Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld

Joseph Chaim Sonnenfeld ( born December 1, 1848 in Verbo, Kingdom of Hungary ( today Vrbové, Slovakia), † February 26, 1932 in Jerusalem, also Zonnenfeld ) was Grand Rabbi and co-founder of the Edah HaChareidis, a Jewish Charedim community in Jerusalem during the time the British Mandate in Palestine. He was originally just the name " Chaim " given the name " Joseph " has been added, as he suffered a disease. His father Rabbi Avraham Shlomo Zonnenfeld died when Chaim was five years old.

He was a student of Rabbi Samuel Benjamin Sofer ( the Ksav Sofer ), the son of Rabbi Moses Sofer ( the Chasam Sofer ). He was the disciple of Rabbi Avraham Furthermore Sag in Kobersdorf ( which in turn followers of Chasam Sofer was ). In 1873 he left Kobersdorf and went to Jerusalem.

He became an important person in the Old City of Jerusalem, where he served as the right hand of Rabbi Yehoshua body Diskin and this assisted in activities within the community, such as the establishment of schools and the Diskin Orphanage or the struggle against secularism. He refused to meet with the German emperor Wilhelm II, who visited the Old City of Jerusalem in 1898, as he believed, the Emperor would be a descendant of the Amalekites ( biblical enemies of the Hebrews ). Sonnenfeld sent one delegate, Jacob Israël de Haan, a Dutch author who ( a returnee to Orthodox Judaism ) became a Baal Teshuva, to Jordan with a peace proposal for King Abdallah ibn Husain I..

Contrary to some reports, Sonnenfeld had a warm and system based on mutual respect relationship with Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, although both zealous opponents were in many areas. They both traveled in 1913 in the north of Palestine to retrieve non-practicing Jews to Torah Judaism.

Joseph Sonnenfeld was anti-Zionist.