Chaim (Haim) NahumEffendi (Turkish:Haim Nahum Efendi;Hebrew:חיים נחום;Arabic:حاييم ناحوم) (1872–1960) was a TurkishJewish scholar,jurist, andlinguist of the early 20th century.
He served as theGrand Rabbi of the Ottoman Empire.[1]
He was born in 1872 inManisa, Turkey. He was sent by his parents to ayeshiva inTiberias, after which he studied at a Frenchlycée for his secondary education and obtained a degree inIslamic lawIstanbul. Thereafter, he attended arabbinical academy in Paris, from which he received hissemicha. At the same time, he studiedlinguistics, history, andphilosophy at theSorbonne's School of Oriental Languages.
Upon his return to Constantinople, Nahum occupied various teaching positions, including at the Turkish military academy. While there, he became acquainted with many of the leaders of theYoung Turk movement, who gained power in 1908.
In 1909 Nahum succeededMoses Levi asHakham Bashi, orchief rabbi, of theOttoman Empire. "Nahum invested much effort in the restoration of communal institutions. He found a fervent advocate in the person of David Fresko, the editor ofEl Tiempo," aLadino newspaper who politically supported the positions of Turkish reformers.[2] DuringWorld War I he strove to be appointed as theAmbassador of the Ottoman Empire to the United States but did not get the position.[1]
During the peace negotiations followingTurkish War of Independence that followed World War I, Nahum, the representative of theOttoman Jews, was a member of theTurkish delegation that signed theLausanne Treaty. For his services to the Turkish government he was given the title ofeffendi.
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In 1923 he received an invitation from Moise Cattaoui Pasha, head of the Jewish community ofCairo, to become chief rabbi ofEgypt. He was appointed aSenator of Egypt'sLegislative Assembly and was a founding member of theRoyal Academy of the Arabic Language. Among his many scholarly works was a translation intoFrench of all Ottomanfirmans, or edicts, sent to the governors and rulers of Egypt by theSublime Porte from the Turkish conquest of Egypt in 1517 until the late 19th century.
His works on the history of the Egyptian community are of particular importance. In 1944 he helped to reconstitute theSociété d'études historiques juives d'Égypte (Society for the Historical Study of theJews of Egypt) and served as its honorary head. Rabbi Nahum was also active in international affairs, assisting in the establishment of contacts between Jews throughout the world. He visitedEthiopia and arranged for severalEthiopian Jews to study in Egypt. Until theGerman occupation ofRhodes, he was a great supporter of theSephardicyeshiva on the island and sent many young men to study there.
The creation ofIsrael in the late 1940s led to increased economic and political hardship for Egypt's Jewish community. Hundreds were arrested and interned for "Zionist activity". Jewish businesses were confiscated, Jewish bank accounts frozen, andexit visas could be approved only by a special government agency for Jewish affairs. Nahum attempted to ameliorate the effect of these developments for his community with mixed success.
"Nahum was a supporter ofOttomanization and thus opposed Zionism, though he was willing to assist some of their goals: allowingJewish emigration to and settlement in Palestine and purchase by land there by non-citizens[3]".
Around 1950, at age 78, Nahum became totally blind, but continued to carry on his duties as best he could. He continued to officiate at theShaar Ha Shamayim synagogue, and could give long quotations from theHebrew Bible andrabbinical texts from memory. However, he became greatly depressed by what he realized was the inevitable decline of Egyptian Jewry. Suffering from increasingly severe medical ailments, he finally succumbed in 1960 at the age of 88. He was buried at theBassatin cemetery outside Cairo. Nahum's funeral was attended by thousands, including manyMuslims andChristians.
In the decades that followed, much of the cemetery was vandalized and desecrated. Rabbi Nahum's tomb is now inhabited bysquatters.[citation needed]
| Jewish titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Chief Rabbi of the Ottoman Empire 1909–1920 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Rabbi of Egypt 1925–1960 | Succeeded by |
