Chief Rabbis of the Ottoman Empire and Republic of Turkey
The Hebrew term for "wise man" Haham has been adopted in Turkish to mean "Rabbi." This is to avoid the use of the word "Rabbi" since in Arabic the word "Rab" is one of he names of God and may not be applied to a human.
Still today the Grand Rabbi is called the "Hahambasi." (Head of Rabbis).
|
Hahambasi
|
Years
Served
|
Period
|
| Eli Kapsali |
1452-1454
CE
|
Fatih Sultan Mehmed |
| Moiz Kapsali |
1454-1497
CE
|
Fatih Sultan Mehmed-Sultan Beyazid II |
| Eliyahu Mizrahi |
1497-1526
CE
|
Sultan Beyazid II-Yavuz Sultan Selim-Kanuni Sultan Suleyman |
| Mordehay Komitano |
1526-1542
CE
|
Kanuni Sultan Suleyman |
| Tam Ben Yahya |
1542-
?
|
Kanuni Sultan Suleyman |
| Eli Rozanes Halevi |
1543-
?
|
Kanuni Sultan Suleyman |
| Eli Ben Hayim |
1543-1602
CE
|
Kanuni Sultan Suleyman-Sultan Selim II-Sultan Murad III-Sultan Mehmed III |
| Yehiel Bassan |
1602-1625
CE
|
Sultan Mehmed III- Sultan Ahmed I-Sultan Mustafa I-Sultan Osman II-Sultan Murad IV |
| Yasef Mitrani |
1625-1639
CE
|
Sultan Murad IV |
| Yomtov Benyaes (Ibn Yaish) |
1639-1642
CE
|
Sultan Murad IV-Sultan Ibrahim |
| Yomtov Hananya Benyakar |
1642-1677
CE
|
Sultan Ibrahim-Sultan Mehmed IV |
| Hayim Kamhi |
1677-1715
CE
|
Sultan Mehmed Iv-Sultan Suleyman II-Sultan Ahmed II-Sultan Mustafa II-Sultan Ahmed III |
| Yehuda Ben Rey |
1715-1717
CE
|
Sultan Ahmed III |
| Samuel Levi |
1717-1720
CE
|
Sultan Ahmed III |
| Abraham Rozanes |
1720-1745
CE
|
Sultan Ahmed III-Sultan Mahmud I |
| Salomon Hayim Alfandari |
1745-1762
CE
|
Sultan Mahmud I-Sultan Osman III-Sultan Mustafa III |
| Mayir Ishaki |
1762-1780
CE
|
Sultan Mustafa III-Sultan Abdulhamid I |
| Eliyaho Palombo |
1780-1800
CE
|
Sultan Abdulhamid-Sultan Selim III |
| Hayim Yakup Benyakar |
1800-1835
CE
|
Sultan Selim III-Sultan Mustafa IV-Sultan Mahmud II |
| Abraham Levi * |
1835-1839
CE
|
Sultan Mahmud II-Sultan Abdulmecid |
| Samuel Hayim * |
1839-1841
CE
|
Sultan Abdulmecid |
| Moiz Fresko * |
1841-1854
CE
|
Sultan Abdulmecid |
| Yakup Avigdor * |
1854-1870
CE
|
Sultan Abdulmecid-Sultan Abdulaziz |
| Yakir Geron * |
1870-1872
CE
|
Sultan Abdulaziz |
| Mose Levi * |
1872-1909
CE
|
Sultan Abdulaziz-Sultan Murad V-Sultan Abdulhamid II |
| Hayim Nahum * |
1909-1920
CE
|
Sultan Abdulhamid II-Sultan Mehmed Resad |
| Sabetay Levi ** |
1920-1922
CE
|
Sultan Mehmed Vahdedin |
| Isak Ariel ** |
1922-1926
CE
|
Republic of Turkey |
| Hayyim Moshe Bejerano + |
1926-1931
CE
|
Republic of Turkey
Source: Mrs. Baratz-Bejerano, Paris: Sephardic Jews in the Ottoman Empire, 1990. |
| Hayim Izak Shaki + ** |
1931-1940
CE
|
Republic of Turkey |
| Rafael David Saban + |
1940-1960
CE
|
Republic of Turkey |
| David Asseo + |
1961-
2002 CE
|
Republic of Turkey
|
| Isak Haleva | 2002-Present | Republic of Turkey |
|
||
Sources:
Galante, Abraham. Histoire des Juifs d'Istanboul.
Maimon, Sam Bension. The Beauty of Sephardic Life, 1992.
Encyclopedia Judaica
Quincentennial Foundation of Istanbul
