Rabbi Avraham Hamra (אברהם חמרה)(1943 – 7 May 2021) was a Syrian-Israeli rabbi.[1][2] He served as chief rabbi of Syrian and Lebanese Jews[3][4] and was the last chief rabbi of Syria.[5]
Avraham Hamra אברהם חמרה | |
|---|---|
 Rabbi Hamra in 2017 | |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1943 |
| Died | 7 May 2021 Holon, Israel |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Children | 6 |
| Jewish leader | |
| Predecessor | Nissim Nadabo Cohen |
| Successor | Title abolished |
| Position | Chief Rabbi of Syria |
| Began | 1976 |
| Ended | 1994 |
Early life
editRabbi Hamra was born in Damascus in 1943. He worked for two years as a teacher at a local Jewish school before assuming the role of principal in 1963. In 1970, he became a member of the community committee serving the local Jewish population. He was Cantor in the local synagogue and had many connections in the Syrian government and would help the community with whatever they needed.[4]
Rabbinical career
editIn 1972, he was appointed deputy chief rabbi of Damascus.[4] In 1976, Rabbi Hamra was appointed chief rabbi, a position he held until he left Syria after years of aiding the community with financial support and helping thousands of Syrian Jews escape syria with most of the country's remaining Jews in October 1994 when then Syrian President Hafez al-Assad allowed the last Syrian Jews to leave, on condition that they immigrate to the United States rather than Israel. Rabbi Hamra immigrated to Brooklyn, New York before leaving for Israel.[6]
Upon his arrival in Israel,Rabbi Hamra settled in Holon and was appointed to the religious council. In addition to serving and leading the city's Syrian community, the rabbi frequently visited the Jewish Syrian community in New York.[7][8][9] In the 1990s, he worked with Mossad to smuggle Jewish artifacts out of Syria.[5][10][11] Hamra also served on the Presidium Council of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States.[12]
In December 2017, Rabbi Hamra's daughter Aliza and three of her children were killed in a house fire in Brooklyn, New York.[13][14]
Rabbi Hamra Passed Away in May 2021 and is laid to rest in Israel, at the age of 78.[5] Syrian President Bashar al-Assad sent his condolences.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Remembering Rabbi Avraham Hamra, z"l, a Quiet Jewish Hero | JDC". JDC | JDC is the global Jewish 9-1-1. We put Jewish values into action when the world needs them most. 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
- ^ "BDE: Harav Avraham Hamra, Chief Rabbi of Syrian Jewry in Israel | Hamodia.com". Hamodia. 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
- ^ "Chief rabbi of Syrian Jewish community dies". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ a b c Greenwood, Hanan (May 9, 2021). "Rabbi with ties to late Syrian President Hafez Assad dies". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ a b c Commons, Wikimedia (7 May 2021). "Rabbi Avraham Hamra, last chief rabbi of Syria, dies at 78". The Forward. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
- ^ "SYRIAN RABBI REACHES ISRAEL VIA N.Y." Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "The Untold Story of Syrian Jewry; American Jews and Israel Joined in Resettling Syrian Jews {span}#i". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 1994-10-25. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
- ^ "Chief Rabbi of Syrian Jews Immigrates to Israel". Associated Press. October 18, 1994.
- ^ "Chief rabbi of Syrian Jewish community dies". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
- ^ Estrin, Daniel. "Bibles from Syria could spark ownership dispute". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Centuries-old Bibles Mossad Smuggled From Syria to Remain in Israel's National Library". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef endorses Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Menorah Blamed for Brooklyn Fire That Killed Mother and 3 Children". The New York Times. 2017-12-18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Mother and Children Killed in Brooklyn Hanukkah Fire Laid to Rest in Israel". Haaretz. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
- ^ "Syria's president wants non-Muslim religions to help end his pariah status". The Economist. 13 July 2023.