100th anniversary of historic address by philanthropist CEO Flora Sassoon
Formerly known as Jews’ College, this month the London School of Jewish Studies celebrates the centenary of speech by doyenne of 18th century Baghdadi-Jewish dynasty
The London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS), formerly known as Jews’ College, is celebrating the 100th anniversary of a historic speech by Flora Sassoon, the first woman to address graduating rabbis at the institution.
Describing herself as “the first lady chairman” of the annual Speech Day, Sassoon’s talk on 13 April 1924 was replete with Talmudic insights. Referred to as “one of the world’s most learned women”, Flora was a Torah scholar who studied with rabbinic tutors, wrote articles on Rashi and debated Jewish matters with the men of her generation.
Born in Baghdad to the well-known Sassoon family, she was a successful businesswoman, philanthropist and an esteemed hostess. Flora was also known to recite the book of Psalms each morning and was multilingual; speaking Hebrew, Aramaic, Hindustani, English, French and German.
Prof. Shalva Weil, senior researcher at the Hebrew University, will be exploring her fascinating life story at a centenary lecture, on Monday 15th April, where she will chart the colourful life of the orthodox Jewess who always travelled with her own prayer quorum of ten Jewish males and personal ritual slaughterer.
Joanne Greenaway, chief executive of LSJS said: “Upon Flora’s move to England and subsequent rise to prominence, she viewed Jews’ College as the central place to spread Torah throughout the British Empire and create future Talmidei Chachamim.
“At her Annual Speech Day lecture, she stressed the importance of Jewish education and the Torah as the chief source which has kept Jews alive and sustained us. She believed that as long as we were learning, no one could destroy us. We are honoured that such a remarkable woman, who was ahead of her time in terms of female Jewish scholarship, is an important part of our history. We are proud to be continuing Flora Sassoon’s legacy and the fact that LSJS is now at the forefront of both women’s and men’s learning.”
- Click here for further information on the centenary lecture.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
