Isaac Juda Palache (Dutch: Izak van Juda Palache) (January 30, 1858 – December 2, 1926) (Hebrew calendar: 15 Siebat 5618–26 Kiesliw 5687) was grand rabbi of the Portuguese Sephardic community of Amsterdam from 1900 to 1926 and a member of the

Pallache family "Pallache" – also de Palacio(s), Palache, Palaçi, Palachi, Palacci, Palaggi, and many other variations (documented below) – is the surname of a prominent, Ladino-speaking, Sephardic Jewish family from the Iberian Peninsula, who spread mostl ...

Background

Palache was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on January 30, 1858 (15 Siebat 5618). Orphaned at age eight years old, he went to the Portuguese-Jewish Orphanage. He showed early interest in attending the Portuguese Sephardic Jewish seminary. There he studied under rabbis A. v. J. Vaz Dias, D. Lopes Cardozo, E. Beneditty, A.D. Delaville. Later, he studied under the grand rabbi of Loen. He also studied mathematics.

Career

In 1884, age 24, Pallache was appointed aspiring rabbi and in 1885 rabbi to the Portuguese Sephardic Jewish congregation in Amsterdam. In 1888, when his teacher in Loen was appointed Chief Rabbi in

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

, he followed him as rector of its Portuguese Jewish seminary "Ets Haïm." In 1990, he was appointed Chief Rabbi of the Portuguese Sephardic Jewish congregation of Amsterdam.

Personal and death

His son was professor

Juda Lion Palache Juda Lion Palache (October 26, 1886 – October 18, 1944) was a professor of Semitic languages (Hebrew, Arabic, Aramaic) at the University of Amsterdam and a leader of the Portuguese Jewish community in that city. He came from the Pallache family ...

. Palache died on December 2, 1926 (Hebrew calendar 26 Kiesliw 5687).

Legacy

In 1929, the Kennis en Godsvrucht (Knowledge and Goodness) Association opened the Palache School as a primary school in Amsterdam, which it named after grand rabbi Isaac Juda Palache. It was one of three Jewish elementary schools there before World War II. Later, it was renamed Brugmaschool. Today, it is an apartment building.

References

External sources