Shammai Zahn (6 July 1920 – 4 March 2001)[1] was a Polish-born rabbi who was the chief rabbi of the Jewish community of Sunderland, United Kingdom and rosh yeshiva of the Sunderland Yeshiva.[2]
Rabbi Shammai Zahn | |
|---|---|
| Personal | |
| Born | 6 July 1920 |
| Died | 4 March 2001 (aged 80) |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Position | Rosh yeshiva |
| Yeshiva | Sunderland Yeshiva |
| Began | 1949 |
| Buried | Hazlerigg |
Early life
editBorn in Nuremberg, Germany,[1] Zahn held Polish citizenship. He began his education at the Wurzburg teachers' seminary[3] but fled to Britain in 1939, escaping the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany.
Education and community leadership
editIn 1944, Zahn joined the newly established Kollel in Gateshead as its sole unmarried student. The following year, he married Lotte Bergman, also a refugee. He helped the founding of the Sunderland Yeshiva in 1946 and served as its Rosh Yeshiva from approximately 1949 until his passing in 2001.[4]
Zahn made annual trips to Morocco from 1950 to 1967 to recruit students, impacting the education of future chief rabbis of Argentina and Venezuela, as well as dayanim and communal rabbis around the world.[5]
Community service
editIn 1966, Rabbi Zahn took on the responsibilities of Rosh Yeshiva at the Sunderland Yeshiva and effectively became the Rabbi of the Sunderland Beth Hamedrash.[6] In 1981, he became the first and only communal Rabbi of Sunderland, holding the position until his passing.
Scholarly contributions
editBeyond his leadership roles, Zahn authored two significant works on Talmudic literature, contributing to Jewish scholarship and education.
Later years
editZahn retired to Gateshead in 1999, where he continued to be an active member of the Jewish community until his passing on 4 March 2001.[7]
A memorial brochure was published by the Sunderland Yeshiva, now based in Gateshead, in honour of Zahn after his passing.[8][9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Rav Shammai Zahn". Geni.com. 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "Rabbinical Profiles". JCR-UK. JewishGen. 2020-04-02.
- ^ "The Jewish community of Würzburg during the November Pogrom, 1938". Yad Vashem. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "Out from the Cold". Mishpacha.
- ^ bataween (2021-06-23). "The Moroccan students who came into the cold - Point of No Return". www.jewishrefugees.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "The Sunderland Beth Hamedresh 1889 - 1999". www.abramis.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ "HaRav Shammai Zahn, zt"l, Sar Vegodol Nofal beYisroel". Dei'ah Vedibbur.
- ^ Rabbi Shammai Zahn memorial brochure : לכבוד היאהרצייט הראשון : ט' אדר תשס"ב (in English and Hebrew). Gateshead: Sunderland Yeshiva. 2002.
- ^ "Weekend of His'orerus". Dei'ah veDibur. Retrieved 2024-06-18.