List of Sephardi chief rabbis of the Land of Israel explained

This list of Sephardi chief rabbis of the Land of Israel documents the rabbis who served as the spiritual leader of the Sephardic community in the Land of Israel from the mid-17th century to present. The Hebrew title for the position, Rishon LeZion (literally "First to Zion"), has been used since the beginning of the 17th century, and is sourced from a verse in Isaiah 41:27. Between 1842 and 1920 the position of Hakham Bashi of the Damascus Bilayet was officially recognised by the Ottoman and British governments.

17th century

• Moshe ben Yonatan Galante (1665–?)
• Moshe ibn Habib (1689–1696)

18th century

• Avraham Ben David Yitzhaki (1709–1729)^[1]
• Eliezer Ben Yaakov Nachum (c. 1730)
• Nissim Chaim Moshe Mizrachi (1748–1749)
• Israel Yaakov Algazi (c. 1754)
• Raphael Shmuel Meyuchas (1756–1771)
• Chaim Raphael Avraham Ben Asher (1771–1772)
• Raphael Moshe Bula (1772-1773) ^{[2] [3]}
• Yom Tov Algazi (1773–1802)

19th century

• Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas (1802–1806)
• Yaakov Moshe Ayash al-Maghrebi (1806–1817)
• Yaakov Korach (1817–1818)
• Raphael Yosef Hazan (1819–1821)
• Yom Tov Danon (1822–1823)
• Shlomo Moses Suzin (1824–1836)
• Yonah Moshe Navon (1836–1841)
• Yehuda Raphael Navon (1841–1842)
• Chaim Avraham Gagin (1842–1848) - first Hakham Bashi of Palestine recognized by Ottoman government.
• Yitzhak Kovo (1848–1854)
• Chaim Nissim Abulafia (1854–1861)
• Chaim David Hazan (1861–1869)
• Avraham Ashkenazi (1869–1880)
• Raphael Meir Panigel (1880–1892)
• Yaakov Shaul Elyashar (1893–1906)

20th century

• Yaakov Meir (1906)
• Eliyahu Moshe Panigel (1907)
• Nachman Batito (1909-1911)
• Moshe Franco (1911–1915)
• Chaim Moshe Elyashur (1914–1915)
• Nissin Yehuda Danun (1915–?)
• Yaakov Meir (1921–1939)
• Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel (1939–1954)
• Yitzhak Nissim (1955–1972)
• Ovadia Yosef (1973–1983)
• Mordechai Eliyahu (1983–1993)
• Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron (1993–2003)

21st century

• Shlomo Amar (2003—2013)
• Yitzhak Yosef (2013—2024)
• David Yosef (2024—)

See also

• Land of Israel Gaonate
• List of Jewish leaders in the Land of Israel
• Sephardic Chief Rabbi Official Dress
• Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
• Old Yishuv

Notes and References

1. Book: Dov Noy . Dov Noy. Ellen Frankel. Dan Ben-Amos. Haifa, Israel. Folktales of the Jews. 18 October 2011. 2007. Jewish Publication Society. 978-0-8276-0829-0. 38.
2. Web site: Biography Yom Tov Algazi .
3. Web site: web2_admin . 2022-03-09 . Lot 217 בית המכירות תפארת . 2024-10-18 . en-US.