Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי, translit=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 capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel, Israel has had two chief rabbis, one

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 ...

and one

Sephardi Sephardic (or Sephardi) Jews (, ; lad, Djudíos Sefardíes), also ''Sepharadim'' , Modern Hebrew: ''Sfaradim'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: Səp̄āraddîm, also , ''Ye'hude Sepharad'', lit. "The Jews of Spain", es, Judíos sefardíes (or ), ...

. Cities with large Jewish communities may also have their own chief rabbis; this is especially the case in Israel but has also been past practice in major Jewish centers in Europe prior to

the Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

. North American cities rarely have chief rabbis. One exception however is

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, with two—one for the Ashkenazi community, the other for the Sephardi.

Jewish law ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws which is derived from the Torah, written and Oral Tora ...

provides no

scriptural Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various religions consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They differ from literature by being a compilation or discussion of beliefs, mythologies, ritual prac ...

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

ic support for the post of a "chief rabbi." The office, however, is said by many to find its precedent in the religio-political authority figures of Jewish antiquity (e.g.,

kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

, high priests, patriarchs, exilarchs and ''geonim''). The position arose in Europe in the Middle Ages from governing authorities largely for secular administrative reasons such as collecting taxes and registering vital statistics, and for providing an intermediary between the government and the Jewish community, for example in the establishment of the Crown rabbi in several kingdoms of the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...

, the ''rab de la corte'' in the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th centu ...

or the ''arrabi mor'' in the

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...

, likely influenced by the expectations of their

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

, and

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

governments and neighbors. Similarly, in the 19th century there was a '' Crown rabbi'' of the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

By country/region

Albania

* Joel Kaplan (2010–present)

Argentina

Sephardi (Syrian)

* Salomon Benhamu * Yosef Chehebar

Sephardi

* Isaac Sacca (1997–present)

Ashkenazi

* Gabriel Davidovich (2013–present)

Austria

* Jitzchok ben Mosche von Wien, "Or Sorua" (ca. 1200–1270) * Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller, "Tosfos Jomtov" (1578–1654) * Scheftel Horowitz (1561–1619) * Gerschon "Uliph" Aschkenasi (ca. 1612–1693) *

Samson Wertheimer Samson Wertheimer (17 January 1658 – 6 August 1724) was chief rabbi of Hungary and Moravia, and rabbi of Eisenstadt. He was also an Austrian financier, court Jew and ''Shtadlan'' to Austrian Emperor Leopold I. Family Wertheimer was born in ...

(1658–1724) * Mosche Chanoch Berliner (1727–1793) *

Isaak Noah Mannheimer Isaac Noah Mannheimer (October 17, 1793, Copenhagen – March 17, 1865, Vienna) was a Jewish preacher. Biography The son of a ''chazzan'', he began the study of the Talmud at an early age, though not to the neglect of secular studies. On completi ...

(1824–1865) *

Lazar Horowitz Lazar Horowitz, or Eleazar HaLevi Ish Horowitz, Eleasar ben David Josua Hoeschel Horowitz, aka El'azar Hurwitz (1803/1804, Floß, Upper Palatinate - June 11, 1868, Vöslau) was an Orthodox Rabbi who led the Orthodox Jewish community of Vienna du ...

(1828–1868), chief rabbi of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

* Adolf Jellinek (1865–1893) *

Moritz Güdemann Moritz Güdemann ( he, משה גידמן; 19 February 1835 – 5 August 1918) was an Austrian rabbi and historian. He served as chief rabbi of Vienna. Biography Moritz (Moshe) Güdemann attended the Jewish school in Hildesheim, and thereafter we ...

(1894–1918) *

Zwi Perez Chajes Zwi Perez Chajes, also Tzvi-Peretz Hayot, (13 October 1876 – 13 December 1927) was a rabbi, historian, biblical scholar and a notable Zionist leader. Biography Zwi Perez Chajes was born in 1876 in Brody, then part of Austria-Hungary, now in Uk ...

(1918–1927) *

David Feuchtwang David Feuchtwang (27 November 1864 – 6 July 1936) was a Jewish scholar and author, and chief rabbi of Vienna from 1933 until his death in 1936. David Feuchtwang was born in Nikolsburg, Moravia (now Mikulov, Czech Republic) on 27 November 1864, th ...

(1933–1936) * Israel Taglicht (1936), provisional chief rabbi * Insp. I. Öhler (1946), preacher at the Stadttempel *

Akiva Eisenberg Dr. Akiba Eisenberg (20 September 1908 – 8 April 1983) was a former Chief Rabbi of Vienna. Biography Eisenberg was born in Vác, near Budapest. During World War II, he survived by hiding with his brother in the outlying area with non-Jewish f ...

(1948–1983) *

Paul Chaim Eisenberg Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

(1983–2016) *

Arie Folger Arie is a masculine given name. As a Dutch name, Arie (pronounced ) is generally a short form of Adrianus, but sometimes also of Arend or Arent, Arnout or Arnoud, or even Aaron. As a Hebrew, Jewish, or Israeli name, Arie (pronounced ) is a tra ...

(July 2016)

Belgium

Eliakim Carmoly Eliakim Carmoly (5 August 1802 in Soultz-Haut-Rhin, France – 15 February 1875 in Frankfurt) was a French scholar. He was born at Soultz-Haut-Rhin, then in the French department of Haut-Rhin. His real name was ''Goschel David Behr'' (or ''Ba ...

(1832–1839) *

Henri Loeb Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

Aristide Astrue Jean-Bertrand Aristide (born 15 July 1953) is a Haitian former Salesian priest and politician who became Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in ...

Élie-Aristide Astruc Élie-Aristide Astruc (December 12, 1831 - February 23, 1905) was a French Rabbi, essayist, and the Grand Rabbi of Belgium from 1866 to 1879. Biography Élie-Aristide Astruc was born on December 12, 1831, in Bordeaux, France, where the Astruc f ...

(1866–1879) *

Abraham Dreyfus Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...

Armand Bloch Armand Lucien Bloch (1 July 1866, Montbéliard - 5 March 1932, Paris) was a French sculptor. Life and work His father, Maurice Bloch, was a sculptor, who established a metal casting company in 1857. He entered the École des Beaux-Arts in 1884, ...

Bulgaria

* Gabriel Almosnino (1880–1885) * Presiado Bakish (1885–1889) * Shimon Dankowitz (1889–1891) * Moshe Tadjer (1891–1893) *

Moritz Grünwald Moritz is the German equivalent of the name Maurice. It may refer to: People Given name * Saint Maurice, also called Saint Moritz, the leader of the legendary Roman Theban Legion in the 3rd century * Prince Moritz of Hesse (2007), the son of ...

(1893–1895) * Presiado Bakish (1895–1898) * Moshe Tadjer (1898–1900) *

Mordecai Ehrenpreis Mordecai Ehrenpreis (25 June 1869 – 26 February 1951) was a Hebrew author, publisher and Zionist activist. From 1914 until his death he served as chief rabbi of Stockholm. Biography Mordechai (Marcus) Ehrenpreis was born in Lviv. As a young man ...

(1900–1914) *

M. Hezkeya Shabetay Davidov ( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of respec ...

(1914–1918) * David Pifano (1920–1925) * No Chief Rabbi (1925–1945) * Asher Hannanel (1945–1949) *

Behor Kahlon Boheyr or Behor or Bohair or Boher or Buher ( fa, بحير, link=no) may refer to: * Boheyr 1, Ahvaz County * Boheyr 2, Ahvaz County * Boheyr-e Olya Boheyr-e Olya ( fa, بحيرعليا, also Romanized as Boḩeyr-e ‘Olyā) is a village in Moll ...

(1990–2012) *

Aharon Zerbib Aharon אַהֲרֹן is masculine given name alternate spelling, commonly in Israel, of '' Aaron'', prominent biblical figure in the Old Testament, "Of the Mountains", or "Mountaineer". There are other variants including "Ahron" and "Aron". Aha ...

(2012–2015) *

Yoel Yifrach Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

(2015–Present)

Chile

* Angel Kreiman Brill, 1970s and 1980s

Colombia

Ashkenazi

Eliezer Paltiel Roitblatt Eliezer (, "Help/Court of El") was the name of at least three different individuals in the Bible. Eliezer of Damascus Eliezer of Damascus () was, according to the Targums, the son of Nimrod. Eliezer was head of the patriarch Abraham's househo ...

(1946-1957) *

Chaim Menachem Bentzion Blumenkrantz The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name '' Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Ha ...

(Early 1950s) * Alfredo Goldschmidt (1974–Present) (appointed 1991)

Sephardi

Miguel Attias --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places * Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands *São Miguel (disamb ...

(1948-Early 1950) *

David Sharbani David Sharbani ( he, דוד שרבני; born August 16, 1920) was the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi (Gran Rabino) of Colombia. He served as the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Colombia from the early 1950s to 1978. Following his tenure, Rabbi Sharbani mov ...

(Early 1950s-1978) * Yehuda Benhamu (1978-1986) * Yehuda Ari Azancot (1986-2000) * Shlomo Meir Elharar (2000-2010) * Avi Amsalem (2010-Dec. 2020)

Chabad

* Yehoshua Rosenfeld (1980–Present)

Cuba

* Meyer Rosenbaum (Son of Isamar of Nadvorna, Elected 1948: left Cuba in 1956, a little more than two years before

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

came to power in the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

) * Raphael Yair Elnadav (1956–1959) *

Shmuel Szteinhendler Shmuel Szteinhendler, a rabbi in Santiago, Chile, is considered the current Chief Rabbi of Cuba and one of the most notable Rabbis in Latin America. Szteinhendler was born in Argentina and trained as a Conservative rabbi in Buenos Aires.Ozzie No ...

current Chief Rabbi of Cuba and regional director for

Masorti Judaism Conservative Judaism, known as Masorti Judaism outside North America, is a Jewish religious movement which regards the authority of ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions as coming primarily from its people and community through the generat ...

in Latin America.

Croatia

Miroslav Šalom Freiberger Miroslav Šalom Freiberger ( he, שלום פרייברגר; 9 January 1903 – 8 May 1943) was a Croatian chief rabbi, translator, writer and spiritual leader. He was educated as a lawyer and doctor of theology. Biography Freiberger was born ...

(1941–1943) *

Kotel Da-Don Kotel Dadon ( he, כותל דדון; born December 12, 1967) is Croatian rabbi of the Bet Israel community in Zagreb. Da-Don, who was born and educated in Israel, settled in Zagreb in 1998. He was the chief rabbi of Croatia from 1998 to 2006. Ea ...

(1998–2006) from 2006 rabbi of the Bet Israel community

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

Luciano Moše Prelević Rabbi Luciano Moše Prelević (born 1953 in Zagreb) is the Croatian rabbi of the Jewish community in Zagreb and chief rabbi of the Montenegro Jewish community. Early life and family From his mother's side of the family, he is a descendant of ...

(2006–)

Cyprus

Arie Zeev Raskin Rabbi Arie Zeev Raskin ( he, אריה זאב רסקין; born 1976) is the Chief Rabbi of Cyprus and the first rabbi on the island in many years. Career Raskin's brothers are also serving as rabbis in Jewish communities, with Shlomo Raskin in Fra ...

(2005–)

Czech Republic

Karol Sidon Karol may refer to: Places * Karol, Gujarat, a village on Saurashtra peninsula in Gujarat, west India * Karol State, a former Rajput petty princely state with seat in the above town Film/TV *'' Karol: A Man Who Became Pope'', a 2005 miniseries *' ...

Denmark

Abraham Salomon Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jews ...

(1687–1700) * (1700–1728) * Marcus David (1729–1739) *

Hirsch Samuel Levy Hirsch may refer to: Places * Hirsch, Saskatchewan, Canada * Hirsch Observatory, in Troy, New York, U.S. People * Afua Hirsch (born 1981), Norwegian-born British writer, broadcaster, and former barrister * Alex Hirsch (born 1985), American an ...

(1741–1775) * (1778–1793) *

Abraham Gedalia Abraham Gedalia (1752–1827; he, אברהם גדליה) was the Chief Rabbi of Denmark in the late 18th and early 19th century. Biography Gedalia was born in Poland, where his father, was a rabbi. Gedalia followed in his father's footsteps, b ...

(1793–1827) * Abraham Wolff (1828–1891) * David Simonsen (1892–1902, 1919–1920) * Tobias Lewenstein (1903–1910) *

Max Schornstein Rabbi Dr. Mordecai Schornstein ( he, מרדכי שורנשטיין; 6 February 1869 – 18 October 1949) was the Chief Rabbi of Denmark, an animal lover and the founder of the Tel Aviv zoo. Biography Schornstein was born in 1869 in Tachov, Boh ...

(1910–1919) * Max (Moses) Friediger (1920–1947) *

Marcus Melchior Marcus Melchior (1897 – 1969) was the rabbi of the main synagogue in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the time of the rescue of the Danish Jews in October 1943, during the Second World War. After escaping with his family and other Danish Jews to Sweden, ...

(1947–1969) * Bent Melchior (1970–1996) * (1996–2014) * (2014–)

Ecuador

*Menachem Mendel Fried (2022- )

Egypt

* Moses Israel (?-1802) * Refael Aharon Ben Shimon (1891–1921) * Masoud Haim Ben Shimon (1921–1925) *

Chaim Nahum Chaim (Haim) Nahum Effendi ( tr, Haim Nahum Efendi; ; ) (1872–1960) was a Jewish scholar, jurist, and linguist of the early 20th century. He served as the Grand Rabbi of the Ottoman Empire.Kuneralp, Sinan. "Ottoman Diplomatic and Consular ...

(1925–1960) *

Haim Moussa Douek Rabbi Haim Moussa Douek (1905–1974) (Hebrew: חיים דוויך / Arabic:حايم دويك) was the last Chief Rabbi of Egypt. Early life and early career Born in Anteb, Turkey, on the border of Syria, he was the eldest child of Rabbi Mous ...

(1960–1972)

Estonia

Michael Alony Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

(1995–1996) *

Shmuel Kot ''Shmuel'' or Schmuel/ Shmeil is the Hebrew equivalent of the name Samuel. It is popular also in Polish Yiddish versions of the name: Szmul or Szmuel and Szmulik or Szmulek. Shmuel and variations may refer to: * Samuel (Bible), the Hebrew Bible pro ...

(2000–)

The Far East

Aharon Moshe Kiselev Aharon Moshe Kiselev (1866–1949) was a Russian-born Manchurian rabbi. Early life Kiselev was born in Surazh, Chernigov district. In his youth, he excelled in his studies, and was known as the “Vietker Illui”. He later studied in Minsk, and ...

(1937–1949)

Finland

Simon Federbusch Simon Federbusch (February 15, 1892 – August 20, 1969) was a Galician-born Jew who served as rabbi in Poland, Finland, and America. Life Federbusch was born on February 15, 1892 in Narol, eastern Galicia, Austria-Hungary. Federbusch was ordai ...

(1931–1940) * (1946–1951) * Mika Weiss (1957–1961) * Shmuel Beeri (1961–1963) * Mordechai Lanxner (1973–1982) * Ove Schwartz (1982–1987) * Lazar Kleinman (–1992) * Michael Aloni (1995–1996) * Moshe Edelmann (1999–2012) * (2012–)

Chabad Lubavitch Chief Rabbi of Finland

* Benyamin Wolff (2003–)

France

* David Sintzheim (1808–1812) * Abraham Vita de Cologna (1808–1826) *

Emmanuel Deutz Emmanuel Deutz (1763-1842) was a German-born French rabbi. Biography Emmanuel Deutz was born in 1763 in Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a po ...

(1810–1842) *

Marchand Ennery Marchand Ennery () was a French rabbi; brother of Jonas Ennery; born in Nancy 1792; died in Paris 21 August 1852; studied Talmud under Baruch Guggenheim and at the rabbinical school of Herz Scheuer, in Mainz. He went to Paris, became teacher in ...

(1846–1852) * Salomon Ulmann (1853–1865) * Lazare Isidor (1866–1888) * Zadoc Kahn (1889–1905) *

Alfred Lévy Alfred Lévy (14 December 1840 – 23 July 1919) was a French rabbi who became Chief Rabbi of France in the period immediately before and during World War I. Life Alfred Lévy was born in Lunéville on 14 December 1840. He studied at the Collège ...

(1907–1919) * Israël Lévi (1920–1939) *

Isaïe Schwartz Isaïe Schwartz (15 January 1876, in Traenheim – 1952, in Paris) was the Great Rabbi of France at the beginning of World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that last ...

(1939–1952) *

Jacob Kaplan Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...

(1955–1980) * René-Samuel Sirat (1981–1987) *

Joseph Sitruk Joseph Haïm Sitruk ( he, יוסף סיטרוק‎; 16 October 1944 – 25 September 2016) was a former Chief Rabbi of France, a position he held from June 1987 to 22 June 2008. Born Joseph Sitruk in Tunis, after suffering a stroke in 2001 and r ...

(1987–2008) *

Gilles Bernheim Gilles Uriel Bernheim (; born 30 May 1952) is a French-Israeli rabbi who was formerly the Chief Rabbi of France. Born in Aix-les-Bains, Savoie, in 1952, he was elected by the general assembly of the Central Consistory chief rabbi of France o ...

(2009–2013) (elected 22 June 2008, resigned 11 April 2013) * Haim Korsia (2014–)

Galicia

Aryeh Leib Bernstein Aryeh Leib Bernstein (1708 – October 22, 1788) was the first and only Chief Rabbi of Galicia. Life Bernstein was born in 1708 in Brody, in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. His father Issacher Ber was a rabbi who served as rabbi of Kehillat ...

(1778–1786) * Edgar Gluck Galicia in Central/Eastern Europe, as a political entity, ceased to exist in 1921; the title of its Chief Rabbi had already been abolished 1 November 1786 as part of the Josephinism Reforms. Due to its being a center for Jewish scholarship, the Rabbi of

Lemberg Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...

was traditionally seen as the Rabbi of Galicia in the era prior to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Greece

* Elias Barzilai * Gabriel Negrin

Guatemala

* Meyer Rosenbaum (Son of Isamar of Nadvorna, Later Chief Rabbi of Cuba)

Honduras

* Aaron Lankry

Hong Kong

* Ephraim Mirvis * Mordecai Avston *

Netanel Meoded Nethaneel - נתנאל "Gift of/is God", Standard Hebrew Nətanʾel, Tiberian Hebrew Nəṯanʾēl, also Nethanel: # The son of Zuar, chief of the tribe of Issachar and one of the leaders of the tribes of Israel during the Exodus (Num. 1:8; 2:5, ...

Hungary

:''Note that this list is not in chronological order.'' *

Meir Eisenstadt Meir ben Izsak Eisenstadt ( he, מאיר איזנשטט, ''also'' Meir Ash, c. 1670 in Poznań – 1744 in Eisenstadt) was the author of responsa and other works of rabbinic literature. An authority on Halakha, he was consulted by rabbis from ...

known as the ''Panim Me'iros'' (1708–), rabbi of Eisenstadt and author of "Panim Me'irot" * Alexander ben Menahem * Phinehas Auerbach * Jacob Eliezer Braunschweig * Hirsch Semnitz * Simon Jolles (1717–?) *

(1693?–1724) (also

Eisenstadt Eisenstadt (; hu, Kismarton; hr, Željezni grad; ; sl, Železno, Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ''Eisnstod'') is a city in Austria, the state capital of Burgenland. It had a recorded population on 29 April 2021 of 15,074. In the Habsburg ...

and

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

) * Issachar Berush Eskeles (1725–1753) * Joseph Hirsch Weiss—grandfather of Stephen Samuel Wise * Samuel Kohn * Simon Hevesi (father of Ferenc Hevesi) * Ferenc Hevesi * Moshe Kunitzer a pioneer of the Haskalah movement in Hungary (1828–1837) * Koppel Reich * Chaim Yehuda Deutsch * József Schweitzer * Robert (Avrohom Yehudoh) Deutsch

Iran

* Yedidia Shofet (1922–1980) *

Uriel Davidi Hakham Uriel Davidi Khansari ( he, אוריאל דוידי lived 1922 - December 24, 2006) was a famous Jewish (Judæo-Khunsari) religious leader and theologian, who was born in Khansar (Iran) and died in the Neve Yaakov section of Jerusalem, Isra ...

(1980–1994) *

Yosef Hamadani Cohen Yusef Hamadani Cohen ( ;1916 – 29 March 2014) was the Chief Rabbi of Iran and spiritual leader for the Jewish community of Iran (Iranian Jews) between January 1994 and 2007. In August 2000, Chief Rabbi Hamadani Cohen met with Iranian Presi ...

(1994–2007) * Mashallah Golestani-Nejad (2007–present) *

Yehuda Gerami Yehuda Gerami is the Chief Rabbi of Iran and spiritual leader for the Jewish community of Iran since 2011. Biography Gerami was born in Tehran. His father, Shlomo Gerami, was a surgeon in many hospitals in Tehran including the Dr. Sapir Jewish H ...

(2011-present)

Ireland

* Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1921–1937) * Immanuel Jakobovits (1949–1958) * Isaac Cohen (1959–1979) * David Rosen (1979–1984) * Ephraim Mirvis (1985–1992) * Shimon Yehudah Harris (1993–1994) *

Gavin Broder Gavin Broder (born 1959) is the former Chief Rabbi of Ireland, serving from 1996 to October, 2000. Broder left Dublin in October 2000 to become London chaplain of Hillel, the Jewish student organization. He was inaugurated chief rabbi in 1996, a ...

(1996–2000) *

Yaakov Pearlman Yaakov Pearlman was Chief Rabbi of Ireland from September 2001 to June 2008. A native of Manchester, England, he became one of the youngest rabbis in Britain ever when he was ordained semicha.html" ;"title="arned ''semicha">arned ''semicha''by th ...

(2001–2008) *

Zalman Lent Zalman Tech Co. (usually simplified as ZALMAN) is a South Korean company that develops and provides aftermarket desktop computer products with primary focus on cooling enhancement. Zalman has done considerable product development since its foun ...

(acting Chief Rabbi, 2008–2023) * Yoni Wieder (2023-Present) The appointment of a new Chief Rabbi of Ireland has been put on hold since 2008. A new Rabbi, Yoni Wieder was appointed in 2023.

Israel

The position of chief rabbi () of the

Land of Israel The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine (see also Isra ...

has existed for hundreds of years. During the Mandatory Period, the British recognized the chief rabbis of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities, just as they recognized the

Mufti of Jerusalem The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem is the Sunni Muslim cleric in charge of Jerusalem's Islamic holy places, including the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The position was created by the British military government led by Ronald Storrs in 1918.See Islamic Leadership i ...

. The offices continued after statehood was achieved. Haredi Jewish groups (such as

Edah HaChareidis The Charedi Council of Jerusalem ( he, העדה החרדית, ''haEdah haCharedit'', Ashkenazi pronunciation: ''ha-Aideh Charaidis'' or ''ha-Eido ha-Chareidis''; "Congregation of God-Fearers") is a large Haredi Judaism, Haredi Judaism, Jewish comm ...

) do not recognize the authority of the Chief Rabbinate. They usually have their own rabbis who do not have any connection to the state rabbinate. Under current Israeli law, the post of Chief Rabbi exists in only four cities (

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

, and

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

). In other cities there may be one main rabbi to whom the other rabbis of that city defer, but that post is not officially the "Chief Rabbi". Many of Israel's chief rabbis were previously chief rabbis of Israeli cities.

Sephardi

* Moshe Galante (the Younger) (1665–1689) * Moshe ibn Habib (1689–1696) * Moshe Hayun * Abraham ben David Yitzhaki (1715–1722) * Binyamin Maali * Elazar ben Yaacob Nahum (1730–1748) * Nissim Mizrahi (1748–1754) * Israel Yaacob Algazy (1754–1756) * Raphael Samuel Meyuchas (1756–1791) * Haim Raphael Abraham ben Asher (1771–1772) * Yom Tov Algazy (1772–1802) * Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas (1802–1805) * Yaacob Moshe Ayash al-Maghrebi (1806–1817) * Jacob Coral (1817–1819) * Raphael Yosef Hazzan (1819–1822) * Yom Tov Danon (1822–1824) * Salomon Moshe Suzin (1824–1836) * Yonah Moshe Navon (1836–1841) * Yehudah Raphael Navon (1841–1842) *

Chaim Abraham Gagin Chaim Abraham Gagin (1787–1848) was Chief Rabbi of Ottoman Palestine from 1842 to 1848. He was the grandson of the Jerusalem Kabbalist Shalom Sharabi Sar Shalom Sharabi ( he, שר שלום מזרחי דידיע שרעבי), also known as ...

(1842–1848) * Isaac Kovo (1848–1854) * Haim Nissim Abulafia (1854–1861) * Haim David Hazan (1861–1869) *

Avraham Ashkenazi Avraham Ashkenazi (1813–1880) was a Sephardi chief rabbi (Rishon LeZion). Rabbi Ashkenazi was born at Janishar, near Salonica, in 1813.Isidore Singer & Herman Rosenthalpalestine Abraham Ashkenazi ''1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia'', Jewish Enc ...

(1869–1880) *

Raphael Meir Panigel Raphael Meir ben Yehuda Panigel (1804–1893) was the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire. Panigel was born in Pazardzhik, Bulgaria, but his family emigrated to the Land of Israel when he was a child. In 1828 and in 1863, he was a ...

(1880–1892) * Yaacob Shaul Elyashar (1893–1906) * Yaacob Meir (1906) * Eliyah Moshe Panigel (1907–1909) * Nahman Batito (1909–1911) * Moshe Franco (1911–1915) * Haim Moshe Elyashar (1914–1915) * Nissim Yehudah Danon (1915–1921) * Yaacob Meir (1921–1939) *

Benzion Uziel Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel (, born 23 May 1880, died 4 September 1953), sometimes rendered as Ouziel, was the Sephardi chief rabbi of Mandatory Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 until his death in 1953. Biography Ben-Zion Meir Ha ...

(1939–1954) * Yitzhak Nissim (1955–1973) * Ovadia Yosef (1973–1983) *

Mordechai Eliyahu Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu ( he, מרדכי צמח אליהו, March 3, 1929 – June 7, 2010, on the Hebrew calendar: 21 Adar I, 5689 - 25 Siwan, 5770),

(1983–1993) * Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron (1993–2003) * Shlomo Amar (2003–2013) * Yitzhak Yosef (2013–)

Ashkenazi

* Meir Auerbach—Rabbi of Jerusalem (1860–1871) * Samuel Salant (1871–1909) *

Abraham Isaac Kook Abraham Isaac Kook (; 7 September 1865 – 1 September 1935), known as Rav Kook, and also known by the acronym HaRaAYaH (), was an Orthodox rabbi, and the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of British Mandatory Palestine. He is considered to be one ...

(1921–1935) * Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1936–1959) *

Isser Yehuda Unterman Isser Yehuda Unterman ( he, איסר יהודה אונטרמן, 19 April 1886 – 26 January 1976) was the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1964 until 1972.Shlomo Goren Shlomo Goren ( he, שלמה גורן; February 3, 1917 – October 29, 1994), was a Polish-born Israeli Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi and Talmudic scholar who was considered a foremost authority on Jewish law (Halakha). Goren founded and serve ...

(1973–1983) *

Avraham Shapira Avraham Shapira ( he, אברהם אלקנה כהנא שפירא; 20 May 1914, Jerusalem – 27 September 2007) was a prominent rabbi in the Religious Zionist world. Shapira had been the head of the Rabbinical court of Jerusalem, and both a ...

(1983–1993) * Yisrael Meir Lau (1993–2003) * Yona Metzger (2003–2013) *

David Lau David Baruch Lau ( he, דוד לאו; born 13 January 1966) is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel. He was appointed after achieving a majority of the vote on 24 July 2013. He previously served as the Chief Rabbi of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Israe ...

(2013–)

Military Rabbinate

Shlomo Goren Shlomo Goren ( he, שלמה גורן; February 3, 1917 – October 29, 1994), was a Polish-born Israeli Orthodox Religious Zionist rabbi and Talmudic scholar who was considered a foremost authority on Jewish law (Halakha). Goren founded and serve ...

(1948–1968) *

Mordechai Piron Mordechai Piron ( he, מרדכי פירון; born Egon Pisk; 28 December 1921 – 28 May 2014) was the second chief military rabbi in the history of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), after his predecessor, Rabbi Shlomo Goren, created the position ...

(1968–1977) * Gad Navon (1977–2000) * Israel Weiss (2000–2006) *

Avichai Rontzki Avichai Rontzki ( he, אביחי רונצקי, October 10, 1951 – April 1, 2018) was an Israeli Chief Military Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces. He served in the position from 2006 to 2010, with a rank of Brigadier General. His predecessor in ...

(2006–2010) *

Rafi Peretz Rafael "Rafi" Peretz (; born 7 January 1956) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi and politician. A former military officer and helicopter pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its d ...

(2010–2016) *

Eyal Karim Eyal Moshe Karim ( he, אייל משה קרים) (born February 8, 1957) is the head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces. Early life and career Karim grew up in Givatayim, Israel, and studied at Yeshivat Bnei Akiva. In Augus ...

(2016–)

Japan

* Binyamin Edre'i (2015–present)

Latvia

Mordechai Nurock Mordechai Nurock ( he, מרדכי נורוק, 7 November 1879 – 8 November 1962) was a Latvian-born Israeli who served in both the parliaments of Latvia and Israel. He was also Israel's first Minister of Postal Services, though he only held th ...

Lebanon

* Moïse Yedid-Levy (1799–1829) * Ralph Alfandari * Youssef Mann (1849) * Aharoun Yedid-Levy * Zaki Cohen (1875) * Menaché Ezra Sutton *

Jacob Bukai Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...

* Haïm Dana * Moïse Yedid-Levy * Nassim Afandi Danon (1908–1909) * Jacob Tarrab (1910–1921) *

Salomon Tagger Salomon may refer to: People * Salomon (given name) * Salomon (surname) Companies * Salomon Brothers, a former investment bank, now a part of Citigroup * Salomon Group, a company manufacturing sporting equipment (which was a part of Adidas-Salom ...

(1921–1923) * Shabtai Bahbout (1924–1950) * Benzion Lichtman (1932–1959) * Shahud Chreim (1960–1978)

Lithuania

Avraham Duber Kahana Shapiro Rabbi Avraham Dov-Ber Kahana Shapiro (also spelled Shapira) (1870 – February 27, 1943) was the last Chief Rabbi of Lithuania and the author of the three-volume work entitled ''Devar Avraham''. Biography He was born in 1870 to Rabbi Shlomo Zalm ...

Luxembourg

* Samuel Hirsch (1843-1866) * Robert Serebrenik (1929–1941)

Mexico

* Shlomo Tawil (1998–Present) * Uziel Milevsky (1981-1985)

North Macedonia

* Avi Kozma

Morocco

* Mardo Chee Bengio Chief Rabbi of Tangier. * Raphael Ankawa (1918–1935) * Mikail Encaoua * Chalom Messas (1961–1978) * Aaron Monsonego (1994–2018) * Yoshiyahu Pinto (2019–present)

Nepal

* Chezki Lifshitz (2000–present)

Norway

* Isaak Julius Samuel (1930–1942) *

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 m ...

(1980–)

Panama

Zion Levy Zion (Sion) Rajamim Levy ( he, ציון רחמים לוי, pronounced ''Ṣiyyon Raḥamim Levi'') (1925–2008) was the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Panama for 57 years. His tenure is thought to be the longest of any religious leader in the regi ...

(1951–2008) Sephardic Chief Rabbi * Aaron Laine (1986–) Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi * David Perets (2016–) Sephardic Chief Rabbi

Peru

* Abraham Moshe Brener (1930-1967) * Baruj Epstein (1966-1967) *

Yaakov Kraus Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Jac ...

(1987-1998) * Efraim Zik (1999-2009) * Itay Meushar (2009-2016) *

Salomon Cohen Salomon may refer to: People * Salomon (given name) * Salomon (surname) Companies * Salomon Brothers, a former investment bank, now a part of Citigroup * Salomon Group, a company manufacturing sporting equipment (which was a part of Adidas-Salom ...

(2016-2019)

Poland

Jacob Pollak Rabbi Jacob Pollak (other common spelling Yaakov Pollack), son of Rabbi Joseph, was the founder of the Polish method of halakhic and Talmudic study known as the Pilpul. Biography He was born about 1460 or 1470 in Poland, and died at Lublin in ...

(appointed 1503) *

Moses Fishel Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu (Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pro ...

(1541–1542) * Dow Ber Percowicz (1945–1956) *

Zew Wawa Morejno Zew Wawa Morejno ( he, הרב זאב מורינו, HaRav Zev Moreino; 28 February 1916 – 19 March 2011) was a Polish and American rabbi. He was the last rabbi of the communist People's Republic of Poland, in 1973 emigrating from Poland to the Un ...

(1956–1957) * Dow Ber Percowicz (1957–1961) * Uszer Zibes (1961–1966) *

(1966–1973) * Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz (1988–1999) *

Michael Schudrich Michael Joseph Schudrich (born June 15, 1955) is an American rabbi and the current Chief Rabbi of Poland. He is the oldest of four children of Rabbi David Schudrich and Doris Goldfarb Schudrich. Biography Born in New York City, Schudrich lived in ...

(2004–)

Poland: Armed Forces

* Chaim Elizjer Frankl (?–1933) * Major Baruch Steinberg (1933–circa 12 April 1940) murdered by

NKVD The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs (russian: Наро́дный комиссариа́т вну́тренних дел, Naródnyy komissariát vnútrennikh del, ), abbreviated NKVD ( ), was the interior ministry of the Soviet Union. ...

in the

Katyn massacre The Katyn massacre, "Katyń crime"; russian: link=yes, Катынская резня ''Katynskaya reznya'', "Katyn massacre", or russian: link=no, Катынский расстрел, ''Katynsky rasstrel'', "Katyn execution" was a series of m ...

Romania

* Yaakov Yitzhak Neimerov (d. 1940) * Alexandru Safran (1940–1948) * Moses Rosen (1948–1994) * Menachem Hacohen (1997–2012) * Rafael Shaffer (2012–present)

Russia

* Adolf Shayevich (1983, officially since 1993–) * Berel Lazar (2000–)

Military Rabbinate

* Aharon Gurevich (2007–)

Serbia

* Isaac Alcalay, also Chief Rabbi of

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

from 1923 to 1941 * Isak Asiel

Singapore

* Mordechai Abergel

Slovakia

Moses Sofer Moses Schreiber (1762–1839), known to his own community and Jewish posterity in the Hebrew translation as Moshe Sofer, also known by his main work ''Chatam Sofer'', ''Chasam Sofer'', or ''Hatam Sofer'' ( trans. ''Seal of the Scribe'', and acron ...

(1806–1839) * Samuel Benjamin Sofer (1839–1871) * Simcha Bunim Sofer (1871–1907) * Akiva Sofer (1907–1938) * Izidor Katz (1950–1968) *

Baruch Myers Rabbi Baruch Myers (born May 2, 1964 in Orange, New Jersey) is a Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic rabbi. He began his service in Bratislava in 1993. He serves as the Chief Rabbi and head Shliach of Slovakia. Biography Baruch Myers was born in Orange ...

(1993–present)

South Africa

Judah Leo Landau Judah Leo Landau (23 April 1866 – 26 August 1942) was a Galician-born South African rabbi and writer. A noted scholar, poet, and playwright, he served as the inaugural Chief Rabbi of South Africa from 1915 until his death in 1942. Early life ...

(1915–1942) * Louis Rabinowitz (1945–1961) *

Bernard M. Casper Bernard Moses Casper (1916–1988) was a British- South African rabbi. He was born and raised in London; educated in London and Cambridge; and served as both a Rabbi and educator in Manchester and London. He was a commissioned Chaplain in the Br ...

(1963–1987) *

Cyril Harris Cyril Kitchener Harris (19 September 1936 – 13 September 2005) was Chief Rabbi of The Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa from 1987 to 2004. Harris was born in Glasgow, Scotland. During his tenure as Chief Rabbi, he was noted for ...

(1988–2004) *

Warren Goldstein Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein (born 1971) is the Chief Rabbi of The Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa since 2005. Born in Pretoria, he currently lives in Johannesburg. He is the first Chief Rabbi of South Africa who was born in ...

(2005–)

Spain

The following are Chief Rabbis of the Jewish Community of Madrid (CJM): * Baruj Garzon (1968–1978), the first Chief Rabbi in Spain since the expulsion in 1492 * Yehuda Benasouli (1978–1997) * Moshe Bendahan (1997–)

Sudan

* Solomon Malka (1906–1949) * Haim Simoni (1950–1952) * Massoud El-Baz (1956–1965 by which time the Jewish community in Sudan had declined so dramatically that they could not afford to pay a Rabbi)

Syria

* Yom Tov Yedid (1960–1982), moved to the United States in 1982 and died 27 July 2016 in the United States

Thailand

* Yosef Kantor (1992–present)

Transylvania (before 1918)

Note: The chief rabbi of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

was generally the rabbi of the city of Alba Iulia. * Joseph Reis Auerbach (d. 1750) * Shalom Selig ben Saul Cohen (1754–1757) * Johanan ben Isaac (1758–1760) * Benjamin Ze'eb Wolf of Cracow (1764–1777) * Moses ben Samuel Levi Margaliot (1778–1817) * Menahem ben Joshua Mendel (1818–23) * Ezekiel Paneth (1823–1843) * Abraham Friedmann (d. 1879), last chief rabbi of Transylvania

Tunisia

Chaim Madar Chief Rabbi Chaim Madar () was the chief rabbi of Tunisia's Jewish community, a community dating back to 586 BCE. He was the spiritual leader of this community until his death in Jerusalem on December 3, 2004. His funeral services were held at t ...

(1984–2004)

Turkey

Eli Capsali Elijah ben Elkanah Capsali (Hebrew: אליהו בן אלקנה קפשאלי; – after 1550) was a notable rabbi and historian. Biography Born in Crete, into a distinguished Romaniote family, the Capsalis had served as heads of the Jewish comm ...

(1452–1454) * Moses Capsali (1454–1497) * Elijah Mizrachi (1497–1526) * Mordechai Komitano (1526–1542) * Tam ben Yahya (1542–1543) * Eli Rozanes ha-Levi (1543) * Eli ben Hayim (1543–1602) * Yehiel Bashan (1602–1625) * Joseph Mitrani (1625–1639) * Yomtov Benyaes (1639–1642) * Yomtov Hananiah Benyakar (1642–1677) * Chaim Kamhi (1677–1715) * Judah Benrey (1715–1717) * Samuel Levi (1717–1720) *

Abraham Rozanes Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

(1720–1745) *

Solomon Hayim Alfandari Solomon (; , ),, ; ar, سُلَيْمَان, ', , ; el, Σολομών, ; la, Salomon also called Jedidiah ( Hebrew: , Modern: , Tiberian: ''Yăḏīḏăyāh'', "beloved of Yah"), was a monarch of ancient Israel and the son and succes ...

(1745–1762) * Meir Ishaki (1762–1780) * Eli Palombo (1780–1800) *

Chaim Jacob Benyakar The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name '' Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Ha ...

(1800–1835) * Abraham Levi Pasha (1835–1839) *

Samuel Hayim Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bi ...

(1839–1841) *

Moiz Fresko Muhammad bin Tughluq (1290 – 20 March 1351) was the eighteenth Sultan of Delhi. He reigned from February 1325 until his death in 1351. The sultan was the eldest son of Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq, founder of the Tughlaq dynasty. In 1321, the youn ...

(1841–1854) *

Yacob Avigdor Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Ja ...

(1854–1870) * Yakir Geron (1870–1872) *

Moses Levi Moses Levi (or Moshe HaLevi Effendi) (1827–1910) was the Chief Rabbi ( Hakham Bashi) of Constantinople and of the Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and e ...

(1872–1909) *

Effendi (1909–1920) *

Shabbetai Levi __NOTOC__ Shabtai (Sabbatai, Sabbathai, Shabbatai, Shabbethai, etc.) is a Jewish name common in the Middle Ages for boys born on Shabbat, and may refer to: People Given name * Shabtai (given name) Surname *Aharon Shabtai (born 1939), poet and tra ...

(1920–1922) * Isaac Ariel (1922–1926) * Haim Bejerano (1926–1931) *

Haim Isaac Saki The name ''Haim'' can be a first name or surname originating in the Hebrew language, or deriving from the Old German name ''Haimo''. Hebrew etymology Chayyim ( he, חַיִּים ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim ...

(1931–1940) *

Rafael David Saban Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ''R ...

(1940–1960) *

David Asseo Chief Rabbi David Asseo (1914 – July 14, 2002) was the hakham bashi (or chief rabbi) of the Republic of Turkey from 1960 until his death in 2002. Chief Rabbi David Asseo was the second longest serving of the chief rabbis in Europe (after Moses ...

(1961–2002) * Ishak Haleva (2003–)

Chabad

* Mendy Chitrik (2003-present)

Uganda

Gershom Sizomu Gershom Sizomu (born 1972) is a Ugandan rabbi serving the Abayudaya, a Baganda community in eastern Uganda near the town of Mbale who practice Judaism. Sizomu is the first native-born black rabbi in Sub-Saharan Africa. He is also the first chief ...

() (see:

Abayudaya The Abayudaya (''Abayudaya'' is Luganda for "People of Judah") are a community in eastern Uganda, near the town of Mbale, who practice Judaism. They are devout in their practice, keeping kashrut and observing Shabbat. There are several differ ...

)

Ukraine

* Azriel Chaikin (2003–2009)

United Arab Emirates

* Levi Duchman (2015-) first resident rabbi to the UAE, appointed

Chabad Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (), is an Orthodox Jewish Hasidic dynasty. Chabad is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, particularly for its outreach activities. It is one of the largest Hasidic group ...

Shaliach to the UAE in 2020, making him the first Chabad Shaliach in a Gulf country. Directs the Jewish Community Center of the UAE.

Rabbi Yehuda Sarna Rabbi Yehuda Sarna is the Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates. He is also the Executive Director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University (NYU), the University Chaplain and an Adjunct Assistant Profess ...

is the current Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates.

United Kingdom and Commonwealth

Presbyter Judaeorum (England)

* Jacob of London, (appointed 1199) * Josce of London (1217–1237) *

Aaron of York Aaron of York or Aaron fil Josce, was a Jewish financier and chief rabbi of England. He was born in York before 1190 and died after 1253. He was probably the son of Josce of York, the leading figure in the York pogrom of 1190. Chief Rabbi Aar ...

(1237) * Elias le Evesque (appointed 1237) * Hagin fil Mosse (appointed 1257) * Hagin fil Deulacres (appointed 1281 by the favour of

Eleanor of Provence Eleanor of Provence (c. 1223 – 24/25 June 1291) was a French noblewoman who became Queen of England as the wife of King Henry III from 1236 until his death in 1272. She served as regent of England during the absence of her spouse in 1253. ...

Ashkenazi chief rabbis

* Judah Loeb ben Abraham Ephraim Asher Anshel (1696–1700) *

Aaron the Scribe of Dublin According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

(1700–1704) * Aaron Hart (1704–1756) * Hart Lyon (1758–1764) *

David Tevele Schiff Chief Rabbi David Tevele Schiff () (died December 17, 1791; or, in the Hebrew calendar, 26 Kislev 5551) was the chief rabbi of Great Britain and the rabbi of the Great Synagogue of London from 1765 until his death. Rabbi Schiff was a disciple of ...

(1765–1791) * Solomon Hirschell (1802–1842) * Nathan Marcus Adler (1845–1891) *

Hermann Adler Hermann Adler HaKohen CVO (30 May 1839 – 18 July 1911; Hebrew נפתלי צבי הירש הכהן אדלר ) was the Chief Rabbi of the British Empire from 1891 to 1911. The son (and successor as Chief Rabbi) of Nathan Marcus Adler, the 1911 ' ...

(1891–1911) * Joseph Herman Hertz (1913–1946) *

Israel Brodie Sir Israel Brodie (10 May 1895 – 13 February 1979) was the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain and the Commonwealth 1948–1965. Biography He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He served as a Rabbi of Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australi ...

(1948–1965) * Immanuel Jakobovits (1966–1991; knighted 1981,

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

1988) *

Jonathan Sacks Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks ( he, יונתן הנרי זקס, translit=Yona'tan Henry Zaks; 8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United He ...

(1991–2013; knighted 2005, life peer 2009) * Ephraim Mirvis (2013–present; knighted 2023)

Spanish and Portuguese community Hahamim/senior rabbis

The Sephardi Jews in the United Kingdom are mainly members of independent synagogues. There is no single rabbi recognised by them as a chief rabbi. The Spanish and Portuguese community, however, consists of several synagogues, charities, a beth din and a kashruth authority. These are under the leadership of an ecclesiastical head. Historically, the individual who fills this role is recognised as a senior rabbi of Anglo Jewry, being the leader of the oldest Jewish community in the country. The Senior Rabbi was traditionally given the title, ''Haham,'' meaning "wise one". Since 1918, however, only Solomon Gaon was given this title. The official title of the holder of this office is now The Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the United Kingdom. * Jacob ben Aaron Sasportas (1664–1665) * Yehoshua Da Silva (1670–1679) *

Jacob Abendana Jacob Abendana (1630 – 12 September 1685) was ''hakham'' of London from 1680 until his death. Biography Jacob was the eldest son of Joseph Abendana and brother to Isaac Abendana. Though his family originally lived in Hamburg, Jacob and his br ...

(1681–1684) * Solomon Ayllon (1689–1700) * David Nieto (1701–1728) *

Isaac Nieto Isaac Nieto (1702–1774) ( he, יצחק ניטו) was Haham of the Portuguese congregation Sha'are Hashamayim, Bevis Marks, London, and the son of David Nieto. He was officially appointed as "ḥakham ha-shalem" in 1733, but gave up the post in 17 ...

(1732–1740) * Moshe Gomes de Mesquita (1744–1751) * Moshe Cohen d'Azevedo (1761–1784) * Raphael Meldola (1806–1828) *

Benjamin Artom Rabbi Benjamin Artom (1835–1879) was the Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Great Britain. He was born in Asti, Piedmont, in the Kingdom of Sardinia. Biography He was the first person to hold the post of rabbi of Naples Naples ...

(1866–1879) * Moses Gaster (1887–1918) *

Shem Tob Gaguine Shemtob Gaguin(e) (5 September 1884 – 30 July 1953) was a British Sephardic rabbi and scion of a famous Moroccan rabbinical dynasty which emigrated to Palestine from Spain at the time of the Inquisition. Biography He was the great-grandso ...

(1920–1953) (officially the "Ecclesiastical Chief of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation," not the Haham) *

Solomon Gaon Solomon Gaon (1912–1994) was Sephardic Rabbi and Hakham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of the British Commonwealth. Biography Solomon Gaon was born in Travnik, Yugoslavia in 1912 and studied at the yeshiva in Sarajevo. Both his parents were ...

(1949–1995) * Abraham Levy (1995–2012) (officially the Communal Rabbi and Spiritual Head of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews' Congregation, not the ''haham'') *

Joseph Dweck Joseph Dweck is the senior rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the United Kingdom. Biography Rabbi Dweck is American born, of Syrian-Sephardi origin, and has lived in Los Angeles, California and Brooklyn, New York. He studied in Jerusalem at '' ...

(2013–) (elected Senior Rabbi of The S&P Sephardi Community, not the ''haham'')

United States

A chief rabbinate never truly developed within the United States for a number of different reasons. While Jews first settled in the United States in 1654 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, rabbis did not appear in the United States until the mid-nineteenth century. This lack of rabbis, coupled with the lack of official colonial or state recognition of a particular sect of Judaism as official effectively led to a form of congregationalism amongst American Jews. This did not stop others from trying to create a unified American Judaism, and in fact, some chief rabbis developed in some American cities despite lacking universal recognition amongst the Jewish communities within the cities (for examples see below). However, Jonathan Sarna argues that those two precedents, as well as the desire of many Jewish immigrants to the US to break from an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

past, effectively prevented any effective Chief Rabbi in America. *

Eliezer Silver Eliezer Silver ( he, אליעזר סילבר; February 15, 1882Social Security Death Index - February 7, 1968 ) was the President of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada and among American Jewry's foremost religious leaders. He hel ...

Uruguay

* Jaime Spector (1931–1937) * Aaron Milevsky (1937–1943) * Aaron Laschover (1943–1967) * Nechemia Berman (1970–1993) * Eliahu Birenbaum (1994–1999) *

Yosef Bittón Rabbi Yosef Bittón is an Argentinian-born community rabbi and the former Chief Rabbi of Uruguay. Biography Early life and education Rabbi Yosef Bittón was born in Argentina to Argentine parents. His paternal grandparents came from Tetouan, ...

(1999–2002) * Mordejai Maarabi (2002–2009) * Shai Froindlich (2009–2010) * Isaac Fadda (2011–2012) *

Ben-Tzion Spitz Rabbi Ben-Tzion Spitz (born 1969) was the Chief Rabbi of Uruguay. He was born in Queens, New York, United States. In May 2013 he was appointed as Chief Rabbi of Uruguay, a position he held until October 2016. Early life and education Ben-Tzio ...

(2013–2016) * Max Yojanan Godet (2017–present)

Uzbekistan

* Baruch Abramchayev

Venezuela

Sephardi

* Isaac Cohen

Ashkenazi

Pynchas Brener Pynchas Brener (1931) is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Caracas, Venezuela, starting in 1967. Early life He was born in Tyszowce, Poland and at the age of four emigrated with his family to Peru. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Rabbinic Ordina ...

(1967–)

By city

Alexandria, Egypt

* Raphael Della Pergola (1910-1918)

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Ashkenazi

Aryeh Leib ben Saul Aryeh Leib ben Saul Löwenstam ( 1690 in Cracow – 2 April 1755 in Amsterdam) was a Polish rabbi. Life Aryeh Leib came of a famous family of rabbis. His father Saul had been rabbi of Cracow from 1700 to 1704; his grandfather was Rabbi Hoeschl ...

1740–1755 * Saul Lowenstam * B.S. Berenstein * Dr Joseph Hirsch Dünner * Abraham S. Onderwijzer * L.H. Sarlouis * Justus Tal *

Aron Schuster Aron may refer to: Characters *Aron (comics), from the Marvel Universe comic ''Aron! HyperSpace Boy!'' *Aron (Pokémon), in the ''Pokémon'' franchise * Aron Trask, from John Steinbeck's novel ''East of Eden'' *Áron or Aaron, the brother of Mos ...

Meir Just Meir Just (7 July 1908 – 9 April 2010) was the Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Just served as a spiritual leader for the Dutch Jewish community for more than 45 years, until his death in 2010. Just was born on 7 July 1908 in Vizhnit ...

1970–1978 *

Aryeh Ralbag Aryeh ( fa, اريه) is a village in Firuzeh Rural District, in the Central District (Firuzeh County), Central District of Firuzeh County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 221, in 54 families. See also * ...

(2008–2016) * Pinchas Toledano (2016–current)

Sephardi

Menasseh Ben Israel Manoel Dias Soeiro (1604 – 20 November 1657), better known by his Hebrew name Menasseh ben Israel (), also known as Menasheh ben Yossef ben Yisrael, also known with the Hebrew acronym, MB"Y or MBI, was a Portuguese rabbi, kabbalist, writ ...

* Dr Benjamin Israel Ricardo * Dr Pinchas Toledano (2012–)

Antwerp, Belgium

* Chaim Kreiswirth (1953–2001)

Baltimore, Maryland – United States

* Abraham N. Schwartz (d. 1937) * Joseph H. Feldman (retired 1972, d. 1992)

Birobidzhan, Russia

Mordechai Scheiner Mordechai Sheiner ( he, מרדכי שיינר; russian: Мордеха́й Шейнер) is an Israeli Orthodox rabbi associated with the Chabad Hasidic movement. Sheiner served as Chief Rabbi of Jewish Autonomous Oblast from 2002 to 2011.

(2002–2020) * Efraim Kolpak (2020-present)

Brussels, Belgium

Budapest, Hungary

Yonasan Steif Rabbi Yonasan Steif ( yi, יונתן שטייף‎; August 12, 1877 – August 25, 1958) was a senior dayan of Budapest, Hungary, before the Second World War, a man whom Rabbis Moshe Feinstein and Joel Teitelbaum referred to as the ''gadol hado ...

(pre-World War II)

Caracas, Venezuela

Ashkenazi

(1967–present)

Sephardi

* Isaac Cohén (–)

Chicago, Illinois – United States

Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky Rabbi Yaakov Dovid Wilovsky (February 7, 1845 – October 2, 1913), known by the acronym Ridvaz or Ridbaz, was a renowned rabbi, Talmudic commentator and educator. Biography Wilovsky was born in Kobrin, Russia on February 7, 1845. Wilovsky held ...

known as the ''Ridbaz'', served as chief rabbi of the Russian-American congregations in the city 1903–1905.

Copenhagen, Denmark

* David Simonsen (1879–1891) *

Elias Kalischer Elias is the Greek equivalent of Elijah ( he, אֵלִיָּהוּ‎ ''ʾĒlīyyāhū''; Syriac: ܐܠܝܐ ''Eliyā''; Arabic: الیاس Ilyās/Elyās), a prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC, mentioned in several holy ...

Hirsch Goitein Hirsch may refer to: Places * Hirsch, Saskatchewan, Canada * Hirsch Observatory, in Troy, New York, U.S. People * Afua Hirsch (born 1981), Norwegian-born British writer, broadcaster, and former barrister * Alex Hirsch (born 1985), American anim ...

(–1903) *

(19061910) * Bent Melchior (1963–1970) * Jacob Garfinkel (1971–1973)

Frankfurt, Germany

* Menachem Halevi Klein, Menachem Klein * Nathan HaKohen Adler

Gateshead, United Kingdom

* Naftoli Shakovitzky * Betzalel Rakow *

Shraga Feivel Zimmerman Shraga Feivel Halevy Zimmerman is the ''av beis din'' of the Federation of Synagogues in London. He accepted the position on the 30th of June 2019, but took office in January 2020. Rabbi Zimmerman succeeded Dayan Lichtenstein as head of the organi ...

(2008–2020)

The Hague, Netherlands

* Saul Isaac Halevi (1748–1785) *

Tobias Tal Tobias Tal (June 16, 1847 – October 24, 1898) was a Dutch rabbi who served as Chief Rabbi of the Hague. Life Tal was born on June 16, 1847 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, son of Z. T. Tal. Tal studied at the rabbinical seminary of Chief Rabbi Joseph ...

(1895–1898) * Dov Yehuda Schochet (1946–1952)

Haifa, Israel

Ashkenazi

She'ar Yashuv Cohen Eliyahu Yosef She'ar Yashuv Cohen ( he, אליהו יוסף שאר ישוב כהן; November 4, 1927 – September 5, 2016) was the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Haifa, Israel and the President of its rabbinical courts (1975–2011). Biography Eliyahu ...

(1927–2016)

Sephardi

* Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron (1993–2003)

Hannover, Germany

* Samuel Freund (1924-1939) *

Chaim Pinchas Lubinsky Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Lubinsky (August 1, 1915November 28, 1985) was the mashgiach of the yeshiva in Bergen Belsen and the Chief Rabbi of Hanover from 1946 to 1949. Early life and ancestry Rabbi Chaim Pinchas Lubinsky was born in Blaszki, Poland on ...

(1946-1949) *

Shlomo Zev Zweigenhaft Rabbi Shlomo Zev Zweigenhaft (Hebrew: ) was a Rosh Hashochtim of Poland (overseeing the country's kosher slaughterers) before the Holocaust. After the Holocaust he was Chief Rabbi of Hanover and Lower Saxony. Later, after emigrating to the Unit ...

(1949-1952)

Hebron, West Bank

* Chaim Hezekiah Medini (1891–1904) * Dov Lior – present

Helsinki, Finland

Naftali Amsterdam Naftali Amsterdam (1832-1916) was a Lithuanian-born Orthodox rabbi and a leader in the Mussar movement. Mussar movement role A student of Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the Mussar movement's founder, his teacher categorized the roles of three top follo ...

(1867–1875) * Avrohom Schain (1876–1881) * Abraham Werner-Homa (1881–1891) * Shmuel Noson Bukantz (1892–1924) * Scholem Triestman (1928–1929)

Hoboken, New Jersey – United States

* Chaim Hirschensohn (1904–1935). His post included Hoboken,

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Union Hill and the Environs.

Jerusalem

Sephardi

Levi Ibn Habib Levi ibn Habib (c. 1480 – c. 1545), also known by the acronym HaRaLBaCh, was Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem from 1525 until his death. Under King Manuel of Portugal, and when about seventeen, he was compelled to submit to baptism, but at the first op ...

* David Ibn Abi Zimra * Moshe Galante I * Haim Vital * Betzalel Ashkenasi * Gedalia Cordovero * Isaac Gaon * Israel Benjamin * Yaacov Tzemah * Shemuel Garmison * Moshe Galante II (1665–1689) * Moshe Ibn Habib (1689–1696) * Moshe Hayun * Abraham ben David Yitzchaki (1715–1722) * Binyamin Maali * Elazar ben Yaacob Nahum (1730–1748) * Nissim Mizrahi (1748–1754) * Israel Yaacob Algazy (1754–1756) * Raphael Samuel Meyuchas (1756–1791) * Haim Raphael Abraham ben Asher (1771–1772) * Yom Tov Algazy (1772–1802) * Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas (1802–1805) * Yaacob Moshe Ayash al-Maghrebi (1806–1817) * Jacob Coral (1817–1819) * Raphael Yosef Hazzan (1819–1822) * Yom Tov Danon (1822–1824) * Salomon Moshe Suzin (1824–1836) * Yonah Moshe Navon (1836–1841) * Yehudah Raphael Navon (1841–1842) * Haim Abraham Gagin (1842–1848) * Isaac Kovo (1848–1854) * Haim Nissim Abulafia (1854–1861) * Haim David Hazan (1861–1869) * Abraham Ashkenasi (1869–1880) *

Ashkenazi

* Meir Auerbach (?–1878) *

Shmuel Salant Shmuel Salant ( he, שמואל סלנט; January 2, 1816 – August 16, 1909) served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for almost 70 years. He was a renowned Talmudist and Torah scholar. Early life Shmuel Salant was born in Białystok, ...

(1878–1909) * Chaim Berlin (1909–1912?) *

(1919–1935) *

Tzvi Pesach Frank Tzvi Pesach Frank (20 January 1873 – 10 December 1960) (Hebrew: הרב צבי פסח פרנק) was a renowned halachic scholar and served as Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem for several decades (1936-1960). Biography Frank was born in Kovno, Vilna ...

(1936–?) * Betzalel Zolty (1977–?) * Yitzhak Kolitz (1983–2002) *

Aryeh Stern Aryeh Stern ( he, אריה שטרן, born 27 November 1944) is the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, and the chief editor of the Halacha Brura and Berur Halacha Institute. Biography Aryeh Ste ...

(2014–)

Edah HaChareidis

:''Note: The

is unaffiliated with the State of Israel. It is a separate, independent religious community with its own Chief Rabbis, who are viewed, in the Haredi world, as being the Chief Rabbis of Jerusalem.'' * Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld (1919–1932) * Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky (1932–1948) * Zelig Reuven Bengis (1948–1953) * Joel Teitelbaum of

Satmar Satmar (Yiddish: סאַטמאַר, Hebrew: סאטמר) is a Hasidic group founded in 1905 by Grand Rebbe Joel Teitelbaum, in the city of Szatmárnémeti, Hungary (now Satu Mare in Romania). The group is an offshoot of the Sighet Hasidic dynast ...

(1953–1979) *

Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss Rabbi Yitzchok Yaakov Weiss (15 February 1902 – 14 June 1989), commonly known as the ''Minchas Yitzchak'' after the Responsa he authored, was the rabbi of the Edah HaChareidis in Jerusalem] at the time of his death, but his Halakha, halakhic in ...

(1979–1989) *

Moshe Aryeh Freund Moshe Aryeh Freund (1904
–1996) was a rabbi and the (''

Yisrael Moshe Dushinsky (1996–2002) *

Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss Rabbi Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss (26 August 1926 – 29 July 2022) was the Chief Rabbi, or ''Gaavad'' (''Gaon Av Beis Din''), of Jerusalem for the Edah HaChareidis. He was appointed to this post in 2004, after having served as a ''dayan'' of the ' ...

(2002–2022)

Kyiv, Ukraine

Jonathan Markovitch Jonathan Benyamin Markovitch ( uk, Йонатан Бін'ямін Маркович; born 21 October 1967) is the chief Rabbi of Kyiv, official representative of Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson and the official Rabbi of the country's ...

(2000 – present)

Krakow, Poland

* Boaz Pash (2006–2012) * Eliezer Gurary (2014–present)

Leiden, Netherlands

* Simon de Vries

Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands

* (1821–1836) * (1840–1886) * (1886–1895) * Tobias Lewenstein (1895–1899) * (1900–1918) * (1924–1927) * (1929–1932) * (1935–1945)

Milan, Italy

Avraham David Shaumann Abraham, ; ar, , , name=, group= (originally Abram) is the common Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father of the special relationship between the Jew ...

* Elia Kopciovsky (195?–1980) * Giuseppe Laras (1980–2005) * Alfonso Arbib (2005–)

Modi'in Illit Modi'in Illit ( he, מוֹדִיעִין עִלִּית; ar, موديعين عيليت, lit. "Upper Modi'in") is a Haredi Israeli settlement and city in the West Bank, situated midway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Modi'in Illit was granted ci ...
,
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Meir Kessler Meir Kessler (born February 17, 1961) is the Chief Rabbi and head of Rabbinical Court of Modi'in Illit. He was born at Bnei Brak and studied at the Ponevezh yeshiva and afterward at Kol Torah under Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. After his marria ...

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Ashkenazi

Zvi Hirsch Cohen Zvi ( he, צְבִי and , ''Tzvi'', Ṣvi, "gazelle") is a Jewish masculine given name. Notable people with this name include: * Zvi Aharoni (1921–2012), Israeli Mossad agent * Zvi Arad (1942–2018), Israeli mathematician, acting president of ...

(1922–1950) * Sheea Herschorn (1951–1961) * Pinchas Hirschprung (1969–1998) * Avraham David Niznik (1998–2006) * Binyomin Weiss (2007–Present)

Sephardi

* David Sabbah

Moscow, Russia

* Yakov Maze (prior to 1924–1933) *

Shmarya Yehuda Leib Medalia Shmarya Yehuda-Leib Medalia (1872, Vegery, Lithuania – April 26, 1938, Moscow) was the chief rabbi of Moscow between 1933 and 1938. Biography Shmarya Yehuda-Leib Yankelevich Medalia was born to a family of Lubavitcher Hasidim. He was an alu ...

(1933–1938) * Shmuel Leib Medalia (1943) *

Shmuel Leib Levin ''Shmuel'' or Schmuel/ Shmeil is the Hebrew equivalent of the name Samuel. It is popular also in Polish Yiddish versions of the name: Szmul or Szmuel and Szmulik or Szmulek. Shmuel and variations may refer to: * Samuel (Bible), the Hebrew Bible p ...

(1943–1944) *

Shlomo Shleifer Shloime Mikhelevich (Solomon Mikhailovich) Shleifer was born on December 23, 1889, in Moscow. His father was the rabbi of Alexandria, a town near Kherson. During the First World War, the Shlifer family moved to Moscow, where Rabbi Shleifer worked a ...

(1944–1957) * Yehuda Leib Levin (1957–1971) * Adolf Shayevich (1983, officially since 1993–) *

Pinchas Goldschmidt Pinchas Goldschmidt (born 21 July 1963) is a Swiss-born, internationally known rabbi, scholar, and Jewish community leader. He was the Chief Rabbi of Moscow, Russia from 1993 until 2022, serving at the Moscow Choral Synagogue. He also founded ...

(1987–2022)

Munich, Germany

* Yitshak Ehrenberg (1989–1997) * Pinchos Biberfeld, moved back to Germany from where he had emigrated to Israel over 50 years earlier. (1980–1999) * Steven Langnas, first German (descendance) Chief Rabbi and Av Beth Din of Munich (1999–2011)

Netherlands – Inter-Provincial Chief rabbinate

* Dov Yehuda Schochet (1946–1952) hief Rabbi of The Hague* Elieser Berlinger (1960–1985) * Binyomin Jacobs (2008–recent)

New York, New York – United States

* Jacob Joseph (1840–1902) was the only true Ashkenazi chief rabbi of New York City; there was never a Sephardi chief rabbi, although Dr. David DeSola Pool acted as a leader among the Sepharadim and was also respected as such. Others it has been said claimed the title of Chief Rabbi; eventually, the title became worthless through dilution. * Chaim Jacob Wiedrewitz was the Chassidic chief rabbi of New York and Pennsylvania; he was previously the Chassidic Rav of Moscow and was officially called as "The Moskover Rav", immigrated in 1893 and died in 1911, he's buried in the Chabad society of the Bayside Cemetery in Ozone Park NY. * Jacob S. Kassin was the Chief Rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community of New York 1930–1995. * Leibish Wolowsky was the chief rabbi of the Galician community of NYC 1888–1913, he was previously the rabbi of Sambor, Austria and immigrated to the US in 1888. He died in 1913 and is buried in the Achum Ahuvim of Reizow at the Mount Zion Cemetery in Maspeth NY. * Avrohom Aharon Yudelevitz who was previously the rav of Manchester, England was accepted in 1919 as the chief rabbi of the Jewish Arbitration Court of NYC. He authored many books on Jewish law and

responsa ''Responsa'' (plural of Latin , 'answer') comprise a body of written decisions and rulings given by legal scholars in response to questions addressed to them. In the modern era, the term is used to describe decisions and rulings made by scholars i ...

. He died in 1930 and is buried in family plot at the Bayside cemetery in Ozone Park NY.

Nové Zámky, Slovakia

* Ernest Klein (1931–1944)

Paris, France

* Michel Seligmann (1809–1829) *

(1829–1845) * Lazard Isidor (1847–1865) * Zadoc Kahn (1866–1889) * Jacques-Henri Dreyfuss (1891–1933) * Julien Weill (1933–1950) *

(1950–1955) * Meïr Jaïs (1956–1980) * Alain Goldmann (1980–1994) *

David Messas Rabbi David Messas (15 July 1934 in Meknes, Morocco – 20 November 2011 Paris) was the son of Rabbi Chalom Messas, the former Chief Rabbi of Morocco who subsequently became the sefardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. He married Dolly Berdugo. He w ...

(1994–2011) *

Michel Gugenheim Michel Gugenheim is the Chief Rabbi of Paris. He also assumed the position of interim Chief Rabbi of France in 2013 after the resignation of Gilles Bernheim, the previous Chief Rabbi of France and remained in that position until the election of Rab ...

(2012– )

Rome, Italy

Israel Zolli Eugenio Maria Zolli (27 September 1881 ‒ 2 March 1956), born Israel Anton Zoller, was an Austrian by birth, and an Italian doctorate professor of philosophy and author. Until his conversion from Judaism to Catholicism in February 1945, Zolli w ...

(1940–1945) *

Elio Toaff Elio Toaff (30 April 1915 – 19 April 2015) was the Chief Rabbi of Rome from 1951 to 2002. He served as a rabbi in Venice from 1947, and in 1951 became the Chief Rabbi of Rome. Early life Toaff was born in Livorno in 1915, the son of the city's ...

(1951–2002) *

Riccardo Di Segni Riccardo Di Segni (born November 13, 1949) is the chief rabbi of Rome. A specialist in diagnostic radiology, he is descended from three generations of rabbis. He completed his rabbinical studies in 1973 and was elected chief rabbi of Rome in 2001 ...

(2002–)

Rotterdam, Netherlands

* Josiah Pardo (1648–1669)http://www.archieven.nl/pls/m/zk2.inv?p_q=64729996 See his Haskama – Approbation to Sefer Nachalat Shiva, edition Amsterdam 1667, where he is mentioned as Chief Rabbi of both the Sephardi and Ashkenazi congregations in Rotterdam * Yosia Pardo (1648–1669). Left in 1669 to Amsterdam. * Yuda Loeb ben Rabbi Shlomo (1674-abt. 1700). Born in Wilna. *

Judah Salomon Judah or Yehuda is the name of a biblical patriarch, Judah (son of Jacob). It may also refer to: Historical ethnic, political and geographic terms * Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel; their allotment corresponds to Judah or Jud ...

(1682) * Judah Loeb ben Abraham Ephraim Asher Anshel (1700–1708) Born in

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

, left for

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

. * Solomon Ezekiel (1725–1735) *

Judah Ezekiel Judah or Yehuda is the name of a biblical patriarch, Judah (son of Jacob). It may also refer to: Historical ethnic, political and geographic terms * Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel; their allotment corresponds to Judah or Jud ...

(1738–1755) * Abraham Ezekiel (1755–79) *

Aryeh Leib Breslau Aryeh ( fa, اريه) is a village in Firuzeh Rural District, in the Central District (Firuzeh County), Central District of Firuzeh County, Razavi Khorasan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 221, in 54 families. See also * ...

(1741–1809) * Judah Akiba Eger son of Akiba Eger I (invited but refused position) * Elijah Casriel (1815–1833) * E.J. Löwenstamm (1834–1845) * Joseph Isaacsohn (1850–1871; one of three sons-in-law of Jacob Ettlinger who were Chief Rabbis in the Netherlands) * Bernhard Löbel Ritter (1885–1928) *

Simon Hirsch Simon Hirsch (born 3 April 1992) is a German male volleyball player. He is part of the Germany men's national volleyball team The Germany men's national volleyball team represents Germany in international volleyball competitions. It is governed ...

(1928–1930) *

Aaron Davids According to Abrahamic religions, Aaron ''′aharon'', ar, هارون, Hārūn, Greek (Septuagint): Ἀαρών; often called Aaron the priest ()., group="note" ( or ; ''’Ahărōn'') was a prophet, a high priest, and the elder brother of ...

(1930–1944) * Justus Tal (1945–1954) *

Salomon Rodrigues Pereira Salomon may refer to: People * Salomon (given name) * Salomon (surname) Companies * Salomon Brothers, a former investment bank, now a part of Citigroup * Salomon Group, a company manufacturing sporting equipment (which was a part of Adidas-Salom ...

(1954–1959) *

Levie Vorst Rabbi Levie "Lou" Vorst (October 8, 1903 in Amsterdam - July 28, 1987 in Rehovot) was rabbi of Rotterdam from 1946 to 1959 and chief rabbi from 1959 to 1971. Vorst and his family were transported to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in January 194 ...

(1959–1971) *

Daniel Kahn Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength"), ...

(1972–1975) * Albert Hutterer (1975–1977) * Dov Salzmann (1986–1988) * Lody van de Kamp * Raphael Evers

Shanghai, China

Meir Ashkenazi Meir Ashkenazi was a sixteenth-century Crimean Jew. An envoy of the Khan of Crimea in the sixteenth century, Ashkenazi was killed by pirates on a voyage from Gava (near Genoa) to Dakhel (probably Dakhel or Dakleh in the western oasis of Upper E ...

(1926–1949)

Sofia, Bulgaria

* Daniel Zion (in World War II) * Asher Hannanel (in World War II)

St. Louis, Missouri – United States

* Chaim Fischel Epstein * Menachem Zvi Eichenstein (1943–1982) *

Sholom Rivkin Rabbi Sholom Rivkin (6 June 1926 – 1 October 2011) was an Israeli-born United States, American rabbi. He was the last Chief Rabbi of St. Louis, Missouri, and the last chief rabbi of one of only a few cities in the United States that has ever ha ...

(1983–2011)

Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Sephardi

* Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel (1911–1939) * Ya'akov Moshe Toledano (1942–1960) * Ovadia Yosef (1968–1973) *

Hayim David HaLevi Hayim David HaLevi (24 January 1924 – 10 March 1998) (), was Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Biography Hayim David HaLevi was born in Jerusalem. He studied under Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva. When R. Uziel was ...

(1973–1998?)

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Joseph Weinreb Joseph (Yosef) Weinreb (1869–1943), also known as the "Galitzianer Rav," was the first chief rabbi of Toronto, Canada. Biography Joseph Weinreb was born in Busk, Galicia, son of Rabbi Baruch Shlomo Weinreb and his wife Soore Ratze. Rabb ...

1900–1942 *

Avraham Aharon Price Abraham Aharon Price (December 10, 1900 – March 30, 1994) was a renowned Torah scholar, writer, educator, and a community leader in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was one of the city's most influential rabbinic figures. Early life Abraham Aharon ...

Gedaliah Felder Gedaliah, Gedalia, Gedallah Hirsch, E. G. and Greenstone, J. H. (1906)Gedallah Jewish Encyclopedia or Gedalya(h) ( or ; he, גְּדַלְיָּה ''Gəḏalyyā'' or ''Gəḏalyyāhū'', meaning " Jah has become Great") was, according to the n ...

Vienna, Austria

* Yitshak Ehrenberg (1983–1989) *

Warsaw, Poland

Dow Ber Meisels Dow (Dov, Dob) Ber (Beer, Berisz, Berush) Meisels (1798 – 17 March 1870) was a Chief Rabbi of Kraków (Cracow) from 1832 and later, Chief Rabbi of Warsaw (from 1856). He was active in the Polish nationalist movement, and was a politician in the ...

(1856-1870) * Pinchas Menachem Joskowicz (1988–1999) * Baruch Rabinowitz (1999–2000) *

(2000–)

Würzburg, Germany

* Abraham Bing (1814–1839)

Zagreb, Croatia

* Hosea Jacobi (1880–1925) *

(1941–1943)

"Grand Rabbi"

Occasionally, the term "Grand Rabbi" is used to note a

Hasidic Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

Rebbe A Rebbe ( yi, רבי, translit=rebe) or Admor ( he, אדמו״ר) is the spiritual leader in the Hasidic movement, and the personalities of its dynasties.Heilman, Samuel"The Rebbe and the Resurgence of Orthodox Judaism."''Religion and Spiritua ...

, particularly used on letterhead when the letterhead is in English.

References

External links

*
Office of the Chief Rabbi in London, England

Chief Rabbinate of Israel
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008161535/http://rabanut.gov.il/ , date=8 October 2017 Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles