Isaac S. D. Sassoon (born 1946) is a Sephardic rabbi (hakham), scholar and educator. Hakham Sassoon, who is currently one of the leading scholars in the Sephardic world, was born into the Sassoon family of London and grew up speaking Judeo-Arabic.[1]
His initial education was under the tutelage of his father, the scholar Rabbi Solomon David Sassoon, Hakham Yosef Doury, and others. Later studies were at the Gateshead Yeshiva and various yeshivoth in Israel. He holds a Ph.D. in Literature from the University of Lisbon.
Continuing his family's academic tradition, Hakham Sassoon has published on topics ranging from Scriptural commentary[2] and history, to issues of current concern to the Jewish community. Hakham Sassoon teaches at the Institute of Traditional Judaism and lectures widely.
Highly esteemed in the Sephardic community, Hakham Sassoon has contributed to the maintenance of the heritage of the Babylonian Jewish community and has provided the Syrian Jewish community with an updated and corrected siddur (Jewish prayer book) reflecting that community's traditions.
In 2011 he published a book called The Status of Women in Jewish Tradition addressing the particular religious tradition's outlook on women. He primarily refers to the Torah, Talmud, and Dead Sea Scrolls in exploring the authentic position on the "continuum of patriarchal condescension." His goal, in writing the book, was to give authentic answers to a popular question.