Biography

About Samuel Juda Simon Hirsch

In August 1941, an obituary was placed in Het Joodsche Weekblad for Samuel Juda Simon Hirsch. Hirsch was chief rabbi of Overijssel and Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion. The front page of the same edition featured an obituary, while the funeral is described further in the paper. A week later, an In Memorian was placed in the same weekly signed by H. Gelder.

Samuel Juda Simon Hirsch was the son of Rabbi Sjimngoun Azarja Hirsch and Ganna Spitz. He studied at the Dutch Jewish Seminary, where he took the moree exam in August 1900. Shortly afterwards, followed his appointment with Beth Hamidrasj and Talmud Thora, as well as manager of the Theological Association Reisjies Gochmo. In 1902, he was appointed chief rabbi of Overijssel district. The installation took place on 13 june 1902 in Zwolle. Hirsch was chairman of the Dutch branch of the Agoedat Jisra'el and for years, he was a governor of Pro Juventute in Zwolle and of the League against Tuberculosis.

On 7 September 1941, a memorial service was held in the Synagogue in Zwolle for S.J.S. Hirsch which was reported in Het Joodsche Weekblad. The memorial service was conducted by chief rabbi S. Dasberg. From the report: 'Chief rabbi Dasberg concluded his eulogy with a Hebrew mourning poem he had written himself, based on the first letters of the name of the late chief rabbi Hirsch'. Samuel Juda Hirsch and his wife Betty Wormser had ten children. Not all children lived at home and only two survived the war.
Het Joodsche Weekblad, 15 August 1941, 1, 7 and 11;
Het Joodsche Weekblad, 22 August 1941, 6;
Het Joodsche Weekblad, 12 September 1941, 10;
M.H. Gans, Memorboek. Platenatlas van het leven der joden in Nederland van de middeleeuwen tot 1940(6e bijgewerkte druk; Baarn 1988) 498, 801 and 804

See also the Dictionary of National Biography.