Chief Rabbi
Encyclopedia
Chief Rabbi 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 Rabbi
Uziel
, Israel
has had two chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi.
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 have rarely had chief rabbis, although some do have them: Montreal
, in fact, has two—one for the Ashkenazi community, the other for the Sephardi.
The Chief Rabbi's name is often followed by ABD, which stands for Av Beth Din.
Sergio Bergman
There is not Chief Rabbi in Chile
The most prominent posek was Rabbi Dovid Raichmain, he left Chile in 1990s
The position of chief rabbi 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.
was generally the rabbi of the city of Alba Iulia
.
A 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 Amsterdam
, 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 (e.g. Ottolengui v. Ancker) 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.
Sephardi
Ashkenazi
Since Rav Kolitz stepped down for reason of ill health (from which he died within a year), the position of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem remains vacant.
Present Av Beis Din Montreal Rav Binyomin Weiss, head of the city's Vaad Hair.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Uziel
Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel
Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel was the Sephardi chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 to 1954.-Biography:...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
has had two chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi.
Cities with large Jewish communities may also have their own chief rabbis; this is especially the case in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
but has also been past practice in major Jewish centers in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
prior to the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. North American cities have rarely had chief rabbis, although some do have them: Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, in fact, has two—one for the Ashkenazi community, the other for the Sephardi.
The Chief Rabbi's name is often followed by ABD, which stands for Av Beth Din.
Albania Albania
- Joel Kaplan (2010– ) (appointed December 2010)
Ashkenazi
- Shlomo Ben Hamu (though he is Sephardi)
- Rabino Yosef Libersohn
Sergio Bergman
Austria Austria
- Jitzchok ben Mosche from Wien, "Or Sorua" (lived from ca. 1200 to 1270)
- Jomtov Lipmann Heller, "Tosfos Jomtov" (lived from 1578–1654)
- Scheftel Horowitz (lived from 1561–1619)
- Gerschon "Uliph" Aschkenasi (lived from ca. 1612–1693)
- Samson WertheimerSamson WertheimerSamson Wertheimer was chief rabbi of Hungary and Moravia, and rabbi of Eisenstadt. He was also an Austrian financier, court Jew and Shtadlan to Austrian Emperor Leopold I.-Family:...
(lived from 1658–1724) - Mosche Chanoch Berliner (lived from 1727–1793)
- Isaak Noah Mannheimer (1824–1865)
- Lazar HorowitzLazar HorowitzLazar Horowitz, or Eleazar HaLevi Ish Horowitz, Eleasar ben David Josua Hoeschel Horowitz, aka El'azar Hurwitz was an Orthodox Rabbi who led the Orthodox Jewish community of Vienna during the Vormärz period.Born in Bavaria, Horowitz was a student of Moses Sofer of Pressburg before moving to...
(1828–1868), chief rabbi of ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... - Adolf JellinekAdolf Jellinek----Adolf Jellinek |Drslavice]], nearby Uherské Hradiště, Moravia - December 28, 1893, Vienna) was an Austrian rabbi and scholar...
(1865–1893) - Moritz GüdemannMoritz Güdemann- Life :He was educated at Breslau , and took his rabbinical diploma at the Jewish Theological Seminary of that city. In the latter year he was called to the rabbinate of Magdeburg; in 1866 he went to Vienna as preacher, where he became rabbi in 1868, and chief rabbi in 1890.- Works :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 StadttempelStadttempelThe Stadttempel is the main synagogue of Vienna, Austria. It is located in the 1st District , at Seitenstettengasse 4.-History:...
- Akiva Eisenberg (1948–1983)
- Paul Chaim Eisenberg (1983–present)
United Kingdom British Empire and Commonwealth
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbis
- Judah Loeb Cohen (1696–1700)
- Aaron the Scribe of Dublin (1700–1704)
- Aaron Hart (1704–1756)
- Hart Lyon (1758–1764)
- David Tevele SchiffTevele SchiffChief Rabbi David Tevele Schiff was the chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and the rabbi of the Great Synagogue of London from 1765 until his death....
(1765–1791) - Solomon HirschellSolomon HirschellRabbi Solomon Hirschell was the Chief rabbi of Great Britain, 1802-42. He is best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to stop the spread of Reform Judaism in Britain by excommunicating its leaders....
(1802–1842) - Nathan Marcus AdlerNathan Marcus AdlerRabbi Nathan Marcus Adler was the Orthodox Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1845 until his death, probably the most prominent 19th century rabbi in the English-speaking world.-Life:...
(1845–1891) - Hermann AdlerHermann AdlerRabbi Hermann Adler CVO was the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1891 to 1911. The son of Nathan Marcus Adler, the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica writes that he "raised the position [of Chief Rabbi] to one of much dignity and importance."Born in Hanover, like his father, he had both a...
(1891–1911) - Joseph Herman HertzJoseph H. Hertz----Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz, CH was a Jewish Hungarian-born Rabbi and Bible scholar. He is most notable for holding the position of Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom from 1913 until his death in 1946, in a period encompassing both world wars and The Holocaust.- Early life :Hertz was born in the...
(1913–1946) - Sir Israel BrodieIsrael BrodieSir Israel Brodie KBE was the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth 1948–1965.He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He served as a Rabbi of Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia from 1923-1937, was evacuated from Dunkirk, and finished the War as Senior Jewish Chaplain...
(1948–1965) - Lord JakobovitsImmanuel JakobovitsImmanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits, Kt was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. His successor is the present Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks.-Biography:...
(1966–1991) - Lord SacksJonathan SacksJonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks, Kt is the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. His Hebrew name is Yaakov Zvi...
(1991–)
Sephardi Hahamim
- Jacob ben Aaron SasportasJacob ben Aaron SasportasJacob ben Aaron Sasportas , was a rabbi, cabalist, and anti-Shabbethaian; he was the father of Isaac ben Jacob Sasportas....
(1664-1665) - Yehoshua Da Silva (1670-1679)
- Jacob AbendanaJacob AbendanaJacob Abendana was hakham of London from 1680 until his death. Jacob was eldest the son of Joseph Abendana and brother to Isaac Abendana....
(1681-1684) - Solomon AyllonSolomon AyllonSolomon Ayllon was haham of the Sephardic congregations in London and Amsterdam, and a follower of Shabbethai Ẓebi. His name is derived from a the town of Ayllon, in what is now the province of Segovia....
(1689-1700) - David NietoDavid NietoDavid Nieto was the Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community in London, later succeeded in this capacity by his son, Isaac Nieto....
(1701-1728) - Isaac NietoIsaac NietoIsaac Nieto was Haham of the Portuguese congregation Sha'are Hashamayim, Bevis Marks, London, and the son of David Nieto. He was officially appointed as "ḥakham ha-shalem" in 1733, but gave up the post in 1741 and went abroad...
(1732-1740) - Moshe Gomes de Mesquita (1744-1751)
- Moshe Cohen d'Azevedo (1761-1784)
- Raphael MeldolaRaphael Meldola (Sephardic Rabbi)Raphael Meldola, English Rabbi. Born in Leghorn 1754; died in London June 1, 1828.One of the most prominent members of the Meldola family. He received a thorough university training, both in theological and in secular branches, and displayed such remarkable talents that when only fifteen years old...
(1806-1828) - Benjamin ArtomBenjamin ArtomRabbi Benjamin Artom was the Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Great Britain. He was born in Asti, Piedmont, Italy.He was the first person to hold the post of rabbi of Naples...
(1866-1879) - Moses GasterMoses GasterMoses Gaster was a Romanian-born Jewish-British scholar, the Hakham of the Spanish and Portuguese congregation, London, and a Hebrew linguist. He was also the son-in-law of Michael Friedländer, principal of Jews' College. The surname Gaster is taken from Spanish Castro, indicating his Sephardic...
(1887-1918) - Solomon GaonSolomon GaonSolomon Gaon was Sephardic Rabbi and Hakham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of the British Commonwealth.-Biography:Solomon Gaon was born in Travnik, Yugoslavia in 1912 and studied at the yeshiva in Sarajevo. Both his parents died in the Holocaust. He received his rabbinic ordination from Jews'...
(1949-1995) - Abraham Levy (1995-) (officially the Communal Rabbi and Spiritual Head of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews’ Congregation, not the Haham)
Bulgaria
- Gabriel Almosnino (1880–1885)
- Presiado Bakish (1885–1889)
- Shimon Dankowitz (1889–1891)
- Moshe Tadjer (1891–1893)
- Mordechai Gruenwald (1893–1895)
- Presiado Bakish (1895–1898)
- Moshe Tadjer (1898–1900)
- Mordekhay Ehrenpreiss (1900–1914)
- M. Hezkeya Shabetay Davidov (1914–1918)
- David Pipano (1920–1925)
- Asher Hannanel (1945–1949)
There is not Chief Rabbi in Chile
The most prominent posek was Rabbi Dovid Raichmain, he left Chile in 1990s
Cuba Cuba
- Meyer RosenbaumMeyer Rosenbaum (II)Chief Rabbi Meyer Rosenbaum was the spiritual leader of the Kehilla Adath Israel and the Chief Rabbi of Cuba from 1942 to 1958. Rabbi Rosenbaum was the founder of the Tahkemoni School in Havana. He also authored many scholarly works in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Spanish.Chief Rabbi Rosenbaum was a son...
(Son of Rabbi Issamar of NadvornaNadvorna (Hasidic dynasty)Nadvorna is a Hasidic rabbinical dynasty within Orthodox Judaism. The dynasty derives its name from the town of Nadvorna, known in Ukrainian as Nadvirna...
, Elected 1948: left Cuba in 1956, a little more than two years before Fidel CastroFidel CastroFidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
came to power in the RevolutionCuban RevolutionThe Cuban Revolution was an armed revolt by Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement against the regime of Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista between 1953 and 1959. Batista was finally ousted on 1 January 1959, and was replaced by a revolutionary government led by Castro...
) - Shmuel SzteinhendlerShmuel SzteinhendlerShmuel Szteinhendler, a rabbi in Santiago, Chile, is considered the current Chief Rabbi of Cuba as well as the regional director for Masorti in Latin America...
—the current Chief Rabbi of Cuba and regional director for MasortiMasortiThe Masorti Movement is the name given to Conservative Judaism in Israel and other countries outside Canada and U.S. Masorti means "traditional" in Hebrew...
in Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
.
Cyprus Cyprus
- Arie Zeev RaskinArie Zeev RaskinRabbi Arie Zeev Raskin, born in 1976, is the Chief Rabbi of Cyprus and the first rabbi on the island in many years.He moved to Cyprus in 2003 with his wife Shaindel and their children in an effort to introduce Jewish life onto the island. He had previously lived in Kiryat Malachi in Israel. He is...
(2005–) representing Chabad-LubavitchChabad-LubavitchChabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
Denmark Denmark
- 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 (Moses) FriedigerMax FriedigerMax Friediger was a Danish chief rabbi and a survivor of the Holocaust.After the occupation of Denmark by the Wehrmacht together with other Danish Jews, he was interned as a hostage by the occupying power in 1943 in the open state prison at Horserød, and later deported to Theresienstadt...
(1920–1947) - Marcus MelchiorMarcus MelchiorMarcus Melchior was acting chief rabbi of Denmark in 1943 at the time of the rescue of the Danish Jews.Marcus Melchior came from a prominent Jewish family in Denmark...
(1947–1969) - Bent MelchiorBent MelchiorBent Melchior is a former chief rabbi of Denmark.Bent Melchior was born on 24 June 1929. His father Marcus Melchior was instrumental in the saving of the Danish Jews in 1943 and became chief rabbi of Denmark in 1947. From 1943 to 1945 Bent Melchior was a refugee in Sweden...
(1970–1996) - Bent Lexner (1996–)
Egypt Egypt
- Refael Aharon Ben Shimon (1891–1921)
- Masoud Haim Ben Shimon (1921–1925)
- Chaim NahumChaim NahumChaim Nahum Effendi was a Jewish scholar, jurist, and linguist of the early 20th century. He was born in 1872 in İzmir. He was sent by his parents to a yeshiva in Tiberias, after which he studied at a French lycée for his secondary education and obtained a degree in Islamic law in Istanbul...
(1925–1960) - Haim Douek (1960–1972)
Estonia Estonia
- Michael Alony (1995–1996)
- Shmuel Kot (2000–)
France France
- Jacob Kaplan (1955–1981)
- René Samuel Sirat (1981–1987)
- Joseph SitrukJoseph SitrukRabbi Joseph Haïm Sitruk is a former Chief Rabbi of France, a position he held from June 1987 to June 22, 2008. Born Joseph Sitruk in Tunis, after suffering a stroke in 2001 and recovering he added the name "Haim" to his name in line with Jewish tradition....
(1987–2008) - Gilles BernheimGilles BernheimGilles Bernheim is a French philosopher and rabbi, currently Chief Rabbi of France. On June 22, 2008, he was elected chief rabbi of France but his seven year mandate began on January 1, 2009. Until then, he had been rabbi of synagogue de la Victoire, the main synagogue in Paris, since May 1,...
(2009– ) (elected June 22, 2008)
Germany Germany
- Yitshak Ehrenberg (1997-present)http://www.jg-berlin.org/en/judaism/rabbis/rab-y-ehrenberg.html
Guatemala Guatemala
- Meir Rosenbaum (Son of Rabbi Issamar of NadvornaNadvornaNadvorna may refer to:*Nadvirna is a city located in the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast in southwestern Ukraine.*Nadvorna is a Hasidic rabbinical dynasty within Orthodox Judaism....
, Later Chief Rabbi of Cuba)
Hungary Hungary
- Note that this list is out of order.
- Meir EisenstadtMeir EisenstadtMeir ben Izsak Eisenstadt was the author of responsa and other works of rabbinic literature. An authority on Halakha, he was consulted by rabbis from Turkey, Germany and Italy. He is known as the Panim Me'irot after his major work called Shu"t Panim Me'irot...
—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 WertheimerSamson WertheimerSamson Wertheimer was chief rabbi of Hungary and Moravia, and rabbi of Eisenstadt. He was also an Austrian financier, court Jew and Shtadlan to Austrian Emperor Leopold I.-Family:...
(1693?–1724) (also EisenstadtEisenstadt- Politics :The current mayor of Eisenstadt is Andrea Fraunschiel ÖVP.The district council is composed as follows :* ÖVP: 17 seats* SPÖ: 8 seats* Austrian Green Party: 2 seats* FPÖ: 2 seats- Castles and palaces :...
and MoraviaMoraviaMoravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
) - Issachar Berush Eskeles (1725–1753)
- Joseph Hirsch Weiss—grandfather of Stephen Samuel WiseStephen Samuel WiseStephen Samuel Wise was an Austro-Hungarian-born American Reform rabbi and Zionist leader.-Early life:...
- Samuel Kohn
- 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 Iran
- Yedidiah Shofet (1908–1980)
- Uriel Davidi (1980–1994)
- Yousef Hamadani CohenYousef Hamadani CohenYousef Hamadani Cohen is the chief rabbi and spiritual leader for the Jewish community of Iran . He has served in that position since January 1994....
(1994–)
Republic of Ireland Ireland
- Yitzhak HaLevi HerzogYitzhak HaLevi HerzogRabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog , also known as Isaac Herzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasting from 1921 to 1936...
(1921–1937) - Immanuel JakobovitsImmanuel JakobovitsImmanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits, Kt was the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth from 1967 to 1991. His successor is the present Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks.-Biography:...
(1949–1958) - Isaac CohenIsaac CohenIsaac Cohen was a distinguished Talmudic scholar and Chief Rabbi of Ireland for 20 years.-Education:Born in Llanelli, Wales to immigrants from Lithuania, he won a scholarship in 1928 to Aria College in Portsmouth, a boarding school which combined Jewish study with a place at Portsmouth Grammar...
(1959–1979) - David RosenDavid Rosen (Rabbi)Rabbi David Shlomo Rosen CBE is the former Chief Rabbi of Ireland and currently serves as the Director of the American Jewish Committee's Department of Interreligious Affairs and the Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding...
(1979–1984) - Ephraim Mirvis (1984–1992)
- Gavin BroderGavin BroderGavin Broder is the former chief Rabbi of Ireland, serving from 1996- October, 2000. Broder left Dublin in October 2000 to become London chaplain of Hillel, the Jewish student organization. He was inaugurated chief rabbi in 1996, at the age of 37, at the Adelaide Street Synagogue-External links:*...
(1996–2000) - Yaakov PearlmanYaakov PearlmanYaakov Pearlman was Chief Rabbi of Ireland from September 2001-June 2008. Pearlman had previously been the Rabbi of Light of Israel Congregation, in Rochester, New York. A native of Manchester, England, he became the youngest rabbi in Britain when he was ordained at 20...
(2001–2008)
Israel Israel
The position of chief rabbi 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
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
, and Beersheba
Beersheba
Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 194,300....
). 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.
Sephardi
- Moshe Galante (the Younger) (1665-1689)
- Moshe ibn Habib (1689-1696)
- Moshe Hayun
- Abraham ben David Yitzhaki (1715-1722)
- Binyamin Maali
- Elazar ben Yaacob Nahum (1730-1748)
- Nissim Mizrahi (1748-1754)
- Israel Yaacob Algazy (1754-1756)
- Raphael Samuel Meyuchas (1756-1791)
- Haim Raphael Abraham ben Asher (1771-1772)
- Yom Tov Algazy (1772-1802)
- Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas (1802-1805)
- Yaacob Moshe Ayash al-Maghrebi (1806-1817)
- Jacob Coral (1817-1819)
- Raphael Yosef Hazzan (1819-1822)
- Yom Tov Danon (1822-1824)
- Salomon Moshe Suzin (1824-1836)
- Yonah Moshe Navon (1836-1841)
- Yehudah Raphael Navon (1841-1842)
- Haim Abraham Gagin (1842-1848)
- Isaac KovoIsaac KovoIsaac ben Hezekiah Joseph Kovo was born in Salonica and later settled in Jerusalem, Palestine. In 1848 he succeeded Chaim Abraham Gagin as hacham bashi aged 78. Throughout his career he went on fundraising missions to Poland, London and Egypt. In 1854, while in Alexandria he died...
(1848-1854) - Haim Nissim Abulafia (1854-1861)
- Haim David Hazan (1861-1869)
- Abraham Ashkenasi (1869-1880)
- Raphael Meir PanigelRaphael Meir PanigelRaphael Meir ben Judah Panigel was the Sephardi chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Palestine.Panigel was born in Bulgaria, but his family emigated to the Land of Israel when he was a child. In 1828 and in 1863 he was an emissary on behalf of Jerusalem to the countries of North Africa, remaining there on...
(1880-1892) - Yaacob Shaul ElyasharJacob Saul ElyasharJacob Saul Elyashar, , was a 19th-century Sephardi rabbi who became Chief Rabbi of Palestine in 1893.He was born in Safed to Eliezer Jeroham Elyashar. In 1853 he was appointed dayan in Jerusalem and became head of the beth din in 1869. In 1893 he became the Rishon LeZion or Sephardi chief rabbi of...
(1893-1906) - Yaacob MeirJacob MeirJacob Meir, , was the first Sephardic Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate of Palestine. A talmudic scholar, fluent in Hebrew as well as five other languages, he enjoyed a reputation as one of Jerusalem's most respected rabbis....
(1906) - Eliyah Moshe PanigelElijah Moses PanigelElijah Moses Panigel was the sephardi chief rabbi of the Ottoman Empire, Palestine and Jerusalem.Orphaned in at a young age, Panigel was brought up by his uncle Raphael Meir Panigel, the rishon le-Zion...
(1907-1909) - Nahman Batito (1909-1911)
- Moshe Franco (1911-1915)
- Haim Moshe Elyashar (1914-1915)
- Nissim Yehudah Danon (1915-1921)
- Yaacob MeirJacob MeirJacob Meir, , was the first Sephardic Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate of Palestine. A talmudic scholar, fluent in Hebrew as well as five other languages, he enjoyed a reputation as one of Jerusalem's most respected rabbis....
(1921–1939) - Benzion UzielBen-Zion Meir Hai UzielBen-Zion Meir Hai Uziel was the Sephardi chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 to 1954.-Biography:...
(1939–1954) - Yitzhak NissimYitzhak NissimRabbi Yitzhak Nissim was a former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel. Rabbi Nissim was born in Baghdad and immigrated to Palestine in 1925....
(1955–1973) - Ovadia YosefOvadia YosefOvadia Yosef is the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, a recognised Talmudic scholar and foremost halakhic authority.He currently serves as the spiritual leader of the Shas political party in the Israeli parliament...
(1973–1983) - Mordechai EliyahuMordechai EliyahuMordechai Tzemach Eliyahu ) was a prominent rabbi, posek and spiritual leader. He served as the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1983 to 1993.-Biography:...
(1983–1993) - Eliyahu Bakshi-DoronEliyahu Bakshi-DoronEliyahu Bakshi-Doron , is a former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel.-Background:Rabbi Hamza Bakshi-Doron was born in Jerusalem and studied in several prominent Religious Zionist yeshivot...
(1993–2003) - Shlomo AmarShlomo AmarRabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar has been the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel and the Rishon LeZion since his appointment in 2003. His colleague is Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel....
(2003–)
Ashkenazi
- Meir Auerbach—Rabbi of Jerusalem (1860–1871)
- Samuel Salant (1871–1909)
- Abraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar...
(1921–1935) - Yitzhak HaLevi HerzogYitzhak HaLevi HerzogRabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog , also known as Isaac Herzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasting from 1921 to 1936...
(1936–1959) - Isser Yehuda UntermanIsser Yehuda UntermanRabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman was the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1964 until 1972.Born in Brest-Litovsk in modern Belarus, Unterman was educated at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in Maltsch. There, he became a pupil of its Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Shimon Shkop...
(1964–1973) - Shlomo GorenShlomo GorenShlomo Goren , was an Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi in Israel who founded and served as the first head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces and subsequently as the third Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983.He served in the Israel Defense Forces during three wars,...
(1973–1983) - Avraham ShapiraAvraham ShapiraAvraham Elkanah Kahana Shapira was a prominent rabbi in the Religious Zionist world. Shapira had been the head of the Rabbinical court of Jerusalem, and both a member and the head of the Supreme Rabbinic Court. He served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1983 to 1993...
(1983–1993) - Yisrael Meir LauYisrael Meir LauYisrael Meir Lau is the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel, and Chairman of Yad Vashem. He previously served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003.-Biography:...
(1993–2003) - She'ar Yashuv CohenShe'ar Yashuv CohenEliyahu Yosef She'ar Yashuv Cohen was the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Israel and the President of its rabbinical courts .- Biography :...
(acting) (2003) - Yona MetzgerYona MetzgerYona Metzger is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. His counterpart is Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel since their appointments in 2003.-Background:...
(2003–)
Military Rabbinate
- Shlomo GorenShlomo GorenShlomo Goren , was an Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi in Israel who founded and served as the first head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces and subsequently as the third Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1973 to 1983.He served in the Israel Defense Forces during three wars,...
(1948–1968) - Mordechai PeronMordechai PeronRabbi Mordechai Piron or Mordechai Peron , born Egon Pisk 28 December 1921 in Vienna, Austria, was the second chief military rabbi in the history of the Israel Defence Forces , after his predecessor, Rabbi Shlomo Goren, created the position in 1948. Rabbi Piron served in the position from 1969 to...
(1968–1977) - Gad NavonGad NavonRabbi Gad Navon was the third chief Rabbi of the IDF.-Biography:He was born in Morocco in 1922 with the name Mimun Fahima He was ordained there as Rabbi after completing the whole Talmud and being recognized as an expert...
(1977–2000) - Israel WeissIsrael WeissRabbi Israel Weiss , born 1949, was the Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defence Forces serving in the position between 2000 and 2006, with a rank of Brigadier General. His predecessor in that position was Rabbi Gad Navon....
(2000–2006) - Avichai RontzkiAvichai RontzkiRabbi Avichai Rontzki , born October 10, 1951, is the former Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defence Forces. He served in the position from 2006 to 2010, with a rank of Brigadier General. His predecessor in that position was Rabbi Israel Weiss. Rontzki is also the rosh yeshiva of the Hesder...
(2006–2010) - Rafi PeretzRafi PeretzRabbi Rafi Peretz is the Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defence Forces, succeeding Rabbi Avichai Rontzki in mid-2010.Prior to being promoted to the rank of brigadier general, Peretz was the head of the Otzem Pre-Military Academy in Yated, which was relocated from Bnei Atzmon, where he...
(2010–present)
Lebanon Lebanon
- Moïse Yedid-Levy (1799–1829)
- Ralph Alfandari
- Youssef el Mann
- Aharoun Yedid-Levy
- Zaki CohenZaki CohenZaki Cohen born in 1829 in Aleppo in the Ottoman Empire, was a Chief Rabbi of the Jewish community in Beirut, Lebanon. In 1875 he founded Beirut first Jewish school at the time, where he served as Director. The school named after him continued to operate until 1899, when the school was superseded...
(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)
- Jacob Attiyeh (1949–1966)
- Yakoub Chreim (1960–1978)
Morocco Morocco
- Mardo Chee Bengio
- Rabbi Mikail Encaoua
- Chalom MessasChalom MessasShalom Messas, , was the Chief Rabbi of Morocco from 1961 until 1978, when he made aliyah to become the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, in which position he served until his death...
(1961–1978)
Poland Poland
- Moses Fishel (1541–1542)
- Ber Percowicz (1945–1961)
- Uszer Zibes (1961–1966)
- Zew Wawa MorejnoZew Wawa MorejnoZew Wawa Morejno was a Polish and American rabbi.Morejno was born into a hasidic family in Warsaw. He studied at rabbinical schools in Baranovichi, Mir, Belarus and in Kamieniec Litewski. In 1939 he became a rabbi in Zuprany...
(1966–1973) - Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz (1988–1999)
- Michael SchudrichMichael SchudrichMichael Joseph Schudrich is the Chief Rabbi of Poland. He is the oldest of four children of Rabbi David Schudrich and Doris Goldfarb Schudrich.-Biography:...
(2004–)
Kingdom of Romania Romania
- Yaakov Yitzhak Neimerov (d. 1940)
- Alexandru SafranAlexandru SafranAlexandru Şafran was a Romanian and, after 1948, Swiss rabbi. As chief rabbi of Romania , he intervened with authorities in the fascist government of Ion Antonescu in an unusually successful attempt to save Jews during the Holocaust.-Biography:Şafran was born in Bacău, and received his doctorate...
(1940–1948) - Moses RosenMoses RosenMoses Rosen was Chief Rabbi of RomanianJewry between 1948–1994 and president of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Romania between 1964-1994...
(1948–1994) - Menachem HacohenMenachem HacohenMenachem Hacohen currently serves as the Chief Rabbi of Romania. He is an Israeli rabbi, writer and former politician who served as a member of the Knesset for the Alignment between 1974 and 1988.-Biography:...
(1997–)
Russia Russia
- Adolf ShayevichAdolf ShayevichAdolf Solomonovich Shayevich has been since 1983 the rabbi of Moscow Choral Synagogue, which has been traditionally considered as Moscow's main Jewish temple.During the waning days of the Soviet Union, Shayevich was sometimes unofficially referred to in the...
(1983, officially since 1993–) - Berel LazarBerel LazarRabbi Shlomo Dovber Pinchas Lazar, better known as Berel Lazar, is an Orthodox, Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. He is presently Chief Rabbi of Russia, and chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities...
(2000–)
South Africa South Africa
- Joseph H. HertzJoseph H. Hertz----Rabbi Joseph Herman Hertz, CH was a Jewish Hungarian-born Rabbi and Bible scholar. He is most notable for holding the position of Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom from 1913 until his death in 1946, in a period encompassing both world wars and The Holocaust.- Early life :Hertz was born in the...
(1898–1911) (unofficial) - Yehudah Leib Landau (1915–1942)
- Louis Rabinowitz (1945–1961)
- Bernard M. CasperBernard M. CasperBernard Moses Casper was born and reared in London; educated in London and Cambridge; and served as Rabbi and educator in Manchester and London. He was a commissioned Chaplain in the British Army through most of the Second World War, and served with distinction as Senior Chaplain of the Jewish...
(1963–1987) - Cyril HarrisCyril HarrisCyril Kitchener Harris, , was Chief Rabbi of South Africa from 1987 to 2004....
(1988–2004) - Warren GoldsteinWarren GoldsteinRabbi Warren Goldstein is the Chief Rabbi of South Africa since 2005. Born in Pretoria, he currently lives in Johannesburg. He is the first Chief Rabbi of South Africa who was born in South Africa and the youngest person ever to be appointed to that post, at age 32.-Education:The Chief Rabbi...
(2005–)
Spain Spain
- Baruj Garzon (1968-1978), the first Chief Rabbi in Spain since the expulsion in 1492
- Yehuda Benasuli z"l (1978-1997)
- Rabbi Moshe Bendahan (1997-)
Transylvania (before 1918)
Note: The chief rabbi of TransylvaniaTransylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
was generally the rabbi of the city of Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia
Alba Iulia is a city in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania with a population of 66,747, located on the Mureş River. Since the High Middle Ages, the city has been the seat of Transylvania's Roman Catholic diocese. Between 1541 and 1690 it was the capital of the Principality of Transylvania...
.
- 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), the last chief rabbi of Transylvania
Turkey Turkey
- Eli Capsali (1452–1454)
- Moses CapsaliMoses CapsaliMoses b. Elijah Capsali was Hakham Bashi of the Ottoman Empire.He was born in Greece in 1420. When a young man he left his native country in order to study at the German yeshivot. He is next mentioned as rabbi of Constantinople about 1450; but he became prominent only during the reign of Sultan...
(1454–1497) - Elijah MizrachiElijah MizrachiElijah Mizrachi was a Talmudist and posek, an authority on Halakha. He is best known for his Sefer ha-Mizrachi, a supercommentary on Rashi's commentary on the Torah...
(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 GeronYakir GueronYakir Gueron or Preciado Gueron was a Turkish rabbi. He was born in 1813 and died at Jerusalem on February 4, 1874. He was the sixth rabbi of Adrianople descended from the Gueron family. He became rabbi in 1835 at the age of twenty-two, and eleven years later met Sultan Abd al-Majid, whom he...
(1870–1872) - Moses Levi (1872–1909)
- Chaim NahumChaim NahumChaim Nahum Effendi was a Jewish scholar, jurist, and linguist of the early 20th century. He was born in 1872 in İzmir. He was sent by his parents to a yeshiva in Tiberias, after which he studied at a French lycée for his secondary education and obtained a degree in Islamic law in Istanbul...
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 AsseoDavid AsseoChief Rabbi David Asseo was the Hakham Bashi of the Republic of Turkey from 1960 until his death in 2002....
(1961–2002) - Ishak HalevaIshak HalevaIshak Haleva is the current Hakham Bashi of Turkey. Chief Rabbi Haleva was the deputy to David Asseo for seven years and became the new Hakham Bashi after his death in 2002.-See also:*History of the Jews in Turkey...
(2003–)
Ukraine Ukraine
- Yaakov Dov BleichYaakov BleichYaakov Dov Bleich is an American-born rabbi and member of the Karlin-Stoliner Chassidic group. He has been widely recognized as Chief Rabbi of Kiev and all of Ukraine since 1990....
(1990–)—original post-communism chief rabbi, still widely recognized Chief Rabbi of Ukraine and Kiev - Alex Dukhovny—The Progressive (LiberalLiberal JudaismLiberal Judaism , is one of the two forms of Progressive Judaism found in the United Kingdom, the other being Reform Judaism. Liberal Judaism, which developed at the beginning of the twentieth century is less conservative than UK Reform Judaism...
/ReformReform JudaismReform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
) Chief Rabbi of KievKievKiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and Ukraine - Azriel Haikin (2003–)—ChabadChabad-LubavitchChabad-Lubavitch is a Chasidic movement in Orthodox Judaism. One of the world's larger and best-known Chasidic movements, its official headquarters is in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York...
affiliated; not recognized as Ukraine Chief Rabbi, but heads the Ukrainian Chabad - Moshe Reuven AzmanMoshe Reuven AzmanRabbi Moshe Reuven Azman is the Chabad chief Rabbi of Ukraine, one of three rabbis with a claim on the title, and one of two Chabad rabbis with a claim...
—rabbi from Chabad, though elected mostly by secular Jewish leaders and not by any rabbinical authority (2005–)
United States United States
A 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 AmsterdamNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, 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 (e.g. Ottolengui v. Ancker) effectively led to a form of congregationalism
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
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
Jonathan Sarna
Jonathan D. Sarna is the Joseph H. and Belle R. Braun Professor of American Jewish History in the department of and the director of the Hornstein Program in Jewish Professional Leadership. He is regarded as one of the most prominent historians of American Judaism...
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.
Uruguay Uruguay
- Nechemia BermanNechemia BermanRabbi Nechemia Berman was the Chief Rabbi of Uruguay.Born in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he served as Rabbi of Montevideo's Ashkenazi Community . This position has always been considered as Chief Rabbi of the entire Uruguayan community.Berman was interred in Jerusalem in 1993....
(1970–1993) - Eliahu Birenbaum (1994–1999)
- Yosef Bitton (1999–2002)
- Mordejai Maarabi (2002–2009)
- Shai Froindlich (2009–2010)
Venezuela Venezuela
Sephardi
- Isaac Cohen
Ashkenazi
- Pynchas BrenerPynchas BrenerPynchas Brener is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Caracas, Venezuela, starting in 1967. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Rabbinic Ordination from Yeshiva University and his Master's degree from Columbia University, and is a PhD honoris causa of Bar Ilan University.Brener is a president of the...
Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Aryeh Leib ben SaulAryeh Leib ben SaulAryeh Leib ben Saul Lowenstam was a Polish rabbi.-Life:Aryeh Leib came of a famous family of rabbis. His father Saul had been rabbi of Cracow from 1700 to 1704, his grandfather was Rabbi Hoeschl of Cracow...
- Saul LowenstamSaul LowenstamSaul Lowenstam was a renown Dutch rabbi and talmudist.Saul Lowenstam was born in 1717 in Rzeszów to his parents Aryeh Leib ben Saul and Miriam the daughter of the Chacham Tzvi. He married Hendele the daughter Abraham Kahana, who was rabbi of Grodno, Ukraine...
- Menashe Ben Israel
- Aron Schuster
- Meir JustMeir JustMeir Just was the Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam. Just served as a spiritual leader for the Dutch Jewish community for more than 45 years, until his death in 2010....
1970–1978 - Aryeh Ralbag (2008–recent)
Baltimore, United States
- Abraham N. Schwartz (d. 1934)
- Joseph H. Feldman (retired 1972, d. 1992)
Berlin, Germany
- Yitshak Ehrenberg (1997-present)http://www.jg-berlin.org/en/judaism/rabbis/rab-y-ehrenberg.html
Chicago, United States
- Yaakov Dovid WilovskyYaakov Dovid WilovskyRabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky , known by the acronym Ridvaz or Ridbaz, was a renowned rabbi, Talmudic commentator and educator.-Biography:...
—known as the Ridbaz, served as chief rabbi of the Russian-American congregations in the city 1903–1905.
Hoboken, United States
- Chaim HirschensohnChaim HirschensohnRabbi Chaim Hirschensohn was born in Tzfat, , to Rabbi Yaakov Mordechai Hirschensohn, who had emigrated there from Pinsk in 1848...
(1904–1935). His post included HobokenHoboken, New JerseyHoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...
, Jersey City, Union Hill and the Environs.
Sephardi
- Levi Ibn Habib
- David Ibn Abi Zimra
- Moshe Galante IMoses Galante (the Elder)Moses ben Mordecai Galante , was a 16th-century rabbi. He was a disciple of Joseph Caro, and was ordained by him when but twenty-two years of age. He wrote sermons for a wedding, for Passover, and for a thanksgiving service, printed with the younger Obadiah Bertinoro's commentary on the Book of...
- Haim Vital
- Betzalel Ashkenasi
- Gedalia Cordovero
- Isaac Gaon
- Israel Benjamin
- Yaacov Tzemah
- Shemuel Garmison
- Moshe Galante II (1665-1689)
- Moshe Ibn Habib (1689-1696)
- Moshe Hayun
- Abraham ben David Yitzchaki (1715-1722)
- Binyamin Maali
- Elazar ben Yaacob Nahum (1730-1748)
- Nissim Mizrahi (1748-1754)
- Israel Yaacob Algazy (1754-1756)
- Raphael Samuel Meyuchas (1756-1791)
- Haim Raphael Abraham ben Asher (1771-1772)
- Yom Tov Algazy (1772-1802)
- Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas (1802-1805)
- Yaacob Moshe Ayash al-Maghrebi (1806-1817)
- Jacob Coral (1817-1819)
- Raphael Yosef Hazzan (1819-1822)
- Yom Tov Danon (1822-1824)
- Salomon Moshe Suzin (1824-1836)
- Yonah Moshe Navon (1836-1841)
- Yehudah Raphael Navon (1841-1842)
- Haim Abraham Gagin (1842-1848)
- Isaac KovoIsaac KovoIsaac ben Hezekiah Joseph Kovo was born in Salonica and later settled in Jerusalem, Palestine. In 1848 he succeeded Chaim Abraham Gagin as hacham bashi aged 78. Throughout his career he went on fundraising missions to Poland, London and Egypt. In 1854, while in Alexandria he died...
(1848-1854) - Haim Nissim Abulafia (1854-1861)
- Haim David Hazan (1861-1869)
- Abraham Ashkenasi (1869-1880)
- Raphael Meir PanigelRaphael Meir PanigelRaphael Meir ben Judah Panigel was the Sephardi chief rabbi of Jerusalem, Palestine.Panigel was born in Bulgaria, but his family emigated to the Land of Israel when he was a child. In 1828 and in 1863 he was an emissary on behalf of Jerusalem to the countries of North Africa, remaining there on...
(1880-1892) - Yaacob Shaul ElyasharJacob Saul ElyasharJacob Saul Elyashar, , was a 19th-century Sephardi rabbi who became Chief Rabbi of Palestine in 1893.He was born in Safed to Eliezer Jeroham Elyashar. In 1853 he was appointed dayan in Jerusalem and became head of the beth din in 1869. In 1893 he became the Rishon LeZion or Sephardi chief rabbi of...
(1893-1906) - Yaacob MeirJacob MeirJacob Meir, , was the first Sephardic Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate of Palestine. A talmudic scholar, fluent in Hebrew as well as five other languages, he enjoyed a reputation as one of Jerusalem's most respected rabbis....
(1906) - Eliyah Moshe PanigelElijah Moses PanigelElijah Moses Panigel was the sephardi chief rabbi of the Ottoman Empire, Palestine and Jerusalem.Orphaned in at a young age, Panigel was brought up by his uncle Raphael Meir Panigel, the rishon le-Zion...
(1907-1909) - Nahman Batito (1909-1911)
- Moshe Franco (1911-1915)
- Haim Moshe Elyashar (1914-1915)
- Nissim Yehudah Danon (1915-1921)
- Yaacob MeirJacob MeirJacob Meir, , was the first Sephardic Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate of Palestine. A talmudic scholar, fluent in Hebrew as well as five other languages, he enjoyed a reputation as one of Jerusalem's most respected rabbis....
(1921–1939) - Chalom MessasChalom MessasShalom Messas, , was the Chief Rabbi of Morocco from 1961 until 1978, when he made aliyah to become the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, in which position he served until his death...
(1978–2003)
Ashkenazi
- Meir Auerbach (?–1878)
- Shmuel SalantShmuel SalantShmuel Salant served as the Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for almost 70years. He was a renowned Talmudist and Torah scholar.-Biography:...
(1878–1909) - Chaim BerlinChaim BerlinChaim Berlin was an Orthodox rabbi and chief rabbi of Moscow from 1865 to 1889. He was the son of Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin....
(1909–1912?)
- Abraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac KookAbraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar...
(1919–1935) - Tzvi Pesach FrankTzvi Pesach FrankRabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank was a renowned halachic scholar and the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades.-Biography:...
(1936–?)
- Yitzhak Kolitz (1983–2002)
Since Rav Kolitz stepped down for reason of ill health (from which he died within a year), the position of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem remains vacant.
Edah HaChareidis
- 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 SonnenfeldYosef Chaim SonnenfeldYosef Chaim Sonnenfeld, also spelled Zonnenfeld, was the Chief Rabbi and co-founder of the Edah HaChareidis, Haredi Jewish community in Jerusalem, during the years of the British Mandate of Palestine. He was originally given the name "Chaim", however, the name "Yosef" was added to him while he...
(c.1920–1932) - Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky (I) (1932–1948)
- Zelig Reuven BengisZelig Reuven BengisZelig Reuven Bengis was the Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for the Edah HaChareidis...
(1948–1953) - Joel TeitelbaumJoel TeitelbaumJoel Teitelbaum, known as Reb Yoelish or the Satmar Rav , was a prominent Hungarian Hasidic rebbe and Talmudic scholar. He was probably the best known Haredi opponent of all forms of modern political Zionism...
of Satmar (1953–1979) - Yitzchok Yaakov WeissYitzchok Yaakov WeissDayan Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss , also known as the Minchas Yitzchak, was a prominent Dayan, Halachic authority and Talmudic scholar...
(1979–1989) - Moshe Aryeh FreundMoshe Aryeh FreundRabbi Moshe Aryeh Freund was the Chief Rabbi of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem. He wrote a famous book called Ateres Yehoshua, and he himself was also referred to with this name occasionally. He was a Satmar chossid....
(1989–1996) - Yisroel Moshe Dushinsky (1996–2002)
- Yitzchok Tuvia WeissYitzchok Tuvia WeissRabbi Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss is the Chief Rabbi or Gavad of Jerusalem for the Edah HaChareidis. He was appointed to this post in 2003, after having served as the av beis din of the Machzike Hadass community of Antwerp, Belgium. Rabbi Weiss is a British national.-External links:*...
(2002–)
- Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld
Milan, Italy
- Avraham David Shaumann
- Elia Kopciovsky (195?–1980)
- Giuseppe Laras (1980–2005)
- Alfonso Arbib (2005–)
Ashkenazi
- Pinchas Hirschprung (1969–1998)
- Avraham David Niznik (1998–2006)
Sephardi
- David Sabbah
Present Av Beis Din Montreal Rav Binyomin Weiss, head of the city's Vaad Hair.
Moscow, Russia
- Yakov Maze (prior to 1924–1933)
- Shmaryahu Yehudah Leib Medalia (1933–1938)
- Shmuel Leib MedaliaShmuel Leib MedaliaShmuel-Leib Yankelevich Medalia was the chief rabbi of Moscow for a brief period in 1943. He was known among Chabad hasidim as Shmuel Leib Paritcher, for his birthplace of Paritch, Belarus, where he was born in 1890...
(1943) - Shmuel Leib Levin (1943–1944)
- Shlomo ShleiferShlomo ShleiferShloime Mikhelevich Shleifer was born on December 23, 1889 in the village of Smela, near Kiev. His father was the rabbi of Alexandria, a town near Kherson. During the First World War, the Shlifer family moved to Moscow, where Rabbi Shleifer worked as a bookkeeper until 1943. He also served as the...
(1944–1957) - Yehuda Leib Levin (1957–1972)
- Adolf ShayevichAdolf ShayevichAdolf Solomonovich Shayevich has been since 1983 the rabbi of Moscow Choral Synagogue, which has been traditionally considered as Moscow's main Jewish temple.During the waning days of the Soviet Union, Shayevich was sometimes unofficially referred to in the...
(1983, officially since 1993–) - Pinchas GoldschmidtPinchas GoldschmidtPinchas Goldschmidt is the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Russia since 1993Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt is the spiritual leader of the Moscow Choral Synagogue, the head of the rabbinnical court of the CIS, and is an officer of the Russian Jewish Congress .Goldschmidt represents the Russian Jewish community...
(1987–present)
Munich, Germany
- Yitshak Ehrenberg (1989-1997)http://www.jg-berlin.org/en/judaism/rabbis/rab-y-ehrenberg.html
- Pinchos BiberfeldPinchas BiberfeldPinchas Paul Biberfeld was a Rabbi in Germany and Israel.-Childhood:Rabbi Pinchas Paul Biberfeld was born on October 31, 1915 in Berlin. His father, Dr...
, moved back to Germany from where he had emigrated to Israel over 50 years earlier. (1980–1999)
Netherlands - Inter-Provincial Chief rabbinate
- Dov Yehuda Schochet (1946–1952) [Chief Rabbi of The Hague]
- Elieser Berlinger (1960–1985)
- Binyomin Jacobs (1985–recent)
New York City, United States
- Jacob JosephJacob JosephJacob Joseph served as chief rabbi of New York City's Association of American Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, a federation of Eastern European Jewish synagogues...
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. - Yosef Yitzchok Parnes, the Brooklyner Rebbe, was also considered as such, arriving in Borough Park, BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in approximately 1913; due to the many non-observant Jews then working for the local utility companies, he did not use any electricity on the Sabbath. Many religious Jews in America in the early 1900s were his adherents. - Jacob S. Kassin was the Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community of New York 1930–1995.
Rome, Italy
- Israel ZolliIsrael ZolliIsrael Zolli was from 1939 to 1945 Chief Rabbi of Rome. After the war, he converted to Roman Catholicism, taking the name Eugenio in honor of Pope Pius XII.-Early years/rabbinate:...
(1940–1943) - Elio ToaffElio ToaffElio Toaff is the former Chief Rabbi of Rome. On 13 April 1986, he greeted and prayed with Pope John Paul II during an unannounced visit to the Synagogue of Rome....
(1951–2002) - Riccardo Di SegniRiccardo di SegniRiccardo Di Segni is the chief rabbi of Rome.A specialist in diagnostic radiology, he is descended from three generations of rabbis. He completed his rabbinical studies in 1973 and was elected chief rabbi of Rome in 2001....
(2002–)
Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Josiah Pardo (1648–1669)
- Judah Salomon (1682)
- Solomon EzekielSolomon Ezekiel-Life:Ezekiel was the son of Abraham Ezekiel Ezekiel. He was born at Newton Abbot, Devonshire, on 7 June 1781, and settled at Penzance as a plumber. In January 1820 he published a letter to Sir Rose Price, bart., chairman of a branch of the Society for Promoting Christianity among the Jews, who had...
(1725–1735) - Judah Ezekiel (1738–1755)
- Abraham Ezekiel (1755–79)
- Judah Eger (1779–1781)
- Aryeh Leib Breslau (1741–1809)
- Elijah Casriel (1815–1833)
- E. J. Löwenstamm (1834–1845)
- Dr. Joseph Isaacsohn (1850–1871)
- Dr. Bernhard Löbel Ritter (1885–1928)
- Simon Hirsch (1928–1930)
- Aaron Davids (1930–1944)
- Justus Tal (1945–1954)
- Rodrigues Pereira (1954–1959)
- Levie VorstLevie VorstRabbi Levie Vorst was rabbi of Rotterdam from 1946 to 1959 and chief rabbi from 1959 to 1971....
(1959–1971) - Daniel Kahn (1972–1975)
- Albert Hutterer (1975–1977)
- Dov Salzmann (1986–1988)
- Lody van de Kamp
- Raphael EversRaphael EversRaphael Evers is the Rabbi of Rotterdam and an authoritative Jewish spokesman in the Netherlands.-Family:Evers grew up in Amsterdam-West. His father was Hans Evers. His mother, Bloeme Evers-Emden , is a Dutch Jew who was deported from Westerbork to Auschwitz in September 1944 on the same train as...
- Yaakov Emden
St. Louis, Missouri
- Chaim Fischel Epstein
- Menachem Zvi Eichenstein (1943–1982)
- Sholom RivkinSholom RivkinRabbi Sholom Rivkin , was an Israeli-born American rabbi. He was the last Chief Rabbi of St. Louis, Missouri, and the last chief rabbi of one of only a few cities in the United States that has ever had a chief rabbi. He held the post of Chief Rabbi from 1983 until 2005 and was Chief Rabbi Emeritus...
(1983-2011)
Great Synagogue
- Rabbi Raymond AppleRaymond Apple (rabbi)Rabbi Raymond Apple was the Senior Rabbi of the Great Synagogue of Sydney between 1972 and 2005. In this role, he was one of Australia's highest profile rabbis and the leading spokesman for Judaism in Australia....
(1972–2004) - Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence (2005–present)
Sephardi
- Ben-Zion Meir Hai UzielBen-Zion Meir Hai UzielBen-Zion Meir Hai Uziel was the Sephardi chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 to 1954.-Biography:...
(1911–1939) - Ya'akov Moshe ToledanoYa'akov Moshe ToledanoRabbi Ya'akov Moshe Toledano was an Israeli rabbi who served as Minister of Religions for two brief periods between 1958 and 1960. He also served as chief rabbi of Cairo, Alexandria and Tel Aviv....
(1942–1960) - Ovadia YosefOvadia YosefOvadia Yosef is the former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, a recognised Talmudic scholar and foremost halakhic authority.He currently serves as the spiritual leader of the Shas political party in the Israeli parliament...
(1968–1973) - Hayim David HaLeviHayim David HaLeviRabbi Hayim David HaLevi , also written Haim David ha-Levi, etc. ,was Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. He was born in Jerusalem and studied under Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva. When R. Uziel was appointed Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, he hired R...
(1973–1998?)
Vienna, Austria
- Yitshak Ehrenberg (1983-1989)http://www.jg-berlin.org/en/judaism/rabbis/rab-y-ehrenberg.html
- Akiva Eisenberg
- Paul Chaim Eisenberg
Warsaw, Poland
- Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz (1988–1999)
- Baruch Rabinowitz (1999–2000)
- Michael SchudrichMichael SchudrichMichael Joseph Schudrich is the Chief Rabbi of Poland. He is the oldest of four children of Rabbi David Schudrich and Doris Goldfarb Schudrich.-Biography:...
(2000–)