Famous top hat of Israel's 1st chief rabbi is up for sale

A historic item is currently up for auction at Winner's Auction House in Jerusalem: the iconic top hat famously worn by Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac HaLevi Herzog, the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel. The auction will take place on Sunday, and the starting price for the item is $800.

The hat was manufactured by the prestigious London hat company Scott & Co – which is still in existence today, known for producing hats for the British royal family and other notable figures. For example, it also made the hat worn by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

The top hat is made of high-quality material, likely felt, and has remained stiff and well-preserved since its production. The auction house emphasized that the hat has retained its original shape to this day. The crown of the hat is adorned with a black fabric band and bow, and the interior is lined with silk bearing the company’s imprint.

Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac HaLevi Herzog (1888–1959) served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel from 1936 and, following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, as its first Chief Rabbi until his death in July 1959. Prior to that, he was the Chief Rabbi of Ireland. He received rabbinic ordination in 1908 from prominent rabbis, including Rabbi Yosef Shluffer, Rabbi Meir Simcha of Dvinsk, and the Ridbaz.

In 1936, following the death of Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook, Herzog was appointed to the role of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel. He assumed the position during a time of escalating political and security tensions on the eve of World War II, and he led the rabbinical institutions with wisdom and a commanding personal presence.

Herzog was among the foremost voices calling on the world to intervene to save European Jewry. He appealed to Pope Pius XII and leaders of various nations to act and stop the genocide. He also worked with governments in exile and established special funds to aid persecuted Jews.

After the Holocaust, he was deeply involved in efforts to recover Jewish children who had been hidden in monasteries and Christian homes. He toured Europe, met with children, devised methods to determine their Jewish identity, and waged a public and emotional campaign against church institutions. One of his most well-known struggles was with the Vatican over the return of Jewish children who had been raised as Christians—a moral milestone in Jewish history.

Upon the founding of the State of Israel, he was appointed as its first chief rabbi. He addressed weighty national halachic questions, including conversion, marriage, the sabbatical year (Shmita), Jewish law, and the status of religion in the new state. His son, Chaim Herzog, later served as Israel’s sixth president, and his grandson, named after him, Isaac Herzog, currently serves as Israel’s eleventh president.