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List of chief rabbis of Israel and Mandatory Palestine

The Chief Rabbi of Israel is a religious appointment that began at the time of the British Mandate in Palestine, and continued through to the State of Israel. The post has two nominees, one for the Ashkenazi communities that came from Europe, and one for the Sefaradic communities from North Africa and the Middle East. In recent times the post has become more political than religious.

List of chief rabbis

Chief Rabbinate Council

The chief rabbis also head the Chief Rabbinate Council. These rabbis are usually appointed from the chief rabbis of major cities or regions in Israel.

Among the roles of the council is giving out kosher certification, nominating rabbis able to perform wedding ceremonies, appointing rabbis of cities and appointing religious judges who are able to sit on a Beth Din.

The current members of the council are:

Chief rabbis of the armed forces

In addition to the Chief Rabbinate, there is also a position as the Chief Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces. This individual has a rank of Tat Aluf (Brigadier General).

Religious authorities prior to the British Mandate

The Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem

In addition to the chief rabbis, there were a number of rabbis who served as the head rabbi in Palestine, or of a particular community

  • Levi ibn Habib (b. Spain)—ruled from Jerusalem but in 1538, Rabbi Jacob Berab who came from Spain via Egypt, sought to revive the Sanhedrin, in Safed, thus making that city the competing capital of the Jewish community in Palestine. He was opposed and exiled by ibn Habib and the rabbis of Jerusalem but Safed remained the competing capital for a number of years thereafter. Berab was succeeded in Safed by Joseph Caro (b. Spain) who was ordained by him.
  • David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra of the Egyptian rabbinate—ruled simultaneously in Jerusalem succeeding ibn Habib. In 1575, Moshe Trani (b. Greece) succeeded Caro in Safed.
  • Moshe ben Mordechai Galante of Rome—ruled from Jerusalem
  • Haim Vital—succeeded Trani in Safed but moved his rabbinate to Jerusalem which, once again, became the sole capital of Israel. In 1586, the Nahmanides Synagogue was confiscated by the Arabs and the ben Zakkai Synagogue was built in its stead.
  • Bezalel Ashkenazi—first chief rabbi to preside in the ben Zakkai Synagogue
  • Gedaliah Cordovero
  • Yitzhak Gaon?
  • Israel Benjamin
  • Jacob Zemah (b. Portugal)
  • Samuel Garmison (b. Greece)

Rishon LeZion 1665–1842

Source:

  • Moshe ben Yonatan Galante
  • Moshe ibn Habib who came from Greece, a descendant of Levi ibn Habib
  • Moshe Hayun
  • Avraham Yitzhaki (b. Greece)
  • Benjamin Maali
  • Elazar Nahum (b. Turkey)
  • Nissim Mizrahi
  • Yitzhak Rapaport
  • Israel Algazy served until 1756
  • Raphael Meyuchas ben Shmuel served 1756–1791
  • Haim Raphael ben Asher - served until 1972 and was succeeded by Rabbi Raphael Moshe Bula.
  • Raphael Moshe Bula - Rabbi Raphael Moshe ben Rabbi Yosef Bula, author of Chayei Olam (Kushta, 1752). Gett Mekishar (Kushta, 1767) and Zchus Moshe (Salonika, 1818). Was born in Salonika (Ottoman Greece), moved to Ancona (Italy) and then immigrated to Jerusalem. In 1752, was sent to Turkey as a Shadar of the communities of Jerusalem. After his return to Jerusalem, studied and was the dean at the Neveh Sholom Yeshiva and in ca. 1757 was appointed as its Rosh Yeshiva. Since 1772, served as the Rishon LeZion, until his death in on the 27th day as a result of famine and disease, Rabbi Bula was among the sick and died in Jerusalem. He was buried in the Mount of Olives and in 1777, his wife Zinbul died and was buried next to him. His son was Rabbi Solomon (Shlomo) Bula, author of the book “Lehen Shlomo”. His daughter was married to Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi. He was succeeded by his son-in-law Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi in 1773.
  • Yom Tov Algazy— son of Rabbi Israel Algazi and son in law of Rabbi Raphael Moshe Bula who succeeded him shortly after his death in 1973, during whose reign, the French armies of Napoleon invaded Palestine. served from 1973 until 1802.
  • Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas served 1802–1805
  • Yaakov Aish of the Maghreb
  • Yaakov Coral
  • Yosef Hazzan (b. Turkey)
  • Yom Tov Danon
  • Shlomo Suzin—in 1831, Palestine was briefly conquered by Egypt under Muhammad Ali.
  • Yonah Navon—Palestine returned to the Ottoman Empire.
  • Yehuda Navon

The Hakham Bashi 1842–1918

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References