Rabbi Aaron Uri Phoebus Hart ( he, רבי אהרן אורי פײבוש הרט, translit=Aharon Uri Feibush Hart; 1670 – 1756) was a British

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, who served as spiritual leader of the

Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

Great Synagogue of London The Great Synagogue of London was, for centuries, the centre of Ashkenazi synagogue and Jewish life in London. Built north of Aldgate in the 17th century, it was destroyed during World War II, in the Blitz. History The earliest Ashkenazi synagog ...

from 1704 until his death. He is widely regarded as the first

chief rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''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 ...

of Great Britain.

Biography

He was born in Breslau, Silesia, to Hartwig Moses Hart (also known as Naphtali Hertz of

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

) who was a rabbi at Breslau and later at Hamburg. After studying at a

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

in Poland, he married the daughter of R.

Samuel ben Phoebus Samuel ben Uri Shraga Phoebus (alternatively, "Or Shraga", "Faivish", "Fayvish", "Faibesh", etc.) (Hebrew: שמואל בן אורי שרגא פיביש) was a Polish rabbi and Talmudist of Woydyslaw in the second half of the 17th century. In his ea ...

Fürth Fürth (; East Franconian: ; yi, פיורדא, Fiurda) is a city in northern Bavaria, Germany, in the administrative division (''Regierungsbezirk'') of Middle Franconia. It is now contiguous with the larger city of Nuremberg, the centres of the t ...

, author of the ''Beit Shmuel'', a commentary on Eben ha'Ezer. In 1704 or 1705 he was appointed rabbi of the first Ashkenazic synagogue in London, probably through the influence of his wealthy brother, Moses Hart, founder and '' parnas'' of the Great Synagogue, Duke's place, London; and one of the communities two most powerful individuals. Some point to the other of the two most powerful individuals: Abraham of Hamburg (also known as Reb Aberle) a gem dealer, who used his considerable rabbinical knowledge to intimidate the community's spiritual leaders. According to Rubinstein & Jolles: "He almost certainly engineered the downfall of Rabbi Judah Loeb ben Ephraim Anschel in order to replace him with Rabbi Aaron Hart." In 1706 Hart's approval of a controversial divorce was criticized by a member Marcus (Mordechai) Moses, whom Abraham of Hamburg (almost certainly with Hart's approval) had previously prevented from opening a small ''

beth midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kness ...

''. Rabbi Hart responded by

excommunicating Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the Koinonia, communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The ...

Moses based on a 12th-century ruling which he claimed authorized him to do so. Moses turned to other Rabbis who agreed that his excommunication should not stand. Rabbis including

Tzvi Ashkenazi Tzvi Hirsch ben Yaakov Ashkenazi ( he, צבי אשכנזי; 1656 – May 2, 1718), known as the Chacham Tzvi after his responsa by the same title, served for some time as rabbi of Amsterdam. He was a resolute opponent of the followers of the fals ...

and others expressed outrage, criticizing Hart's impetuous and excessive punishment. However, Abraham of Hamburg prevailed on the weak-willed Hart to maintain the excommunication. Moses was forced to start a rival synagogue, later known as the Hambro synagogue. In 1707, Hart published a defense of his position titled '' Urim ve-Tummim''. It is notable for being the first book printed entirely in Hebrew in London. Rabbi Jochanan Holleschau, one of the Rabbis that sided with Moses, wrote a rebuttal called ''Ma'aseh Rav''. A portrait of Rabbi Hart hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

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* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hart, Aaron 1670 births 1756 deaths 18th-century English rabbis British people of Polish-Jewish descent Chief rabbis of the United Kingdom Clergy from Wrocław People from the Kingdom of Bohemia Polish emigrants to the United Kingdom Silesian Jews Rabbis from London