fee income, it became increasingly difficult for the College to survive in its previous form. Rabbinic training was also uneconomic as many students looked to the Torah centres of Israel and America for their education and the number of available rabbinic posts in the UK decreased.
In 2002, the
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
(SOAS) decided to terminate its relationship with LSJS, which threatened the organisation's status. A small team of young community leaders and educators, led by the late Marc Weinberg, presented the then Chair of Council, Howard Stanton, with a proposal to use the human and financial resources available to refocus the School's activities and to secure its future as a hub of academic study and lifelong learning, catering to a wide spectrum of the community.
Since then, under the leadership of Rabbi Dr. Raphael Zarum and Joanne Greenaway, LSJS has welcomed hundreds of students to a range of adult education courses and events. In addition to numerous community-focused offerings, more formal programs include the following degree programs: The M.A. degree in
Jewish Education
Jewish education (, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah ...
with
Middlesex University
Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...
Jewish Education
Jewish education (, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah ...
, also in partnership with
Middlesex University
Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated to MDX) is a public research university based in Hendon, northwest London, England. The university also has campuses in Dubai and Mauritius. The name of the university is ...
.
Alei Tzion
The London School of Jewish Studies houses the synagogue Alei Tzion. Services take place regularly. These include; Shacharit, Mincha and Maariv prayer. The complete Shabbat services include two children's services.
Notable alumni
* Michael Adler (1868–1944), first Jewish military chaplain to serve in a Theatre of War (1915–1918)
* Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple AO (1935–2024), Senior Rabbi of the Great Synagogue (Sydney) (1972–2005)
* Levi Billig (1897–1936), Arabist and pioneer of Arabic language education in the
Yishuv
The Yishuv (), HaYishuv Ha'ivri (), or HaYishuv HaYehudi Be'Eretz Yisra'el () was the community of Jews residing in Palestine prior to the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. The term came into use in the 1880s, when there were about 2 ...
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
Jonathan Sacks
Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks (8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1991 to 2013. As ...
(1948–2020) served as principal (1984–1990)
* Irving Jacobs (1937–2020) served as principal (1990–1993)
* Daniel Sinclair
References
Further reading
* Isidore Harris (1906), History of Jews' College : November 11th 1855 – November 10th 1905 ' London: Luzac & Co.
* Albert Montefiore Hyamson (1955), ''Jews’ College, London, 1855–1955''
* Ruth Goldschmidt-Lehmann (1960; revised 1967), ''History of Jews’ College Library, 1860–1960''
* Derek Taylor (2017), ''Defenders of the Faith: The History of Jews’ College and the London School of Jewish Studies''. London:
Vallentine Mitchell
Vallentine Mitchell is a publishing company based in Elstree, Hertfordshire, England.
The company publishes books on Jewish-related topics. One of its earliest books was the first English-language edition of '' The Diary of Anne Frank''. Fr ...