A letter dated 20 July 1923 from the office of Lloyd George to Rabbi Asher Grunis of Cardiff

Description

A letter written by Lloyd George's office to Rabbi Asher Grunis:

"Mr. Lloyd George has asked me to thank you very much indeed for your letter of the 19th instant and to say that he much appreciates your kind expression of views on his last article."

We do not have Rabbi Grunis' letter to Lloyd George, but know the contents from a cutting of an article, presumably from the Jewish Chronicle and dated in the margin 31 August 1923. This quotes Rabbi Grunis' letter:

"In such a dark time as the present, the echo of your recent brilliant article on 'Jews and Palestine,' is like the echo of a prophet of old, who stands on high and teaches morality to the false world. I assure you, Sir, that the Jewish Community of Wales is proud that this country has produced such a man as you who adorns mankind."

Rabbi Grunis was later more critical of Lloyd George.

Another cutting, noted on the back, "S.W.Echo 29 [?], September, 1936." states:

"After noting Mr. Lloyd George's praise for Hitler, I should like to ask him the following questions:- Why did you ignore the bitter cry of despair and agony which comes from the German refugees and concentration camps where thousands of Jews and non-Aryan Christians were tortured to death? You say that Germany is not the only country that has persecuted Jews; we must not forget the pogroms of Russia. Is it a justification for modern Germany? Why did you ignore the fact that racial hatred and savage restrictions which were legalised by the Nuremberg laws made life a hell for the entire Jewish community and for tens of thousands of non-Aryan Christians? The Bible tells us that when Adam and Eve were banished by the Satan-serpent, God asked Adam the question, "Where are thou?" May I be allowed to ask you, Mr. Lloyd George, where are you?"

Rabbi Asher Grunis stated that he was born in Pietrokov (now Piotrków Trybunalski, although other sources mention Czarnocin/Ksarloshin), in Poland in 1877. He married Hannah Baila in 1896 and they had seven sons and one daughter. In 1902 he was appointed Rabbi of Wilczyn in Poland. In 1921 he was appointed the first communal Rav of Cardiff, overseeing the correct application of Jewish religious dietary laws. Five of the sons and one daughter came with their parents to Cardiff and one son, Hirsch, was a minister to the Bangor and Bettws-y-Coed communities before the war. Rabbi Grunis successfully campaigned to permit Jewish children to leave school early in winter on the Sabbath, and prevent Jewish students being forced to take examinations on Saturdays and Jewish Holy days. He also unsuccessfully tried to have kosher food available to Cardiff prisoners throughout the year. He died in July 1937 and he and his wife are buried in Highfields Jewish cemetery. His major work, a commentary titled P’ri Asher (Fruits of Asher), was published posthumously.

Sources:

Page 43 of Bimah issue 18 (Pesach 5759 - 1999) and Introduction to the Fruits of Asher by Rabbi Asher Grunis and his son Iyeleg Grunis.

From the Grunis family archives, which are to be deposited in the National Library (Edward J. Safra Campus) at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.