Chief Rabbi (Hebrew: רב ראשי, romanized: Rav Rashi) is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel, Israel has had two chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi.[1]
Cities with large Jewish communities may also have their own chief rabbis; this is especially the case in Israel but has also been past practice in major Jewish centers in Europe prior to the Holocaust. North American cities rarely have chief rabbis. One exception however is Montreal, with two—one for the Ashkenazi community, the other for the Sephardi.
Jewish law provides no scriptural or Talmudic support for the post of a "chief rabbi." The office, however, is said by many to find its precedent in the religio-political authority figures of Jewish antiquity (e.g., kings, high priests, patriarchs, exilarchs and geonim).[2] The position arose in Europe in the Middle Ages from governing authorities largely for secular administrative reasons such as collecting taxes and registering vital statistics, and for providing an intermediary between the government and the Jewish community, for example in the establishment of the Crown rabbi in several kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula, the rab de la corte in the Kingdom of Castile or the arrabi mor in the Kingdom of Portugal, likely influenced by the expectations of their Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican governments and neighbors.[3] Similarly, in the 19th century there was a Crown rabbi of the Russian Empire.[4]
By country/region
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
Albania
edit- Joel Kaplan (2010–present)[5]
Argentina
editSephardi (Syrian)
editSephardi
edit- Isaac Sacca (1997–present)
Ashkenazi
edit- Gabriel Davidovich (2013–present)
Austria
edit- Jitzchok ben Mosche von Wien, "Or Sorua" (ca. 1200–1270)
- Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller, "Tosfos Jomtov" (1578–1654)
- Scheftel Horowitz (1561–1619)
- Gerschon "Uliph" Aschkenasi (ca. 1612–1693)
- Samson Wertheimer (1658–1724)
- Mosche Chanoch Berliner (1727–1793)
- Isaak Noah Mannheimer (1824–1865)
- Lazar Horowitz (1828–1868), chief rabbi of Vienna
- Adolf Jellinek (1865–1893)
- Moritz Güdemann (1894–1918)
- Zwi Perez Chajes (1918–1927)
- David Feuchtwang (1933–1936)
- Israel Taglicht (1936), provisional chief rabbi
- Insp. I. Öhler (1946), preacher at the Stadttempel
- Akiva Eisenberg (1948–1983)
- Paul Chaim Eisenberg (1983–2016)
- Arie Folger (July 2016)
Belgium
edit- Eliakim Carmoly (1832–1839)
- Henri Loeb
- Aristide Astrue
- Élie-Aristide Astruc (1866–1879)
- Abraham Dreyfus
- Armand Bloch
Bulgaria
edit- Gabriel Almosnino (1880–1885)
- Presiado Bakish (1885–1889)
- Shimon Dankowitz (1889–1891)
- Moshe Tadjer (1891–1893)
- Moritz Grünwald (1893–1895)
- Presiado Bakish (1895–1898)
- Moshe Tadjer (1898–1900)
- Mordecai Ehrenpreis (1900–1914)
- M. Hezkeya Shabetay Davidov (1914–1918)
- David Pifano (1920–1925)
- No Chief Rabbi (1925–1945)
- Asher Hannanel (1945–1949)[7]
- Behor Kahlon (1990–2012)
- Aharon Zerbib (2012–2015)
- Yoel Yifrach (2015–Present)
Chile
edit- Angel Kreiman Brill, 1970s and 1980s[citation needed]
Colombia
editAshkenazi
edit- Eliezer Paltiel Roitblatt (1946-1957)
- Chaim Menachem Bentzion Blumenkrantz (Early 1950s)[8]
- Alfredo Goldschmidt (1974–Present[9]) (appointed 1991)[10]
Sephardi
edit- Miguel Attias (1948-Early 1950)
- David Sharbani (Early 1950s-1978)
- Yehuda Benhamu (1978-1986[11])
- Yehuda Ari Azancot (1986-2000)
- Shlomo Meir Elharar (2000-2010)
- Avi Amsalem (2010-Dec. 2020)
Chabad
edit- Yehoshua Rosenfeld (1980–Present)[citation needed]
Cuba
edit- Meyer Rosenbaum (Son of Isamar of Nadvorna, Elected 1948: left Cuba in 1956, a little more than two years before Fidel Castro came to power in the Revolution)
- Raphael Yair Elnadav (1956–1959)
- Shmuel Szteinhendler current Chief Rabbi of Cuba and regional director for Masorti Judaism in Latin America.[12][13][14]
Croatia
edit- Miroslav Šalom Freiberger (1941–1943)
- Kotel Da-Don (1998–2006) from 2006 rabbi of the Bet Israel community Zagreb
- Luciano Moše Prelević (2006–)
Cyprus
edit- Arie Zeev Raskin (2005–present[update])[15]
Czech Republic
editDenmark
edit- Abraham Salomon (1687–1700)
- Israel Ber (1700–1728)
- Marcus David (1729–1739)
- Hirsch Samuel Levy (1741–1775)
- Gedalia Levin (1778–1793)
- Abraham Gedalia (1793–1827)
- Abraham Wolff (1828–1891)
- David Simonsen (1892–1902, 1919–1920)
- Tobias Lewenstein (1903–1910)
- Max Schornstein (1910–1919)
- Max (Moses) Friediger (1920–1947)
- Marcus Melchior (1947–1969)
- Bent Melchior (1970–1996)
- Bent Lexner (1996–2014)[17]
- Jair Melchior (2014–present[update])
Ecuador
edit- Menachem Mendel Fried (2022- )
Egypt
edit- Moses Israel (?-1802)
- Refael Aharon Ben Shimon (1891–1921)
- Masoud Haim Ben Shimon (1921–1925)
- Chaim Nahum (1925–1960)
- Haim Moussa Douek (1960–1972)
Estonia
edit- Michael Alony (1995–1996)
- Shmuel Kot (2000–present[update])
The Far East
edit- Aharon Moshe Kiselev (1937–1949)
Finland
edit- Simon Federbusch (1931–1940)
- Elieser Berlinger (1946–1951)
- Mika Weiss (1957–1961)
- Shmuel Beeri (1961–1963)
- Mordechai Lanxner (1973–1982)
- Ove Schwartz (1982–1987)
- Lazar Kleinman (–1992)
- Michael Aloni (1995–1996)
- Moshe Edelmann (1999–2012)
- Simon Livson (2012–)[18]
Chabad Lubavitch Chief Rabbi of Finland
edit- Benyamin Wolff (2003–)[18]
France
edit- David Sintzheim (1808–1812)
- Abraham Vita de Cologna (1808–1826)
- Emmanuel Deutz (1810–1842)
- Marchand Ennery (1846–1852)
- Salomon Ulmann (1853–1865)
- Lazare Isidor (1866–1888)
- Zadoc Kahn (1889–1905)
- Alfred Lévy (1907–1919)
- Israël Lévi (1920–1939)
- Isaïe Schwartz (1939–1952)
- Jacob Kaplan (1955–1980)
- René-Samuel Sirat (1981–1987)
- Joseph Sitruk (1987–2008)
- Gilles Bernheim (2009–2013) (elected 22 June 2008, resigned 11 April 2013)
- Haim Korsia (2014–)
Galicia
edit- Aryeh Leib Bernstein (1778–1786)
- Edgar Gluck
Galicia in Central/Eastern Europe, as a political entity, ceased to exist in 1921; the title of its Chief Rabbi had already been abolished 1 November 1786 as part of the Josephinism Reforms.[19][20]
Due to its being a center for Jewish scholarship, the Rabbi of Lemberg was traditionally seen as the Rabbi of Galicia in the era prior to World War II.[21]
Greece
edit- Elias Barzilai
- Gabriel Negrin
Guatemala
edit- Meyer Rosenbaum (Son of Isamar of Nadvorna, Later Chief Rabbi of Cuba)
Honduras
editHong Kong
editHungary
edit- Note that this list is not in chronological order.
- Meir Eisenstadt known as the Panim Me'iros (1708–), rabbi of Eisenstadt and author of "Panim Me'irot"
- Alexander ben Menahem
- Phinehas Auerbach
- Jacob Eliezer Braunschweig
- Hirsch Semnitz
- Simon Jolles (1717–?)
- Samson Wertheimer (1693?–1724) (also Eisenstadt and Moravia)
- Issachar Berush Eskeles (1725–1753)[23]
- Joseph Hirsch Weiss—grandfather of Stephen Samuel Wise[24][25]
- Samuel Kohn
- Simon Hevesi (father of Ferenc Hevesi)
- Ferenc Hevesi
- Moshe Kunitzer a pioneer of the Haskalah movement in Hungary (1828–1837)
- Koppel Reich
- Chaim Yehuda Deutsch
- József Schweitzer
- Robert (Avrohom Yehudoh) Deutsch
Iran
edit- Yedidia Shofet (1922–1980)
- Uriel Davidi (1980–1994)
- Yosef Hamadani Cohen (1994–2007)
- Mashallah Golestani-Nejad (2007–present)
- Yehuda Gerami (2011-present)
Ireland
edit- Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1921–1937)
- Immanuel Jakobovits (1949–1958)
- Isaac Cohen (1959–1979)
- David Rosen (1979–1984)
- Ephraim Mirvis (1985–1992)
- Shimon Yehudah Harris (1993–1994)
- Gavin Broder (1996–2000)
- Yaakov Pearlman (2001–2008)
- Zalman Lent (acting Chief Rabbi, 2008–2023)
- Yoni Wieder (2023-Present)
The appointment of a new Chief Rabbi of Ireland has been put on hold since 2008.[26] A new Rabbi, Yoni Wieder was appointed in 2023. [27]
Israel
editThe position of chief rabbi (Hebrew: רַב רָאשִׁי) of the Land of Israel has existed for hundreds of years. During the Mandatory Period, the British recognized the chief rabbis of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities, just as they recognized the Mufti of Jerusalem. The offices continued after statehood was achieved. Haredi Jewish groups (such as Edah HaChareidis) do not recognize the authority of the Chief Rabbinate. They usually have their own rabbis who do not have any connection to the state rabbinate.
Under current Israeli law, the post of Chief Rabbi exists in only four cities (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba). In other cities there may be one main rabbi to whom the other rabbis of that city defer, but that post is not officially the "Chief Rabbi".
Many of Israel's chief rabbis were previously chief rabbis of Israeli cities.
Sephardiedit
|
Ashkenaziedit
|
Military Rabbinate
edit- Shlomo Goren (1948–1968)
- Mordechai Piron (1968–1977)
- Gad Navon (1977–2000)
- Israel Weiss (2000–2006)
- Avichai Rontzki (2006–2010)
- Rafi Peretz (2010–2016)
- Eyal Karim (2016–)
Japan
edit- Binyamin Edre'i (2015–present)[30]
Latvia
editLebanon
edit- Moïse Yedid-Levy (1799–1829)
- Ralph Alfandari
- Youssef Mann (1849)
- Aharoun Yedid-Levy
- Zaki Cohen (1875)
- Menaché Ezra Sutton
- Jacob Bukai
- Haïm Dana
- Moïse Yedid-Levy
- Nassim Afandi Danon (1908–1909)
- Jacob Tarrab (1910–1921)
- Salomon Tagger (1921–1923)
- Shabtai Bahbout (1924–1950)
- Benzion Lichtman (1932–1959)
- Shahud Chreim (1960–1978)
Lithuania
editLuxembourg
edit- Samuel Hirsch (1843-1866)
- Robert Serebrenik (1929–1941)
Mexico
edit- Shlomo Tawil (1998–Present)
- Uziel Milevsky (1981-1985)
North Macedonia
edit- Avi Kozma
Morocco
edit- Mardo Chee Bengio[31] Chief Rabbi of Tangier.
- Raphael Ankawa (1918–1935)
- Mikail Encaoua
- Chalom Messas (1961–1978)
- Aaron Monsonego (1994–2018)
- Yoshiyahu Pinto[32] (2019–present)
Nepal
edit- Chezki Lifshitz (2000–present)[citation needed]
Norway
edit- Isaak Julius Samuel (1930–1942)
- Michael Melchior (1980–present[update])[33]
Panama
edit- Zion Levy (1951–2008) Sephardic Chief Rabbi
- Aaron Laine (1986–) Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi
- David Perets (2016–) Sephardic Chief Rabbi
Peru
edit- Abraham Moshe Brener (1930-1967)
- Baruj Epstein (1966-1967)
- Yaakov Kraus (1987-1998)
- Efraim Zik (1999-2009)
- Itay Meushar (2009-2016)
- Salomon Cohen (2016-2019)
Poland
edit- Jacob Pollak (appointed 1503)[35]
- Moses Fishel (1541–1542)
- Dow Ber Percowicz (1945–1956)
- Zew Wawa Morejno (1956–1957)
- Dow Ber Percowicz (1957–1961)
- Uszer Zibes (1961–1966)
- Zew Wawa Morejno (1966–1973)
- Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz (1988–1999)
- Michael Schudrich (2004–present[update])
Poland: Armed Forces
edit- Chaim Elizjer Frankl (?–1933)
- Major Baruch Steinberg (1933–circa 12 April 1940) murdered by NKVD in the Katyn massacre
Romania
edit- Yaakov Yitzhak Neimerov (d. 1940)
- Alexandru Safran (1940–1948)
- Moses Rosen (1948–1994)
- Menachem Hacohen (1997–2012)
- Rafael Shaffer (2012–present)
Russia
edit- Adolf Shayevich (1983, officially since 1993–present[update])
- Berel Lazar (2000–present[update])
Military Rabbinate
edit- Aharon Gurevich (2007–present[update])
Serbia
edit- Isaac Alcalay, also Chief Rabbi of Yugoslavia from 1923 to 1941
- Isak Asiel
Singapore
edit- Mordechai Abergel[36]
Slovakia
edit- Moses Sofer (1806–1839)
- Samuel Benjamin Sofer (1839–1871)
- Simcha Bunim Sofer (1871–1907)
- Akiva Sofer (1907–1938)
- Izidor Katz (1950–1968)
- Baruch Myers (1993–present)[37]
South Africa
edit- Judah Leo Landau (1915–1942)
- Louis Rabinowitz (1945–1961)
- Bernard M. Casper (1963–1987)
- Cyril Harris (1988–2004)
- Warren Goldstein (2005–present[update])
Spain
editThe following are Chief Rabbis of the Jewish Community of Madrid (CJM):
- Baruj Garzon (1968–1978), the first Chief Rabbi in Spain since the expulsion in 1492
- Yehuda Benasouli (1978–1997)
- Moshe Bendahan (1997–present[update])
Sudan
edit- Solomon Malka (1906–1949)
- Haim Simoni (1950–1952)
- Massoud El-Baz (1956–1965 by which time the Jewish community in Sudan had declined so dramatically that they could not afford to pay a Rabbi)[38]
Syria
edit- Yom Tov Yedid (1960–1982), moved to the United States in 1982 and died 27 July 2016 in the United States
Thailand
edit- Yosef Kantor (1992–present)
Transylvania (before 1918)
editNote: The chief rabbi of Transylvania was generally the rabbi of the city of Alba Iulia.
- Joseph Reis Auerbach (d. 1750)
- Shalom Selig ben Saul Cohen (1754–1757)
- Johanan ben Isaac (1758–1760)
- Benjamin Ze'eb Wolf of Cracow (1764–1777)
- Moses ben Samuel Levi Margaliot (1778–1817)
- Menahem ben Joshua Mendel (1818–23)
- Ezekiel Paneth (1823–1843)
- Abraham Friedmann (d. 1879), last chief rabbi of Transylvania
Tunisia
edit- Chaim Madar (1984–2004)
Turkey
edit- Eli Capsali (1452–1454)
- Moses Capsali (1454–1497)
- Elijah Mizrachi (1497–1526)
- Mordechai Komitano (1526–1542)
- Tam ben Yahya (1542–1543)
- Eli Rozanes ha-Levi (1543)
- Eli ben Hayim (1543–1602)
- Yehiel Bashan (1602–1625)
- Joseph Mitrani (1625–1639)
- Yomtov Benyaes (1639–1642)
- Yomtov Hananiah Benyakar (1642–1677)
- Chaim Kamhi (1677–1715)
- Judah Benrey (1715–1717)
- Samuel Levi (1717–1720)
- Abraham Rozanes (1720–1745)
- Solomon Hayim Alfandari (1745–1762)
- Meir Ishaki (1762–1780)
- Eli Palombo (1780–1800)
- Chaim Jacob Benyakar (1800–1835)
- Abraham Levi Pasha (1835–1839)
- Samuel Hayim (1839–1841)
- Moiz Fresko (1841–1854)
- Yacob Avigdor (1854–1870)
- Yakir Geron (1870–1872)
- Moses Levi (1872–1909)
- Chaim Nahum Effendi (1909–1920)
- Shabbetai Levi (1920–1922)
- Isaac Ariel (1922–1926)
- Haim Bejerano (1926–1931)
- Haim Isaac Saki (1931–1940)
- Rafael David Saban (1940–1960)
- David Asseo (1961–2002)
- Ishak Haleva (2003–present[update])
Chabad
edit- Mendy Chitrik (2003-present)
Uganda
edit- Gershom Sizomu (present[update]) (see: Abayudaya)
Ukraine
edit- Azriel Chaikin (2003–2009)
United Arab Emirates
edit- Levi Duchman (2015-present[update]) first resident rabbi to the UAE, appointed Chabad Shaliach to the UAE in 2020, making him the first Chabad Shaliach in a Gulf country. Directs the Jewish Community Center of the UAE. Rabbi Yehuda Sarna is the current Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates.
United Kingdom and Commonwealth
editPresbyter Judaeorum (England)
edit- Jacob of London, (appointed 1199)
- Josce of London (1217–1237)
- Aaron of York (1237)
- Elias le Evesque (appointed 1237)
- Hagin fil Mosse (appointed 1257)
- Hagin fil Deulacres (appointed 1281 by the favour of Eleanor of Provence[39]).
Ashkenazi chief rabbis
edit- Judah Loeb ben Abraham Ephraim Asher Anshel (1696–1700)[40]
- Aaron the Scribe of Dublin (1700–1704)[40]
- Aaron Hart (1704–1756)[40]
- Hart Lyon (1758–1764)
- David Tevele Schiff (1765–1791)
- Solomon Hirschell (1802–1842)
- Nathan Marcus Adler (1845–1891)
- Hermann Adler (1891–1911)
- Joseph Herman Hertz (1913–1946)
- Israel Brodie (1948–1965)
- Immanuel Jakobovits (1966–1991; knighted 1981, life peer 1988)
- Jonathan Sacks (1991–2013; knighted 2005, life peer 2009)
- Ephraim Mirvis (2013–present; knighted 2023)
Spanish and Portuguese community Hahamim/senior rabbis
editThe Sephardi Jews in the United Kingdom are mainly members of independent synagogues. There is no single rabbi recognised by them as a chief rabbi. The Spanish and Portuguese community, however, consists of several synagogues, charities, a beth din and a kashruth authority. These are under the leadership of an ecclesiastical head. Historically, the individual who fills this role is recognised as a senior rabbi of Anglo Jewry, being the leader of the oldest Jewish community in the country. The Senior Rabbi was traditionally given the title, Haham, meaning "wise one". Since 1918, however, only Solomon Gaon was given this title. The official title of the holder of this office is now The Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the United Kingdom.
- Jacob ben Aaron Sasportas (1664–1665)
- Yehoshua Da Silva (1670–1679)
- Jacob Abendana (1681–1684)
- Solomon Ayllon (1689–1700)
- David Nieto (1701–1728)
- Isaac Nieto (1732–1740)
- Moshe Gomes de Mesquita (1744–1751)
- Moshe Cohen d'Azevedo (1761–1784)
- Raphael Meldola (1806–1828)
- Benjamin Artom (1866–1879)
- Moses Gaster (1887–1918)
- Shem Tob Gaguine (1920–1953) (officially the "Ecclesiastical Chief of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation," not the Haham)
- Solomon Gaon (1949–1995)
- Abraham Levy (1995–2012) (officially the Communal Rabbi and Spiritual Head of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation, not the haham)
- Joseph Dweck (2013–) (elected Senior Rabbi of The S&P Sephardi Community, not the haham)[41]
United States
editA chief rabbinate never truly developed within the United States for a number of different reasons. While Jews first settled in the United States in 1654 in New York City, rabbis did not appear in the United States until the mid-nineteenth century. This lack of rabbis, coupled with the lack of official colonial or state recognition of a particular sect of Judaism as official effectively led to a form of congregationalism amongst American Jews. This did not stop others from trying to create a unified American Judaism, and in fact, some chief rabbis developed in some American cities despite lacking universal recognition amongst the Jewish communities within the cities (for examples see below). However, Jonathan Sarna argues that those two precedents, as well as the desire of many Jewish immigrants to the US to break from an Orthodox past, effectively prevented any effective Chief Rabbi in America.[42]
Uruguay
edit- Jaime Spector (1931–1937)
- Aaron Milevsky (1937–1943)
- Aaron Laschover (1943–1967)
- Nechemia Berman (1970–1993)
- Eliahu Birenbaum (1994–1999)
- Yosef Bittón (1999–2002)
- Mordejai Maarabi (2002–2009)
- Shai Froindlich (2009–2010)
- Isaac Fadda (2011–2012)
- Ben-Tzion Spitz (2013–2016)
- Max Yojanan Godet (2017–present)
Uzbekistan
editVenezuela
editSephardi
editAshkenazi
edit- Pynchas Brener (1967–)
By city
editAlexandria, Egypt
edit- Raphael Della Pergola (1910-1918)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
edit
Ashkenaziedit
|
Sephardiedit
|
Antwerp, Belgium
edit- Chaim Kreiswirth (1953–2001)
Baltimore, Maryland – United States
edit- Abraham N. Schwartz (d. 1937)
- Joseph H. Feldman (retired 1972, d. 1992)
Birobidzhan, Russia
edit- Mordechai Scheiner (2002–2020)
- Efraim Kolpak (2020-present)
Brussels, Belgium
editBudapest, Hungary
edit- Yonasan Steif (pre-World War II)
Caracas, Venezuela
edit
Ashkenaziedit
|
Sephardiedit
|
Chicago, Illinois – United States
edit- Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky known as the Ridbaz, served as chief rabbi of the Russian-American congregations in the city 1903–1905.
Copenhagen, Denmark
edit- David Simonsen (1879–1891)
- Elias Kalischer
- Hirsch Goitein (–1903)
- Max Schornstein (19061910)
- Bent Melchior (1963–1970)
- Jacob Garfinkel (1971–1973)[17]
Frankfurt, Germany
edit- Menachem Halevi Klein|Menachem Klein
- Nathan HaKohen Adler
Gateshead, United Kingdom
edit- Naftoli Shakovitzky
- Betzalel Rakow
- Shraga Feivel Zimmerman (2008–2020)[46][47]
The Hague, Netherlands
edit- Saul Isaac Halevi (1748–1785)
- Tobias Tal (1895–1898)
- Dov Yehuda Schochet (1946–1952)
Haifa, Israel
edit
Ashkenaziedit
|
Sephardiedit
|
Hannover, Germany
edit- Samuel Freund (1924-1939)
- Chaim Pinchas Lubinsky (1946-1949)
- Shlomo Zev Zweigenhaft (1949-1952)
Hebron, West Bank
edit- Chaim Hezekiah Medini (1891–1904)
- Dov Lior – present
Helsinki, Finland
edit- Naftali Amsterdam (1867–1875)
- Avrohom Schain (1876–1881)
- Abraham Werner-Homa (1881–1891)
- Shmuel Noson Bukantz (1892–1924)
- Scholem Triestman (1928–1929)[18]
Hoboken, New Jersey – United States
edit- Chaim Hirschensohn (1904–1935). His post included Hoboken, Jersey City, Union Hill and the Environs.[48]
Jerusalem
edit
Sephardiedit
|
Ashkenaziedit
|
Edah HaChareidis
edit- Note: The Edah HaChareidis is unaffiliated with the State of Israel. It is a separate, independent religious community with its own Chief Rabbis, who are viewed, in the Haredi world, as being the Chief Rabbis of Jerusalem.
- Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (1919–1932)
- Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky (1932–1948)
- Zelig Reuven Bengis (1948–1953)
- Joel Teitelbaum of Satmar (1953–1979)
- Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss (1979–1989)
- Moshe Aryeh Freund (1989–1996)
- Yisrael Moshe Dushinsky (1996–2002)
- Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss (2002–2022)
Kyiv, Ukraine
edit- Jonathan Markovitch (2000 – present)
Krakow, Poland
edit- Boaz Pash (2006–2012)
- Eliezer Gurary (2014–present)
Leiden, Netherlands
editLeeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands
edit- Joachim Loewenstam (1821–1836)
- Baruch Bendit Dusnus (1840–1886)
- Lion Wagenaar (1886–1895)
- Tobias Lewenstein (1895–1899)
- Samuel Rudelsheim (1900–1918)
- Bernard Davids (1924–1927)
- Simong Dasberg (1929–1932)
- Abraham Salomon Levisson (1935–1945)
Milan, Italy
edit- Avraham David Shaumann
- Elia Kopciovsky (195?–1980)
- Giuseppe Laras (1980–2005)
- Alfonso Arbib (2005–present[update])
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
edit
Ashkenaziedit
|
Sephardiedit
|
Moscow, Russia
edit- Yakov Maze (prior to 1924–1933)
- Shmarya Yehuda Leib Medalia (1933–1938)
- Shmuel Leib Medalia (1943)
- Shmuel Leib Levin (1943–1944)
- Shlomo Shleifer (1944–1957)
- Yehuda Leib Levin (1957–1971)
- Adolf Shayevich (1983, officially since 1993–present[update])
- Pinchas Goldschmidt (1987–2022)[54]
Munich, Germany
edit- Yitshak Ehrenberg (1989–1997)[55]
- Pinchos Biberfeld, moved back to Germany from where he had emigrated to Israel over 50 years earlier. (1980–1999)
- Steven Langnas, first German (descendance) Chief Rabbi and Av Beth Din of Munich (1999–2011)
Netherlands – Inter-Provincial Chief rabbinate
edit- Dov Yehuda Schochet (1946–1952) [Chief Rabbi of The Hague]
- Elieser Berlinger (1960–1985)
- Binyomin Jacobs (2008–recent)
New York, New York – United States
edit- Jacob Joseph (1840–1902) was the only true Ashkenazi chief rabbi of New York City; there was never a Sephardi chief rabbi, although Dr. David DeSola Pool acted as a leader among the Sepharadim and was also respected as such. Others it has been said claimed the title of Chief Rabbi; eventually, the title became worthless through dilution.[citation needed]
- Chaim Jacob Wiedrewitz was the Chassidic chief rabbi of New York and Pennsylvania;[citation needed] he was previously the Chassidic Rav of Moscow and was officially called as "The Moskover Rav", immigrated in 1893 and died in 1911, he's buried in the Chabad society of the Bayside Cemetery in Ozone Park NY.
- Jacob S. Kassin was the Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community of New York 1930–1995.[citation needed]
- Leibish Wolowsky was the chief rabbi of the Galician community of NYC 1888–1913, he was previously the rabbi of Sambor, Austria and immigrated to the US in 1888. He died in 1913 and is buried in the Achum Ahuvim of Reizow at the Mount Zion Cemetery in Maspeth NY.[citation needed]
- Avrohom Aharon Yudelevitz who was previously the rav of Manchester, England was accepted in 1919 as the chief rabbi of the Jewish Arbitration Court of NYC. He authored many books on Jewish law and responsa. He died in 1930 and is buried in family plot at the Bayside cemetery in Ozone Park NY.[citation needed]
Nové Zámky, Slovakia
edit- Ernest Klein (1931–1944)[citation needed]
Paris, France
edit- Michel Seligmann (1809–1829)[56]
- Marchand Ennery (1829–1845)
- Lazard Isidor (1847–1865)
- Zadoc Kahn (1866–1889)
- Jacques-Henri Dreyfuss (1891–1933)
- Julien Weill (1933–1950)
- Jacob Kaplan (1950–1955)
- Meïr Jaïs (1956–1980)
- Alain Goldmann (1980–1994)
- David Messas (1994–2011)
- Michel Gugenheim (2012– )
Rome, Italy
edit- Israel Zolli (1940–1945)
- Elio Toaff (1951–2002)
- Riccardo Di Segni (2002–present[update])
Rotterdam, Netherlands
edit- Josiah Pardo (1648–1669)[57] See his Haskama – Approbation to Sefer Nachalat Shiva, edition Amsterdam 1667, where he is mentioned as Chief Rabbi of both the Sephardi and Ashkenazi congregations in Rotterdam
- Yosia Pardo (1648–1669). Left in 1669 to Amsterdam.[57]
- Yuda Loeb ben Rabbi Shlomo (1674-abt. 1700). Born in Wilna.[57]
- Judah Salomon (1682)[58]
- Judah Loeb ben Abraham Ephraim Asher Anshel (1700–1708)[59] Born in Hamburg, left for Amsterdam.[57]
- Solomon Ezekiel (1725–1735)[58]
- Judah Ezekiel (1738–1755)[58]
- Abraham Ezekiel (1755–79)[58]
- Aryeh Leib Breslau (1741–1809)[60]
- Judah Akiba Eger son of Akiba Eger I (invited but refused position)[58]
- Elijah Casriel (1815–1833)[58]
- E.J. Löwenstamm (1834–1845)[58]
- Joseph Isaacsohn (1850–1871; one of three sons-in-law of Jacob Ettlinger who were Chief Rabbis in the Netherlands)[58]
- Bernhard Löbel Ritter (1885–1928)[61][62]
- Simon Hirsch (1928–1930)[62]
- Aaron Davids (1930–1944)[62]
- Justus Tal (1945–1954)[63]
- Salomon Rodrigues Pereira (1954–1959)[63]
- Levie Vorst (1959–1971)[63]
- Daniel Kahn (1972–1975)[63]
- Albert Hutterer (1975–1977)[63]
- Dov Salzmann (1986–1988)[63]
- Lody van de Kamp[citation needed]
- Raphael Evers[citation needed]
Shanghai, China
edit- Meir Ashkenazi (1926–1949)
Sofia, Bulgaria
edit- Daniel Zion (in World War II)
- Asher Hannanel (in World War II)
St. Louis, Missouri – United States
edit- Chaim Fischel Epstein
- Menachem Zvi Eichenstein (1943–1982)
- Sholom Rivkin (1983–2011)[64]
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
editSephardi
edit- Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel (1911–1939)
- Ya'akov Moshe Toledano (1942–1960)
- Ovadia Yosef (1968–1973)
- Hayim David HaLevi (1973–1998?)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
editVienna, Austria
edit- Yitshak Ehrenberg (1983–1989)[55]
- Akiva Eisenberg
- Paul Chaim Eisenberg
- Arie Folger
Warsaw, Poland
edit- Dow Ber Meisels (1856-1870)
- Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz (1988–1999)
- Baruch Rabinowitz (1999–2000)
- Michael Schudrich (2000–present[update])
Würzburg, Germany
edit- Abraham Bing (1814–1839)
Zagreb, Croatia
edit- Hosea Jacobi (1880–1925)
- Miroslav Šalom Freiberger (1941–1943)
"Grand Rabbi"
editOccasionally, the term "Grand Rabbi" is used to note a Hasidic Rebbe, particularly used on letterhead when the letterhead is in English.[citation needed]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Cameron Brown. "Rabbi Ovadia Yosef And His Culture War in Israel". Meria.idc.ac.il. Archived from the original on 29 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Judaism: The Chief Rabbinate". The Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE). Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ Himelstein, Shmuel (2011). "Chief Rabbinate". In Berlin, Adele (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of the Jewish Religion (2nd ed.). Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press. p. 166. ISBN 978-0-19-973004-9. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- ^ Kaplan Appel, Tamar, ed. (3 August 2010). "Crown Rabbi". The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300119039. OCLC 170203576. Archived from the original on 27 March 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
- ^ "Chief rabbi installed in Albania". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 12 December 2010. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ "Jewish Travel Advisor". Jewish Travel Advisor. Archived from the original on 20 March 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Jews of Bulgaria". geni_family_tree.
- ^ "Chinuch.org::Gedolim Yahrtzeits". chinuch.org.
- ^ Goldstein, Jack (18 March 2021). "Entrevista con el Gran Rabino del Centro Israelita de Bogotá, Alfredo Goldschmidt". Valija de Apócrifos (in Spanish).
- ^ Tiempo, Casa Editorial El (24 October 2007). "Judíos llegaron para quedarse en la localidad de Chapinero". El Tiempo.
- ^ "Clergy – B'nai Sephardim Synagogue". mybnai.com.
- ^ Rabbis of Chilean Masorti Forum meet with Mr. Zeev Bielsky Archived 20 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine Masorti World
- ^ The Virtual Jewish History Tour Cuba Jewish Virtual Library
- ^ The Jewish Traveler: Havana[permanent dead link] Hadassah Magazine
- ^ "Pope Francis meets with Chief Rabbi of Cyprus – Vatican News". vaticannews.va. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ BILEFSKY, DAN (10 May 2009). "Hard Times Give New Life to Prague's Golem". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ a b Elsebeth Paikin (21 May 2004). "Rabbis in Denmark – JewishGen Scandinavia SIG". Jewishgen.org. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ a b c Muir, Simo; Tuori, Riikka (2019). "'The Golden Chain of Pious Rabbis': the origin and development of Finnish Jewish Orthodoxy". Nordisk Judaistik/Scandinavian Jewish Studies. 30 (1): 8–34. doi:10.30752/nj.77253. ISSN 2343-4929. S2CID 191845568.
- ^ YIVO Inst. for, Jewish Research. "Josephinian Reforms". YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. YIVO Inst. for Jewish Research. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ YIVO Ins. for, Jewish Research. "Galicia". YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. YIVO Inst. for Jewish Research. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ Jewish, Telegraphic Agency (29 August 1928). "Vacancy in Lemberg". jta.org. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
- ^ "First Chief Rabbi of Honduras will be its only religious Jew". Israel National News.
- ^ "Issachar Berush Eskeles". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.
- ^ "Weiss, Joseph Hirsch". JewishEncyclopedia.com. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "RootsWeb: WISE-L [WISE] Treasure found – autobiography of Stephen WISE". Archiver.rootsweb.com. 28 April 2001. Archived from the original on 19 March 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ Chabad on Line (19 July 2009). "Ireland's De facto Chief Rabbi". collive.
- ^ "Rabbi Yoni Wieder appointed as Rabbi of the Republic of Ireland. – the Rabbinic Training Academy".
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ "CHIEF RABBI SALANT DIES IN JERUSALEM; Head of the Ashkanezic Congregationalists Was an Eminent Talmudist. A FRIEND OF MONTEFIORE Collected Donations for the Building of New Synagogue Bet Ya'akob – Favorite of His People". The New York Times. 17 August 1909. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
- ^ "Japan Gets First-Ever Chief Rabbi". 17 September 2015.
- ^ "MOORISH JEWS GRATEFUL.; Chief Rabbi Thanks Us for Our Action at Algeciras Conference" (PDF). The New York Times. 10 June 1906.
- ^ "Le nouveau grand rabbin du Maroc a été nommé". Al HuffPost Maghreb (in French). 15 April 2019. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
- ^ "Israeli Rabbi Michael Melchior Seen as Contender for Britain's Chief Rabbi Post". Haaretz.
- ^ "Nuestra Comunidad". Certificación Kosher (in Spanish).
- ^ Reiner, Elchanan (11 October 2010). "Pollak, Ya'akov ben Yosef". YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe. Translated by Jeffrey Green.
- ^ "Singapore, a 'Model of Religious Harmony' – an Interview With Chief Rabbi Mordechai Abergel – Hamodia.com". Hamodia. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ "N.J. native left home to become chief rabbi to 400 Slovak Jews". J. 4 December 1998. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
- ^ Abboudi, Daisy. "Tales of Jewish Sudan".
- ^ "Rymer Toedera," i. 591
- ^ a b c Yerushaseinu 5771 (PDF).[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Sephardim vote in new rabbinic head with massive majority".
- ^ Sarna, Jonathan (2004). American Judaism: A History. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 105. ISBN 0-300-10976-8.
chief rabbi.
- ^ "In Bukhara, 10,000 Jewish Graves but Just 150 Jews". The New York Times. 7 April 2018.
- ^ a b Bleich, J.D. (1989). Contemporary Halakhic Problems; Volume 16. KTAV Publishing House. pp. 63–4. ISBN 978-0-88125-315-3.
- ^ "Hakham Emeritus Dr. P. Toledano – Portugees-Israëlietische Gemeente". Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ "Gateshead Crowns Its New Rov". www.theyeshivaworld.com. 15 May 2008. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Sugarman, Daniel. "Federation of Synagogues hires Rabbi Shraga Feivel Zimmerman, current head rabbi of Gateshead, as new Av Beth Din". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Title page of Malki Ba-Kodesh, vol. 2; Hoboken, 1921
- ^ "Biography of Rabbi Chaim Berlin (1832-1912)". Archived from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
- ^ a b "Bnei Brak rabbi named to new beit din post". 27 April 2006. Archived from the original on 27 April 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Frum Jewish News". The Yeshiva World. 30 November 2006. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ "Jewish Community Council Montreal | Rabbi's| Our Rabbi's | Meet Our Rabbi's | JCC Montreal". 9 November 2018.
- ^ "Grand Rabbinat du Québec". Rabbinat.qc.ca. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
- ^ Liphshiz, Cnaan Exiled from Russia, Pinchas Goldschmidt is formally out as Moscow’s chief rabbi after 29 years Jewish Telegraphic Agency 6 July 2022 https://www.jta.org/2022/07/06/global/exiled-from-russia-pinchas-goldschmidt-is-formally-out-as-moscows-chief-rabbi-after-29-years
- ^ a b "Rab. Y. Ehrenberg – Jewish Community of Berlin". Jg-berlin.org. Retrieved 18 October 2012.
- ^ "Consistoire – Consistoire de paris". Archived from the original on 2 May 2014. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
- ^ a b c d http://www.archieven.nl/pls/m/zk2.inv?p_q=64729996[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c d e f g h Jacobs, Joseph; Slijper, E. "Netherlands". The Jewish Encyclopedia.
The names of the chief rabbis of Rotterdam are: Judah Salomon (1682); Solomon Ezekiel (1725–35; his salary was 305 gulden); Judah Ezekiel, son of the preceding (1738–55); Abraham Judah Ezekiel, son of the preceding (1755–79); Judah Akiba Eger (1779; left in 1781); Levie Hyman Breslau, author of "Pene Aryeh" (1781–1807); Elijah Casriel, from Leeuwarden (1815–33); E.J. Löwenstamm, grandson of L.H. Breslau (1834–45); Joseph Isaacson (1850–71; removed to Filehne as a result of dissensions in the community); B. Ritter (since 1884).
- ^ Jizkor Platenatlas. 1978. p. 37.
- ^ Landman, Isaac (1941). The Universal Jewish encyclopedia. Vol. 5.
... and the chief rabbi of Rotterdam, Aryeh Leib Breslau (1781–1809)
- ^ Michman, Jozeph; Beem, Hartog; Michman, Dan (1999). Geschiedenis van de joodse gemeenschap in Nederland [History of the Jewish Community in the Netherlands]. p. 522.
In 1885 werd rabbijn dr Bernard Löbel Ritter tot rabbijn van Rotterdam benoemd.
- ^ a b c Michman, Jozeph; Beem, Hartog; Michman, Dan (1999). Geschiedenis van de joodse gemeenschap in Nederland [History of the Jewish Community in the Netherlands]. p. 526.
Na het ontslag van Ritter in 1928 werd het twee jaar lang waargenomen door de opperrabbijn van Zwolle, Simon JS Hirsch. In 1930 vond de joodse gemeente opperrabbijn Aaron Jissachar (ABN) Davids (1895–1944) van Friesland bereid naar Rotterdam te komen. Hij werd nog datzelfde jaar benoemd.
- ^ a b c d e f Michman, Jozeph; Beem, Hartog; Michman, Dan (1999). Geschiedenis van de joodse gemeenschap in Nederland [History of the Jewish Community in the Netherlands]. p. 531.
Het opperrabinaat werd in de naoorlogse periode waargenomen door de opperrabbijn van Amsterdam Justus Tal (van 1945 tot '54) en vervolgens door chacham SA Rodrigues Pereira (van 1954 tot '59). Vanaf 1946 had rabbijn Levie Vorst (1903–'87) de dagelijkse leiding van de gemeente. Direct na het afleggen van het hoogste rabbinale examen werd hij benoemd tot opperrabijn, hetgeen hij bleef aan tot zijn immigratie naar Israël in 1971. Hij werd opgevolgd door Daniël Kahn (van 1972 tot '75) en Albert Hutterer (van 1975 tot '77). Na diens vertrek heeft Rotterdam het een tijd zonder rabbijn gesteld. Van 1986 tot '88 was Dov Salzmann rabbijn.
- ^ "Rebbetzin Paula Rivkin remembered as 'woman of valor' – St. Louis Jewish Light: Local News – Rebbetzin Paula Rivkin remembered as 'woman of valor': Local News". Stljewishlight.com. 12 January 2011. Archived from the original on 10 October 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2011.
External links
edit- Media related to Chief rabbis at Wikimedia Commons
- Office of the Chief Rabbi in London, England
- Chief Rabbinate of Israel Archived 8 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine