Congregation Ezra Bessaroth is an

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

congregation and

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 ...

located at 5412 Wilson Avenue South, in the Seward Park neighborhood of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, in the United States. Established in 1914, Ezra Bessaroth is one of Seattle's two

Sephardic Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...

congregations, the other being

Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation Sephardic Bikur Holim Congregation (SBH) is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue in the Seward Park, Seattle, Seward Park neighborhood of Seattle, Washington (U.S. state), Washington, in the United States, that practices ...

. Ezra Bessaroth maintains the liturgy and customs of the Mediterranean Island of

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

Leadership

Rabbis

The following individuals have served as

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 t ...

of Congregation Ezra Bessaroth:

Cantors

Yogev Nuna was

cantor A cantor or chanter is a person who leads people in singing or sometimes in prayer. Cantor as a profession generally refers to those leading a Jewish congregation, although it also applies to the lead singer or choir director in Christian contexts. ...

of Ezra Bessaroth for several years. Isaac Azose was chazan of Ezra Bessaroth from March 1966 to the end of 1999. He has published several

siddurim A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Judaism, Jewish prayer book containing a set order of List of Jewish prayers and blessings, daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books a ...

for the needs of the Sephardic Jewish communities.

Notes

*: Also served as rabbi for Bikur Holim.

References

External links

* {{authority control Greek-Jewish culture in the United States Jews and Judaism in Seattle Turkish-Jewish culture in the United States Synagogues in Seattle Sephardi Jewish culture in the United States Orthodox synagogues in Washington (state) 1914 establishments in Washington (state) Jewish organizations established in 1914 Synagogues completed in 1958 20th-century synagogues in the United States