Dayan J Apfel - Founder Memorial Page

DAYAN JOSEPH APFEL. M.B.E.

A Life of Dedication and Service to the Community – 57 YEARS

Joseph Apfel (Yosef Yeshua ben Shragai) was born in a small town in Austria Poland on 15^th March 1909. His father was a small businessman and he had one sibling, a sister, Scheindel, who with many other members of the family, was later to be murdered during the Holocaust. He was a prodigious scholar so that by the tender age of 18 he was considered to know enough to be granted Semicha – ordination as a rabbi. To widen his horizons he left Poland for Berlin, with the initial intention of becoming a singer, for which he had a natural talent. He changed his mind, however, and enrolled at the famous Hildesheimer Rabbinical Seminary to pursue his rabbinic studies further. One of his contemporaries there was Rabbi Dr Alexander Altman Z’TL, who was later to be appointed communal rabbi of Manchester, and together with whom he became employed by the Jewish community of Berlin. Rabbi Apfel’s wide knowledge became recognised by the members of the community and, even though he was so young, he was soon engaged to deliver regular shiurim (lectures). In 1932, he returned to Poland to marry Malka Chanah Yare, whom he had known for some time, and the young couple came back to live in Berlin where two of their four sons, Freddy and Jack, were born.

At the Hildesheimer, where he continued his studies, his teacher and mentor was the world renowned scholar and Talmudist, Rabbi Yechiel Yaacov Weinberg Z’TL, who was one of the signatories of the further, more advanced, Semicha conferred on him in 1936, at the age of 27. Rabbi Apfel always acknowledged the profound influence that Rabbi Dr Weinberg had on him.

At this time the precarious situation of Jews in Germany under the Nazis was worsening. In 1938, the authorities tried to send all Polish-born Jews back to their country of origin and suddenly rounded them up to return them, forcibly to Poland. As a consequence Rabbi Apfel was taken away by the Gestapo from his young wife and small children and herded, at gunpoint, into a crowded train to travel to the Polish border. Poland refused to take the Jews in and they languished at a small border town, in difficult conditions, for a number of weeks, before being allowed back to their homes in Germany.

Rabbi Apfel and his wife realised that the situation was getting hopeless and decided it was time to leave Germany – not an easy thing to do. Fortunately, with the help of Rabbi Dr Altman, who was by now the Communal Rabbi in Manchester, a visa was obtained allowing Rabbi Apfel to come to England.

In this country there were no openings for him to employ his great rabbinical knowledge but, fortunately he had a very sweet and pleasant voice and managed to obtain the post of First Reader (Cantor) to the Belgrave Street Synagogue of the United Hebrew Congregation of Leeds. As a consequence his wife and family were able to follow him to England where their two youngest sons Nathan and David were later born. He served the United Hebrew Congregation for almost forty years, up to 1978, on two occasions declining the offer of the prestigious post of Rabbi to the Amsterdam Ashkenazi community.

In 1947, his considerable knowledge and scholarship was at last made use of when he was invited to sit as a Dayan (Judge) in the Leeds Beth Din (Ecclesiastical Court), and in 1968 he advanced to become Av Beth Din (Senior Judge) until he passed away in 1996. He was recognised throughout the country as the Senior Rabbi in Leeds and responsible for all religious matters of the Jewish  community and had to rule on questions of Jewish Law, including disputes, death, marriage, and divorce. He was largely responsible for the considerable increase in the standards of religious observance and facilities of Leeds and District Jewry.

Dayan Apfel’s manifold activities included the following:-

Chaplain to Allerton Grange School for some 25 years

Chaplain to all the City’s Jewish Schools

Chaplain to High Royds Mental Hospital at Menston for 25 years

Chaplain to H.M. Prison at Wakefield for 28 years

He was associated with various Jewish charities as follows:-

Member and examiner to the Leeds Jewish Education Board for 30 years

Actively concerned with the communal Chevra Kadisha (Lay Burial Society) which attends to the burial rites of male and female deceased and the needs of family mourners, for more than 25 years.

Made Honorary Vice President of the Leeds Jewish Welfare Board in recognition of achievements over the years in helping in its work and fundraising.

Actively worked for the Leeds Home for Aged Jews (Donisthorpe Hall) for almost 40 years in fundraising and other capacities. In recognition of his efforts the Home endowed a room there in his name – the only clergyman in the history of the Home to receive this honour.

He was one of those involved in the foundation of the Jewish schools in Leeds, and was responsible for the decision to form a committee to work for the setting up of a Jewish grammar school in Leeds.

He was a standing member of the Conference of European Rabbis and attended and lectured at such conferences in Europe and Israel. He was also one of the two provincial members of the Rabbinical Commission for the licensing of Ritual Slaughterers set up by Parliament.

For more than 20 years he also performed the functions of a rabbi, when needed, in other congregations in Leeds, Bradford, Hull, Doncaster and Harrogate.

Dayan Apfel was a considerable scholar and writer. He published 3 books and many articles. He was a regular contributor to journals and Responsa publications throughout the world, particularly in Israel and the United States, and in addition to this country. He was frequently consulted by foreign rabbis for rulings on Jewish Law.

Dayan Berger of the London Beth Din described him as “ONE OF THE FINEST TALMUDIC SCHOLARS OF POST WAR EUROPE”

He regularly corresponded with the great halachic authorities of his time including Geonim such as Rabbi Moishe Feinstein, Rabbi Eliyshav, Rabbi Weinberg (Seridel Aish), Rabbi Weiss and also with many others such as the Lubavitch Rebbe and the Chebiner Rav.

His magnum opus the sefer YAD YOSEF is universally acclaimed for its several outstanding halachic rulings and its detailed biographies and correspondence.

He was also a fully trained qualified shochet of “Ofos” (fowl) and was a fully trained and qualified Chazan from the Berlin Conservatoire.

In 1984 – for services to the Jewish and non Jewish communities-he was awarded the Membership of the British Empire Medal(MBE) which was bestowed on him at Buckingham Palace by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll.

In total Dayan Apfel served the Leeds Community in several capacities for 57 years.

Rabbanit Apfel was born in 1906 in Przemysl, Poland and had two brothers. Her father was a local shochet. Both her parents and one brother Shimon perished in the Holocaust. Her other brother Mendel, survived and for a time was a shochet in Leeds. She was educated in her local girls seminary.

The Dayan was often away abroad on halachic matters and conferences and she successfully maintained the household including four boisterous boys.

Her mind was acute and perceptive. She often advised the Dayan against accepting what appeared to him as a good financial deal. One example was her advice to him to turn down an offer for what seemed a good proposition, which had he agreed, it would have seriously adversely affected his later pension income.

She had the unique ability to successfully access a person’s character very quickly.

Dayan Apfel was able to shoulder his various duties successfully due to the loyal able fully committed support of his dear wife Rabbanit Malka Chanah who in addition to overseeing the busy household requirements, also managed to be involved in communal bodies such as the synagogue’s Ladies Guild and Emunah.

Despite their busy schedules the Dayan and his Rabbanit were able to ensure all four sons became fully trained lawyers with successful careers.

Above all they were merited to see all four sons follow traditional orthodox Judaism and also their wives followed the same path.

The Dayan and Rabbanit were both Zionists and visited Israel many times.

There are three areas in Israel dedicated to their memories:

A picnic/rest area in the Jerusalem Park, Jerusalem – dedicated by the Leeds Jewish Community.

Near Sefat, in Northern Israel, at Amuka, the SHEVIL TZADDIKIM (Pathway of the Righteous), a roadway leading down to the tomb of the great famous Tana of the Talmud and Torah translator Rabbi Yonatan ben Uzziel Z‘TL-dedicated by the Leeds Jewish Community.

At Metzudat Adumim(Red Fortress) near Maale Adumim near Jerusalem a Clubhouse for the relaxation of the soldiers of the Matpash Division of the IDF-dedicated by family.

There are also several plaques at various places in Laniado Hospital in Netanya Israel, dedicated to their memories.

They both passed away peacefully-Rabbanit Apfel on 2^nd Tammuz 1991 aged 85 and Dayan Apfel on 17^th Av 1996 aged 87.