Bent Melchior (24 June 1929 – 28 July 2021) was a chief rabbi of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

Life and career

Melchior was born to Danish parents in the German city of Beuthen (now Bytom in Poland), where his father, Marcus Melchior, was rabbi. In 1943, during the Nazi German occupation of Denmark, Marcus Melchior was instrumental in saving

Danish Jews The history of the Jews in Denmark goes back to the 1600s. At present, the Jewish community of Denmark constitutes a small minority of about 6,000 persons within Danish society. The community's population peaked prior to the Holocaust at whi ...

, and became chief rabbi of Denmark in 1947. From October 1943 to mid 1945, Melchior and his family lived as refugees in Sweden. Melchior served as a soldier in the 1947–1949 Palestine war, beginning in pre-statehood battles in 1947.Chief Rabbi of Denmark Speaker for Synagogue Council Dinner
. ''The Jewish Floridian'' (Miami, Florida). 28 January 1972.p. 5A. Via

Florida Digital Newspaper Library The Florida Digital Newspaper Library provides access to the news and history of Florida through local Florida newspapers. The Florida Digital Newspaper Library is supported by the University of Florida's George A. Smathers Libraries and hosted in ...

, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida. Retrieved 3 May 2018. Subsequently, at the age of 21, he received a Ph.D. from

Copenhagen University The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia after Uppsala Unive ...

. After a period as a teacher in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Melchior had his rabbinical education in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. In 1963 he became rabbi at the synagogue in

. When his father died in 1969, he succeeded him as chief rabbi. He translated the

Pentateuch The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

, the

Siddur A siddur ( he, סִדּוּר ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, '' ...

(Jewish prayer book) and other books into Danish, as well as writing several books including his autobiography. He was a prolific speaker and writer in the Danish community and media. Melchior retired from the rabbinate in 1996. His successor was

Bent Lexner Bent may refer to: Places * Bent, Iran, a city in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran * Bent District, an administrative subdivision of Iran * Bent, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Rijnwoude, the Netherlands * Bent County, Colo ...

. In retirement Melchior continued his humanitarian and charitable work in Denmark and abroad.

Personal life

Bent Melchior married Lilian Weissdorf in 1951. The couple had four sons, including

Michael Melchior Michael Melchior ( he, מיכאל מלכיאור; born January 31, 1954) is a Jewish leader, Orthodox rabbi, thinker, and activist. He is a former Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a former ...

. His grandson Jair Melchior is currently the chief rabbi of Denmark.

References

External links

Chief Rabbis of Denmark
1929 births 2021 deaths Danish Orthodox rabbis 20th-century rabbis Bent University of Copenhagen alumni {{Europe-rabbi-stub