Solomon Mestel

Solomon Mestel (1886-1966) was a British rabbi.

Born in Brody, Galicia, he emigrated to England in 1908. He passed London University matriculation in 1911, and was awarded a BA in Hebrew and Aramaic in 1914, and an MA in 1919. Also in 1919, he married Rachel Brodetsky, sister of Selig Brodetsky, and began working as a minister of religion.

He emigrated to Melbourne, Australia in 1923, where his son Leon Mestel was born. He became minister of East Melbourne synagogue and was awarded semicha in 1926. He was an active Freemason.[1] He was a leading supporter of the efforts in the late 1920s by the Judean league "to uphold traditional Judaism" against people who wanted to play sport on Sabbath.[2]

He returned to London in 1930 and was rabbi at Forest Gate until his retirement in 1951. After retirement, he translated several Hebrew legal texts into English.

References

  1. ↑ Raymond Apple, "Masonic ministers in Australia", Journal of the Australian Jewish Historical Society, June 2012, Vol. XX, Part 4
  2. ↑ Raymond Apple, "The Sabbath sport controversy", Journal of the Australian Jewish Historical Society, June 2009, Vol. XIX, Part 3