President Isaac Herzog on Thursday hosted an event in Jerusalem marking 65 years since the death of Ireland and Israel Chief Rabbi Dr. Yitzhak (Isaac) Halevi Herzog, his grandfather and namesake.
The event also marked the selection of the late chief rabbi as a symbolic role model for the upcoming academic year by the Hemed state religious education system, as well as the launch of his republished works.
Born in Poland in 1888 before moving to the United Kingdom and later to Israel, Herzog served as the first chief rabbi of Ireland from 1921 to 1936, when he became chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine, and then the State of Israel’s first Ashkenazi chief rabbi from 1948 until his death in 1959.
He is credited with authoring the prayer for the well-being of the state and for the soldiers of the IDF and the members of the security forces.
“I wish to begin with a prayer from here—for the healing in body and soul, for the wounded in the current conflict. I pray for the safe return home of the communities and families uprooted from their homes for many long months, for the swift return of the hostages—our sisters and brothers held captive by Hamas murderers,” Herzog said at the event.
“It is our duty to bring all the hostages home; this is an obligation above all others. It is a human, Israeli and Jewish duty. As Maimonides said: ‘There is no greater commandment than the redemption of captives,'” he added.
The president continued, “On behalf of all of us, I wish and pray for the success of the IDF soldiers and the security forces, and their speedy return home safe and sound. In this difficult campaign—our very best sons and daughters, servicemen and women, and reservists. They make up the tremendous Israeli mosaic of various beliefs and ways of life. With dedication, a sense of mission, and faith, they leave behind their homes, family, workplaces and studies to defend Israel from our enemies.”
Former Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said: “We need to build on the legacy of Rabbi Herzog, who founded all that we have in the Chief Rabbinate.
“We pray for the success of the soldiers and the healing of the wounded. We must act urgently for an immediate hostage deal; there is a life-threatening situation here that overrides everything. We must not delay,” he said.
Former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau said: “In my office, during my tenure as chief rabbi of Israel, there were two pictures of the first chief rabbis of Israel. A picture of Rabbi Kook and a picture of Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac Halevi Herzog. He is the one who provided the basis for the work of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.”
A series of disputes have left the two chief rabbi posts vacant for the first time.