Makhlouf Eldaoudi ( he, מכלוף אלדאודי; 1825–1909) was the Hakham Bashi (Turkish for the

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 the Jewish communities of

Acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

, Haifa,

Safed Safed (known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardi Hebrew, Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation, Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), i ...

and Tiberias (1889–1909). He was born in

Marrakesh Marrakesh or Marrakech ( or ; ar, مراكش, murrākuš, ; ber, ⵎⵕⵕⴰⴽⵛ, translit=mṛṛakc}) is the fourth largest city in the Kingdom of Morocco. It is one of the four Imperial cities of Morocco and is the capital of the Marrakes ...

, Morocco, and his family later migrated to the

Galilee Galilee (; he, הַגָּלִיל, hagGālīl; ar, الجليل, al-jalīl) is a region located in northern Israel and southern Lebanon. Galilee traditionally refers to the mountainous part, divided into Upper Galilee (, ; , ) and Lower Galil ...

. His father, David, descended from the poet Hiyya al-Daudi, and belonged to the Jewish elite. Eldaoudi became a

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 o ...

during his youth. He made trips as official rabbi to many countries of the world, since he spoke several languages. In 1889 he was designated Hakham Bashi, with the permission of the Ottoman sultan

Abdul Hamid II Abdülhamid or Abdul Hamid II ( ota, عبد الحميد ثانی, Abd ül-Hamid-i Sani; tr, II. Abdülhamid; 21 September 1842 10 February 1918) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 31 August 1876 to 27 April 1909, and the last sultan to ...

. During his period as Hakham Bashi he tried to recover the Jews who wished to convert to other religions. His son, Selim, narrated in his ''Memories'' all the otherwise unknown episodes in which his father took part. Makhlouf Eldaoudi died in

Tzfat Safed (known in Hebrew as Tzfat; Sephardic Hebrew & Modern Hebrew: צְפַת ''Tsfat'', Ashkenazi Hebrew: ''Tzfas'', Biblical Hebrew: ''Ṣǝp̄aṯ''; ar, صفد, ''Ṣafad''), is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevat ...

at the age of 83. He was buried in the

Safed Old Jewish Cemetery The ancient Jewish cemetery in Safed is one of the oldest cemeteries in Israel. It has served for many centuries as a burial place for the local residents, including prominent and important figures in the heritage of Israel. The cemetery is locat ...

Sources

* Szekely, Yaffa: ''Unknown episodes in the public activity of Rabbi Makhlouf Eldaoudi in his early years as Hakham Bashi of Akko and Haifa'' a
Beth Hatefutsoth
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eldaoudi, Makhlouf 19th-century rabbis from the Ottoman Empire People from Marrakesh 19th-century Moroccan Jews Moroccan emigrants to Israel 1825 births 1909 deaths Rabbis in Safed Burials at the Old Jewish Cemetery, Safed Rabbis in Ottoman Galilee Shelichei derabonan (rabbis)