Moses Avigdor Chaikin (; 1852 - 17 June 1928) was a Russian-British rabbi and author.

Biography

Moses Avigdor Chaikin was born in

Shklow Shklow is a town in Mogilev Region, Belarus, located north of Mogilev on the Dnieper, Dnieper River. It serves as the administrative center of Shklow District. It has a Train station, railway station on the line between Orsha and Mogilev. In 20 ...

Mogilev Governorate Mogilev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Northwestern Krai of the Russian Empire. The governorate bordered the Vitebsk Governorate to the north, the Smolensk Governorate to the east, the Chernigov Gover ...

, to

Lubavitch Chabad, also known as Lubavitch, Habad and Chabad-Lubavitch (; ; ), is a dynasty in Hasidic Judaism. Belonging to the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) branch of Orthodox Judaism, it is one of the world's best-known Hasidic movements, as well as one of ...

parents Rabbi Israel Shraga and Chaya Dina Chaikin. At an early age he moved with his father to

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, where the latter became chief '' shoḥet''. Chaikin was educated for the rabbinate, and obtained several rabbinical diplomas, among others one from Rabbi in

Volkovysk Vawkavysk or Volkovysk is a town in Grodno Region, in western Belarus. It serves as the administrative center of Vawkavysk District. It is located on the and rivers, roughly from the city of Grodno and from Minsk, the national capital. As o ...

and one from Rabbi

Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor or Isaac Elhanan Spector (; 1817 – March 6, 1896) was a Russian rabbi, ''posek'' and Talmudist of the 19th century. Early life Spektor was born in Ros', Belarus (Yiddish: Rosh), then part of the Grodno Governorate ...

Kovno Kaunas (; ) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius, the fourth largest List of cities in the Baltic states by population, city in the Baltic States and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaun ...

. After the pogroms of 1881–82 he emigrated to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where he served as rabbi of the Polish Jews from 1883 to 1887; but then returned to Russia and was rabbi at

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

from 1888 to 1889. Being expelled from Russia in 1890, he went to England, and in 1892 was appointed rabbi of the New Hebrew Congregation in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

. In 1901 he was appointed Chief Minister of the

Federation of Synagogues The Federation of Synagogues is a British Jewish organisation with headquarters in Hendon, London. It comprises a network of 19 constituent and seven affiliated communities. As well as looking after its member synagogues, the Federation has a be ...

, and in 1911 a '' dayan'' of the

London Beth Din The London Beth Din (LBD) is the Ashkenazi Beth Din of the United Synagogue, the largest Ashkenazi synagogal body in London, England. In its capacity as ''Court of the Chief Rabbi'', it is historically the supreme halakhic Authority for Ashkena ...

. In August 1926 he retired and moved to

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

, where he died two years later.

Publications

* Translated into English in 1897. * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaikin, Moses Avigdor 1852 births 1928 deaths 19th-century British rabbis 19th-century rabbis from the Russian Empire British emigrants to Mandatory Palestine Burials at Trumpeldor Cemetery Emigrants from the Russian Empire to France Emigrants from the Russian Empire to the United Kingdom Jewish English writers English Orthodox rabbis People from Shklow Immigrants of the Fourth Aliyah