Shlomo Moussaieff (rabbi)
Encyclopedia
Shlomo Moussaieff was born in the city of Bukhara
in 1852 in what is today Uzbekistan
and was one of the founders of the Bukharian Quarter in Jerusalem. He is also the patriarch of the Moussaieff Clan which includes such notable personalities as Shlomo Moussaieff of London, Dorrit Moussaieff
of Iceland
, Alon Moussaieff of Jerusalem, the late Shdema Moussaieff, Joseph Moss(Yosef Moussaieff) and Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
.
, Shlomo Moussaieff studied under Rabbi David Chafin and Joshua Shushan. Joining him in his studies were Yosef Kohjinoff, Rafael Potihaloff, Moshe Cheh Yizhakoff, Avraham Aminoff Talmudi, and Aba Shimon Gaon. He was a learned man, with the honorary title of rabbi as well as a merchant. As a merchant he engaged in the tea trade, real estate, and is said to have started one of the first banks in Bukhara. In 1888, motivated by religious convictions, he relocated to Jerusalem, and was one of several Bukharian Jews responsible for building the Bukharian Quarter, including a synagogue named for him that is thriving till today.
From the period of the late 19th century till World War I
, the Bukharian Quarter of Jerusalem was one of the most affluent sections of the city, populated by Bukharian Jewish merchants and religious scholars supported primarily by various trading activities such as cotton
, gemstone
, and tea
in Central Asia
and Russia
.
After World War I, the Bukharian Quarter of Jerusalem fell into a period of decline as monies formerly received by the residents dried up because of the Bolshevik
Revolution.
As a religious scholar, Shlomo Moussaieff was also was a collector of rare religious texts and manuscripts of Maimonides
and Rabbi Haim Vital. This collection is currently housed in a special collection in the Bar Ilan University library.
, "the most learned of the Jews of Bukhara" and " a young man of extraordinary talents". Malka, the daughter of Pinhas Hakatan, married Avraham Haim Gaon. According to legend, Avraham Haim Gaon traveled from Bukhara to Jerusalem on a lion's back as recounted by his grandson, Raphael Gaon:
"Avraham Haim Gaon decided to travel to Jerusalem. He prepared himself and others for the long trip and they set off traveling via Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, they hired a guide who instructed them to travel by way of the Indian desert and from there to Jerusalem. They group traveled for a week. When the Sabbath was about to begin, Avraham Haim Gaon suggested to the group that they stop traveling until after the Sabbath. The members of the group, however, consulted with the guide who told them that the area they were in was inhabited by dangerous animals and they must leave immediately for safer ground. Avraham Haim Gaon decided to stay while the others, due to fear, left. He made the kiddush, ate as was customary, slept well, and rose and prayed. When the Sabbath was over, he noticed a lion approaching and very much afraid, he took hold of his equipment. But then the lion crawled between his legs and carried him." Avraham Haim Gaon was the father of Esther Gaonoff and of the renowned Rabbi Aba Shimon Gaon. He died in 1910 in Jerusalem.
Moussaieff's sons mostly moved abroad, first to France
, and then to the United States
. They primarily engaged in trade in pearls and precious stones from India
, South East Asia, and South America
.
will receive his inheritance. Much of his property in the Bukharian Quarter was declared a "religious endowment" or "hekdesh" in Hebrew and "waqf" in Arabic which could not be sold. Till this day, proceeds from rents of the property, are received by those direct male descendants of Shlomo Moussaieff who live in Israel. Shlomo Moussaieff died at the age of 70 in 1922. He and several of his sons are buried on the Mount of Olives
in Jerusalem.
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
in 1852 in what is today Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
and was one of the founders of the Bukharian Quarter in Jerusalem. He is also the patriarch of the Moussaieff Clan which includes such notable personalities as Shlomo Moussaieff of London, Dorrit Moussaieff
Dorrit Moussaieff
Dorrit Moussaieff is an Israeli-born British jewellery designer, editor and businesswoman. She is the First Lady of Iceland, married to Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, president of Iceland.-Biography:...
of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, Alon Moussaieff of Jerusalem, the late Shdema Moussaieff, Joseph Moss(Yosef Moussaieff) and Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
Dr. Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson is an American author, residing in New Zealand. Masson is best known for his conclusions about Sigmund Freud and psychoanalysis...
.
Early life
As a Bukharian Jewish child in UzbekistanUzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, Shlomo Moussaieff studied under Rabbi David Chafin and Joshua Shushan. Joining him in his studies were Yosef Kohjinoff, Rafael Potihaloff, Moshe Cheh Yizhakoff, Avraham Aminoff Talmudi, and Aba Shimon Gaon. He was a learned man, with the honorary title of rabbi as well as a merchant. As a merchant he engaged in the tea trade, real estate, and is said to have started one of the first banks in Bukhara. In 1888, motivated by religious convictions, he relocated to Jerusalem, and was one of several Bukharian Jews responsible for building the Bukharian Quarter, including a synagogue named for him that is thriving till today.
From the period of the late 19th century till World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, the Bukharian Quarter of Jerusalem was one of the most affluent sections of the city, populated by Bukharian Jewish merchants and religious scholars supported primarily by various trading activities such as cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, gemstone
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
, and tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
After World War I, the Bukharian Quarter of Jerusalem fell into a period of decline as monies formerly received by the residents dried up because of the Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
Revolution.
Motivations
In the prayer book which he authored, Hukat Olam, he described his motivation in moving to Jerusalem and his religious conviction:- "I, Shlomo Moussaieff, native of Bukhara.. My spirit moved me to leave the land of my birth, in which I grew up, and to ascend to the Holy Land, the land in which our ancestors dwelled in happiness, the land whose memory passes before us ten times each day in our prayers...We do not have any festive occasion without a memorial to Jerusalem....There is no doubt that I am required to thank God for all the good he has done for me. He has brought me across the sea three times. He has kept me alive, and has brought me to the place of my desire for the good life and peace to see the pleasantness of God and to visit his sanctuary. If the temple was standing, I would bring a sacrifice of thanksgiving. Now because of our sins there is no temple and no priest to bring the sacrifice..Therefore I had the idea to help the many and publish these prayer books for the weekdays and Sabbath and holidays. Prayer is a substitute for sacrifice. Prayer to God is what connects Israel to their father in heaven, although Israelite nation has been vanquished in exile for more than eighteen hundred years."
As a religious scholar, Shlomo Moussaieff was also was a collector of rare religious texts and manuscripts of Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
and Rabbi Haim Vital. This collection is currently housed in a special collection in the Bar Ilan University library.
Family name
The family name, "Moussaieff" was taken from Shlomo Moussaieff's ancestor, Moshe or Musa, the son of Yakov, who was born in 1771 and died in 1843. Moshe was the grandfather of Shlomo Moussaieff. Shlomo Moussaieff's father was named Yakov who was born in 1812 and died in Jerusalem in 1892. Yakov Moussaieff's wife, Sarah, died in Bukhara in 1889.Marriage
Shlomo Moussaieff was married to Esther Gaonoff. Esther Gaonoff traced her ancestry to Yosef Maman, originally of Tetuan, Morocco, who arrived in Bukhara in the late 18th century and revived Rabbinic learning there. Maman married, Hannah, the daughter of Mullah Jan Tajah of Sharisabz. Their offspring, Miriam, married Mullah Pinhas Hakatan (d. 1875), a renowned Rabbi, called by the missionary and traveler, Joseph WolffJoseph Wolff
Joseph Wolff , Jewish Christian missionary, was born at Weilersbach, near Bamberg, Germany. He travelled widely, and was known as the Eccentric Missionary, according to Fitzroy Maclean's Eastern Approaches...
, "the most learned of the Jews of Bukhara" and " a young man of extraordinary talents". Malka, the daughter of Pinhas Hakatan, married Avraham Haim Gaon. According to legend, Avraham Haim Gaon traveled from Bukhara to Jerusalem on a lion's back as recounted by his grandson, Raphael Gaon:
"Avraham Haim Gaon decided to travel to Jerusalem. He prepared himself and others for the long trip and they set off traveling via Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, they hired a guide who instructed them to travel by way of the Indian desert and from there to Jerusalem. They group traveled for a week. When the Sabbath was about to begin, Avraham Haim Gaon suggested to the group that they stop traveling until after the Sabbath. The members of the group, however, consulted with the guide who told them that the area they were in was inhabited by dangerous animals and they must leave immediately for safer ground. Avraham Haim Gaon decided to stay while the others, due to fear, left. He made the kiddush, ate as was customary, slept well, and rose and prayed. When the Sabbath was over, he noticed a lion approaching and very much afraid, he took hold of his equipment. But then the lion crawled between his legs and carried him." Avraham Haim Gaon was the father of Esther Gaonoff and of the renowned Rabbi Aba Shimon Gaon. He died in 1910 in Jerusalem.
Children
Shlomo Moussaieff and Esther Gaonoff had seven children: Yehuda Moussaieff, Sam Moussaieff, Henri Moussaieff , Maurice Moussaieff, Rehavia Moussaieff, Sarah, and Bat Sheva.Moussaieff's sons mostly moved abroad, first to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and then to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They primarily engaged in trade in pearls and precious stones from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, South East Asia, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Death
Shlomo Moussaieff was devoutly religious and committed to living in the Land of Israel. On his death bed, he stipulated in his oral will that only those of his sons who live in the Land of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
will receive his inheritance. Much of his property in the Bukharian Quarter was declared a "religious endowment" or "hekdesh" in Hebrew and "waqf" in Arabic which could not be sold. Till this day, proceeds from rents of the property, are received by those direct male descendants of Shlomo Moussaieff who live in Israel. Shlomo Moussaieff died at the age of 70 in 1922. He and several of his sons are buried on the Mount of Olives
Mount of Olives
The Mount of Olives is a mountain ridge in East Jerusalem with three peaks running from north to south. The highest, at-Tur, rises to 818 meters . It is named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes...
in Jerusalem.
See also
- Dorrit MoussaieffDorrit MoussaieffDorrit Moussaieff is an Israeli-born British jewellery designer, editor and businesswoman. She is the First Lady of Iceland, married to Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, president of Iceland.-Biography:...
- Ólafur Ragnar GrímssonÓlafur Ragnar GrímssonÓlafur Ragnar Grímsson is the fifth and current President of Iceland. He has served as President since 1996; he was unopposed in 2000, re-elected for a third term in 2004, and re-elected unopposed for a fourth term in 2008. He is the longest-serving left-wing president in the history of...
(President of IcelandPresident of IcelandThe President of Iceland is Iceland's elected head of state. The president is elected to a four-year term by universal adult suffrage and has limited powers. The president is not the head of government; the Prime Minister of Iceland is the head of government. There have been five presidents since...
inter-married with Dorrit Moussaieff, an Israeli Bukharian) - Shlomo Moussaieff (businessman)Shlomo Moussaieff (businessman)Shlomo Moussaieff is an Israeli millionaire of Bukharian Jewish descent who has lived in London since the early 1960s. He is the son of Rehavia Moussaieff, and grandson of Shlomo Moussaieff of Bukhara. He made most of his fortune by selling precious jewelry to international royalty and high...