Joseph Pardo (born c. 1561 – died 9 October 1619) was an Italian

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

and merchant. He was born in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

, but went to

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

before 1589, where he served as rabbi to the

Levant The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is eq ...

ine community and also engaged in business. Later, he emigrated to the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and was appointed

Hakham ''Hakham'' (or ''chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i)''; he, חכם ', "wise") is a term in Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He ...

of the Bet Ya'akob congregation in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

founded by

Jacob Tirado Jacob Tirado (born ca. 1540; died in Jerusalem 1620) was one of the founders of the Spanish-Portuguese community of Amsterdam. With several Marranos he sailed from Portugal in a vessel which was driven out of its course to Emden in East Friesla ...

, holding office from 1597 until his death. In 1615 he founded the Hermandad de las Huerfanas and Moher ha-Betulot, now the Santa Compania de Dotar Orphas e Donzelas. Some liturgical poems by him are included in the "''Imre Noam''" (Amsterdam, 1628; very rare). He was married to Reina (died at Amsterdam, 1631) and had three sons: Their eldest son, Isaac Pardo, died at Uskup in Turkey. Their second son, Abraham Pardo, died in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography: * De Barrios, ''Casa de Jacob'', pp. 22, 24; *idem, ''Vida de Ishac Huziel'', pp. 38 et seq.; *Koenen,
Geschiedenis der Joden in Nederland
', pp. 143, 428; *Kayserling, in '' Monatsschrift'', 1859, viii
386
*epitaph in

De Castro The de Castro surname is used by a Sephardic Jewish family of Portuguese, Spanish and Italian origin. Soon after the establishment of the Portuguese Inquisition, members of the family emigrated to Bordeaux, Bayonne, Hamburg, and various cities ...

, ''Keur van Grafsteenen'', etc., p. 60, No. 6. Their third son,

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(c. 1591 – 1657), died at Amsterdam. David's son, Joseph Pardo, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

hazzan A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this pr ...

(died 1677). Pardo died in Amsterdam on Wednesday, 9 October 1619 (

Rosh Chodesh Rosh Chodesh or Rosh Hodesh ( he, ראש חודש; trans. ''Beginning of the Month''; lit. ''Head of the Month'') is the name for the first day of every month in the Hebrew calendar, marked by the birth of a new moon. It is considered a minor h ...

Cheshvan Marcheshvan ( he, מַרְחֶשְׁוָן, Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew, Standard , Tiberian vocalization, Tiberian ; from Akkadian language, Akkadian , literally, 'eighth month'), sometimes shortened to Cheshvan (, Hebrew language#Modern Hebrew ...

, 5380 A.M.)

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

inscription on his graveston
gravestone
and is buried at

Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel The Beth Haim of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel is the oldest Jewish cemetery in the Netherlands. It was purchased for use as a burying ground by the Jewish community of Amsterdam in 1614 and is located in the village of Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, in the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pardo, Joseph 1560s births Year of birth uncertain 1619 deaths 17th-century Dutch rabbis Jewish poets Rabbis from Thessaloniki Republic of Venice merchants Republic of Venice poets 16th-century Italian businesspeople 17th-century Dutch businesspeople 16th-century Italian rabbis