ir-hakodesh: A miniature parcel-gilt silver Esther Scroll case, Eretz Israel, late 19th centuryThe i
ir-hakodesh: A miniature parcel-gilt silver Esther Scroll case, Eretz Israel, late 19th centuryThe inscription reads: “Mordecai Adler Son of Chief Rabbi Nathan Adler of London”. Dr. Nathan Marcus Adler was born in Hanover, Germany in 1803, and was named after the kabbalist Nathan Adler. While acting as a rabbi in Hanover, Adler made the acquaintance of Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge, who is believed to have recommended him for the position of Chief Rabbi of the British Empire. On 1 December 1844 Adler was elected to the position, having won 121 of the 135 votes. He was the first university-educated Chief Rabbi of Britain, and also the first to complete annual pastoral tours throughout the United Kingdom. Adler was described by his distant relative Jacob Adler as the “highest religious authority not only of London Jews but of all Orthodox Jews throughout Great Britain and the Empire”. He was instrumental in instituting the United Synagogue, which was established by Act of Parliament in 1870, and was also a founder of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty and Better Protection of Children. Adler died in 1890 and is buried at the Jewish Cemetery in Willesden. -- source link