Born in Lutzin (Ludza) Latvia, a community known as “Jerusalem of Latvia” to a family of merchants, scribes, and butchers, Rabbi Super was educated at local Yeshivot and then received certification as a Shokhet at the young age of seventeen. He served in that capacity in several small towns in Latvia until he was obliged to flee from the threat of military conscription, which, in Tsarist Russia, was the scene of violent anti-Semitic persecution of Jewish recruits. He arrived in London in 1899 where his services were eagerly sought by the United Synagoguewhere he was appointed him as Minister to several congregations including Yarmouth and Croydon.
In 1906 Rabbi Super married Lena (Leah) a daughter of Reb Mordekhai Zev (Marks) Bull, one of the first Chabad Chassidim in England. And five years later he gave up ministerial duty to serve the London United Shechitah Board in the village of Evercreech, Somerset.
In 1914 Rabbi Jacob Danglow met Isaac Jacob (Yitskhak Yaakov) Super, while on a mission, sent by the Melbourne community to find a Chief Shokhet for the Melbourne United Shechitah Board. The candidate recommended by Chief Rabbi Joseph Hertz was Isaac Jacob Super.
Arriving in Melbourne on August 17th, 1914, Super immediately acquainted himself with the then inadequate Kashrut facilities. The early years were not without conflict and turmoil as he strove to provide strict control over the standard of meat. Many anecdotes are related of his zeal in raiding butcher shops, which he suspected of evading the regulations.
Isaac Jacob Super is remembered by numerous families for his services as Mohel which often took him to provincial communities. Likewise he served as a Hebrew teacher and his soundly based European learning enabled him to raise the standard of Jewish knowledge, which he imparted to a generation of Australian children. He was also responsible for the training of Shochtim interstate and in New Zealand. At the Chief Rabbi’s request he wrote a report on the state of Kashrut in New Zealand.
In 1929 he was appointed a member of the Melbourne Beth Din under Rabbi Israel Brodie (later Chief Rabbi of the British Empire). Rabbi Super continued to serve as one of the Dayanim (judges) of the Beth Din for the duration of his life under Rabbis H. Freedman, H. Stransky, and I. Rapaport. He participated in the conferences of the Australian Rabbinical Council and submitted a paper on Kashrut.
He was often vocal through the Jewish press when he felt the need to raise his voice to condemn lapses in religious observance. He was an active and enthusiastic supporter of the Zionist cause and visited the State of Israel in 1956.
In 1944 Super completed 30 years of service to the community and British Chief Rabbi J. Hertz conferred upon him Semikhah (rabbinical ordination) in recognition of his learning and contribution to the community.
In 1949 Rabbi Super retired from active service and was presented with a testimonial by the community. But his drive to serve Kashrut would not let him rest and he soon came out of retirement to accept the appointment in 1950 of Mashgiakh Rashi (Chief Supervisor) for the Kashrus Commission of Victoria, a body he fought for many years to have established, even to the extent of personal financial support.
This position gave him ultimate authority over the State’s kosher meat supply, Matzah production and all catering establishments carrying the Kashrut Commission license. In this capacity he often resorted to seeking the support of Chief Rabbi Brodie in England on contentious issues.
In his later years Rabbi Super was associated closely with the St Kilda Hebrew Congregation. At his nearby home in Crimea Street he and his wife Lena Super (until her untimely death in 1945) held open house to the congregation. Hardly a Shabbat passed when he did not bring home a guest for Kiddush. There he held a regular Shiur on a Shabbat afternoon.
Rabbi Isaac Jacob and Lena Super were the parents of seven children including Rabbi Dr Arthur Saul Super of South Africa and Israel, and Melbourne solicitor and communal personality Newton Super.
Rabbi Super was very involved in the overflow services for the Yamim Naroim, held in what in those days was known as the Samuel Myers Hall (now the Adele Southwick Hall). His young granddaughters, Muriel and Lena Berliner, assisted the secretarial staff, on the Sunday mornings, prior, in the selling of the seats for these services.
People would queue for ages in the vestibule of the Shule, arguing and choosing their seats and the young Berliner girls quickly learnt life skills including customer relations and patience.
Ne’ila was the part of Yom Kippur service that Rabbi Super led annually in the main Shule. As the sun was setting, the whole Shule was bathed in a rosy glow refracting from the windows of the women’s gallery onto the Bimah and onto Rabbi Super, praying fervently, dressed in his white kittel, tall white kippah and huge tallit. It was a very magical hour.
Rabbi Super continued to function as a Shokhet until his last days, despite failing health, assisted by his son-in-law Rev. Phillip Berliner, husband of his daughter Edna.
He passed away on June 28, 1961 (Tamuz 14th 5721).
He certainly created an aura about his person, which added to the solemnity of the occasion.