Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 29, 2026

Jacob Reinowitz

Jacob Reinowitz, also known as Reb Yankele, was a British rabbi and dayan.

Last revised
Jul 29, 2026
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Jacob Reinowitz
Personal life
Born1818
Died17 May 1893(1893-05-17) (aged 74–75)
London, England
BuriedWest Ham Jewish Cemetery1
SpouseEsther Liba Binion1
Religious life
ReligionJudaism
Jewish leader
PositionDayan
OrganisationLondon Beth Din

Jacob Reinowitz (1818 – 17 May 1893), also known as Reb Yankele, was a British rabbi and dayan.

Biography

Jacob Reinowitz was born in 1818 in Wilkowisk, Poland (now Vilkaviškis, Lithuania), descended from a long line of rabbis and scholars.1

He assumed the role of rabbi in his hometown at the age of twenty-eight and served in this capacity for thirty years. In 1876, he relocated to London, where he accepted the position of preacher at the Talmud Torah in Whitechapel.2 His erudition and dedication in the East End of London attracted the attention of Chief Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler, leading to his appointment as a member of the London Beth Din.1

Among Reinowitz's students were Simeon Singer, Hermann Adler, and Moses Hyamson.1

Reinowitz is believed to have been the inspiration for the character "Reb Shemuel" in Israel Zangwill's work, Children of the Ghetto.3

References

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domainJacobs, Joseph; Lipkind, Goodman (1905). "Reinowitz, Jacob (Reb Yankele)". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 368.

  1. Newman, Eugene (1969–1970). "The Responsa of Dayan Jacob Reinowitz, 1818–1893". Transactions & Miscellanies. 23. Jewish Historical Society of England: 22–33. JSTOR 29778783.
  2. Rubinstein, William D.; Jolles, Michael A.; Rubinstein, Hillary L., eds. (2011). "Reinowitz, Jacob". The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History. London: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 796. ISBN 978-0-230-30466-6. OCLC 793104984.
  3. "Table Talk". The Literary World. Vol. 47. London. May 26, 1893. p. 485.