Jacob Meir, (1856-1939), was the first Sephardic Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate of Palestine. A talmudic scholar, fluent in Hebrew as well as five other languages, he enjoyed a reputation as one of Jerusalem's most respected rabbis.
Born in Jerusalem in 1856, the son of a successful merchant, Calev Mercado, Meir studied the Talmud under Rabbi Menachem Bechor Isaac and Kabbalah under Rabbi Aharon Azriel.
In 1882 he was sent to Buk...
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Jacob Meir, (1856-1939), was the first Sephardic Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate of Palestine. A talmudic scholar, fluent in Hebrew as well as five other languages, he enjoyed a reputation as one of Jerusalem's most respected rabbis.
Born in Jerusalem in 1856, the son of a successful merchant, Calev Mercado, Meir studied the Talmud under Rabbi Menachem Bechor Isaac and Kabbalah under Rabbi Aharon Azriel.
In 1882 he was sent to Bukhara, as the first emissary to visit that country. He was instrumental in encouraging the immigration of Bukhara Jews to Israel. In 1885, 1888, and 1900 he visited Tunisia and Algeria as an emissary. In 1888–99 he was a member of the Beth Din of Rabbi Jacob Saul Elyashar in Jerusalem. Under Turkish rule, he often interceded with the authorities on behalf of the Jewish community; he also encouraged the construction of new Jewish quarters of Jerusalem.
In 1899 he was appointed deputy head of the Beth Din of Rabbi Raphael Isaac Israel. In 1906 he...
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