Hakham ''Hakham'' (or ''Chakam(i), Haham(i), Hacham(i), Hach''; ) 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 who says a wise th ...

Uriel Davidi (; lived 1922 - December 24, 2006) was a famous

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 ...

(Judæo-Khunsari) religious leader and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, who was born in Khansar (

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

) and died in the

Neve Yaakov Neve Yaakov (; also ''Neve Ya'aqov'', lit. Jacob's Oasis) is an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem, part of the Israeli-occupied territories, north of the settlement of Pisgat Ze'ev and south of the Palestinian locality of al-Ram. Establishe ...

settlement of

Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...

, where he spent the last 12 years of his life. He was descended from a long line of

rabbis 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 ...

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 Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

, 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 born o ...

, made annual visits to the Shah

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of monarchs of Iran, Shah of Iran, ruling from 1941 to 1979. He succeeded his father Reza Shah and ruled the Imperial State of Iran until he was overthrown by the ...

, 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 () 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 ...

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 Food and drink prohibitions, dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to halakha, Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed ko ...

Administrator of the Rabbinical Council of California in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He is also a certified

mohel A ( , Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazi pronunciation , plural: , , "circumciser") is a Jewish man trained in the practice of , the "covenant of male circumcision". A woman who is trained in the practice is referred to as a ''mohelet'' (plural: ''mo ...

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 known as “Uri Davidi”.

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 Iranian rabbis Burials at Har HaMenuchot People from Neve Yaakov 20th-century Israeli rabbis {{Israel-rabbi-stub