Did Wikipedia remove the word "" from the Louis Jacobs article?

Yes. In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it "masorti rabbi in england". Today it says "leading writer". We saved the article's opening paragraph at 6 moments between 2005 and 2025, and the counts come from those saved copies.

When did the Louis Jacobs article stop using the word ""?

The word appeared 0 times in the opening at its peak in 2005. It is absent from today's opening, the part search engines quote and AI systems train on, checked against the live article on 2026-08-02.

How can I verify what Wikipedia's Louis Jacobs article used to say?

Each snapshot on this page links the Wikipedia revision it came from, so you can open their own history and compare. We also keep our own copy of the text, which stays readable if the article changes again.

What did Wikipedia remove from the Louis Jacobs article?

The opening as it read in 2005

Louis Jacobs is a Masorti rabbi in England , former leader of Masorti Judaism (also known as Conservative Judaism ) in the UK, best known as the central focus of what came to be known as "The Jacobs Affair". Jacobs was ordained as an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, and taught at Jews' College , London . He taught Talmud and homiletics during the last years when Rabbi Isidore Epstein was principal. Jacobs was on the liberal side of Orthodox Judaism, and was interested in finding a synthesis that would accommodate Orthodox Jewish theology and modern day higher biblical criticism . Jacobs was especially concerned with how to reconcile modern day Orthodox Jewish faith with the documentary hypothesis . His ideas about the subject were published in a book entitled We Have Reason to Believe . It was the subject of some mild criticism at the time, but no great waves were made. It was widely assumed that after Isidore Epstein's retirement he would be succeeded by Jacobs. When this assumption was translated into a definite invitation by the Board of Trustees to Jacobs to assume the position, the then Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom, Israel Brodie , interdicted the appointment "because of his [Jacobs'] published views". This was a reference to Jacob's book We Have Reason to Believe. One of Jacobs' friends at that time was the editor of the influential newspaper the Jewish Chronicle . The newspaper took up the issue and turned it into a 'cause celebre'. Brodie countered, by informing the Board of Jacobs' synagogue that when his contract was up they might not renew it. They responded to this challenge by voting to leave the "United Synagogue", which was the umbrella organisation for the great majority of London's mainstream orthodox synagogues. The defecting congregation bought an existing synagogue building, established there an independent congregation and installed Jacobs as their incumbent rabbi - where he has been ever since. Jacobs was influential in founding the Masorti Movement in England. v t e¹

This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16683003.

The opening as it stood in 2010 16 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear

London , 1 July 2006, 5 Tammuz 5766 in the Hebrew calendar ), was a Masorti rabbi , the first leader of Masorti Judaism (also known as Conservative Judaism ) in the United Kingdom , and a leading writer and thinker on Judaism . He also became known as the focus of events in the early 1960s sometimes referred to as "The Jacobs Affair".

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 369858430.

The opening as it stood in 2015 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Louis Jacobs Louis Jacobs (17 July 1920 – 1 July 2006, ) was the founder of Masorti Judaism (also known as Conservative Judaism ) in the United Kingdom , and a leading writer and theologian. He was also the focus of what has become known as "The Jacobs Affair" that took place in the British Jewish community in the early 1960s.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 664095126.

The opening as it stood in 2020 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear

Louis Jacobs Louis Jacobs CBE (17 July 1920 – 1 July 2006) was the founder of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism in the United Kingdom, and a leading writer and theologian. He was also the focus in the early 1960s of what became known as "The Jacobs Affair" in the British Jewish community.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 963330047.

The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear

British rabbi, writer, and theologian (1920–2006) For other people named Louis Jacobs, see Louis Jacobs (disambiguation) . Louis Jacobs CBE (17 July 1920 – 1 July 2006) was a leading writer, Jewish theologian, and rabbi of the New London Synagogue in the United Kingdom. He was also the focus in the early 1960s of what became known as the "Jacobs Affair" in the British Jewish community. 5 Tammuz 5766 AM

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1178884494.

The opening as it stood in 2025

British rabbi, writer, and theologian (1920–2006) For other people named Louis Jacobs, see Louis Jacobs (disambiguation) . Louis Jacobs CBE (17 July 1920 – 1 July 2006) was a leading writer, Jewish theologian, and rabbi of the New London Synagogue in the United Kingdom. He was also the focus in the early 1960s of what became known as the "Jacobs Affair" in the British Jewish community. 5 Tammuz 5766 AM Latchman, David (28 March 2023). The Times of Israel . [QUOTE:] I am referring, of course, to the so-called Jacobs Affair involving Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs (1920-2006). [...] [...] Prior to the controversy, Rabbi Jacobs was widely regarded as a leading candidate to succeed Rabbi Brodie as Chief Rabbi [ed. note: ' [...] of the United Hebrew Congregations of (Great Britain and) the Commonwealth ']. It is interesting thus to speculate on how Anglo Jewry would look today if he had published "We have Reason to Believe" after becoming Chief Rabbi rather than a decade before Rabbi Brodie's projected retirement.

Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1293523223. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.

What Wikipedia says this is