Bent Melchior (24 June 1929 – 28 July 2021) was a

chief rabbi Chief Rabbi () 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 capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Life and career

Melchior was born to Danish parents in the German city of Beuthen (now

Bytom Bytom (Polish pronunciation: ; Silesian language, Silesian: ''Bytōm, Bytōń'', ) is a city in Upper Silesia, in southern Poland. Located in the Silesian Voivodeship, the city is 7 km northwest of Katowice, the regional capital. It is one ...

in Poland), where his father,

Marcus Melchior Marcus Melchior (1897 – 1969) was a Danish rabbi. The rabbi of the main synagogue in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the time of the rescue of the Danish Jews in October 1943, during the World War II, Second World War. After escaping with his family and ...

, was rabbi. In 1943, during the Nazi

occupation of Denmark At the outset of World War II in September 1939, Denmark declared itself Neutral countries in World War II, neutral, but that neutrality did not prevent Nazi Germany from Military occupation, occupying the country soon after the outbreak of ...

, Marcus Melchior was instrumental in saving

Danish Jews The history of Jews in Denmark goes back to the 1600s. Although there were very likely Jewish merchants, sailors, and among others, who entered Denmark during the Middle Ages, back in around the year 1000, when Denmark became the first Chr ...

, and became chief rabbi of Denmark in 1947. From October 1943 to mid-1945, Melchior and his family lived as refugees in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

. Melchior served as a soldier in the

1947–1949 Palestine war The 1948 Palestine war was fought in the territory of what had been, at the start of the war, British-ruled Mandatory Palestine. During the war, the British withdrew from Palestine, Zionism, Zionist forces conquered territory and established ...

, beginning in pre-statehood battles in 1947.Chief Rabbi of Denmark Speaker for Synagogue Council Dinner
. ''The Jewish Floridian'' (Miami, Florida). 28 January 1972.p. 5A. Via

Florida Digital Newspaper Library The Florida Digital Newspaper Library provides access to the news and history of Florida through local Florida newspapers. The Florida Digital Newspaper Library is supported by the University of Florida's George A. Smathers Libraries and hosted i ...

, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida. Retrieved 3 May 2018. Subsequently, at the age of 21, he received a Ph.D. from

Copenhagen University The University of Copenhagen (, KU) is a public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University. The University of Copenhagen c ...

. After a period as a teacher in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, Melchior had his rabbinical education in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. In 1963, he became rabbi at the

synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...

. When his father died in 1969, he succeeded him as chief rabbi. He translated the

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

, the ''

siddur A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ''tef ...

'' (Jewish prayer book), and other books into Danish, as well as writing several books, including his autobiography. He was a prolific speaker and writer in the Danish community and media. Melchior retired from the rabbinate in 1996. His successor was Bent Lexner. Melchior continued his humanitarian and charitable work in Denmark and abroad in retirement.

Personal life

Bent Melchior married Lilian Weissdorf in 1951. The couple had four sons, including Michael Melchior. His grandson is currently the chief rabbi of Denmark.

References

External links

Chief Rabbis of Denmark
1929 births 2021 deaths People from the Province of Upper Silesia People from Bytom 20th-century Danish Jews 21st-century Danish Jews Danish Orthodox rabbis 20th-century Danish rabbis Bent University of Copenhagen alumni 21st-century Danish rabbis {{Europe-rabbi-stub