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: "H ...

Uriel Davidi Khansari ( he, אוריאל דוידי lived 1922 - December 24, 2006) was a famous Jewish (Judæo-Khunsari) religious leader and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, who was born in Khansar (

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

) and died in the

Neve Yaakov Neve Yaakov also Neve Ya'aqov, ( he, נווה יעקב; lit. Jacob's Oasis), is an Israeli settlement and neighborhood located in East Jerusalem, north of Pisgat Ze'ev and south of al-Ram. Established in 1924 during the period of the British M ...

section of

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

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, where he spent the last 12 years of his life. He was descended from a long line of rabbis who preceded him in leading the Jewish community in Iran. Born to Hacham Meir Davidi, he continued the tradition of a learned scholar and after moving to Tehran, became a more prominent community leader in his own right. In the late 1970s, Davidi, along with the late chief rabbi, Hacham

Yedidia Shofet Yedidia Shofet (also spelled ''Shophet'', and often referred to as Hakham Yedidia; November 14, 1908 – June 24, 2005) was the former Chief Rabbi of Iran and the worldwide spiritual leader of Persian Jewry. Early life Yedidia Shofet was bor ...

, made annual visits to the Shah

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran , image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg , caption = Shah in 1973 , succession = Shah of Iran , reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979 , coronation = 26 Octob ...

, as representatives of the Jewish community. In 1979, shortly after the Islamic revolution, Davidi and Shofet, along with a few other members of the Jewish community of Tehran, met with the new leadership of the Islamic Republic in order to preserve the rights of the Jewish community. Among Persian Jews, he has been known as "Hacham Uriel". Hacham Uriel Davidi served as the

chief rabbi Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...

after Hacham Shofet left, from 1980 to 1994. He gave weekly religious lectures on Saturday afternoons in Tehran's Darvaz-e Dolat Synagogue during this time. He also performed wedding ceremonies and functioned as a 'mohel'. On January 17, 1994, he moved to

. One of his sons is Rabbi Nissim Davidi, the

Kashrut (also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fr ...

Administrator of the

Rabbinical Council of California The Rabbinical Council of California is the primary representative body of Orthodox Judaism in California. Its three primary areas of operation are overseeing Kashrut certification in the state, maintaining a ''Beit Din A beit din ( he, בית ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. He is also a certified

mohel A ( he, מוֹהֵל , Ashkenazi pronunciation , plural: , arc, מוֹהֲלָא , "circumciser") is a Jew trained in the practice of , the "covenant of circumcision". Etymology The noun ( in Aramaic), meaning "circumciser", is derived f ...

as his father and paternal grandfather were before him. His grandson, and namesake, Uriel Davidi is a popular modern singer on the American Chareidi Jewish music scene.

Gallery

Uriel Davidi Tehran.jpg, Uriel Davidi Tehran Hacham Uriel Officiating Wedding.jpg, Hakham Uriel officiating a wedding. Tehran, 1975.

References

1922 births 2006 deaths People from Khansar Chief rabbis of Iran 21st-century Israeli rabbis Iranian emigrants to Israel Israeli Orthodox rabbis 20th-century rabbis {{Israel-rabbi-stub