Sidi Fredj Halimi (October 23, 1876 – September 25, 1957) was the Chief Rabbi of

Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine g ...

during about sixty years at the beginning of the 20th century. The meaning of his name, Fredj, in English is "consolation". Sidi Fredj is called by his relatives "Baba Laaziz", meaning "beloved father" in English. Sidi Fredj Halimi was born on October 23, 1876, in Constantine, shortly after all the Jews of

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

received French nationality following the

Crémieux Decree The Crémieux Decree (; ) was a law that granted French citizenship to the majority of the Jewish population in French Algeria (around 35,000), signed by the Government of National Defense on 24 October 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was ...

in 1870. He died on September 25, 1957, the eve of Jewish New Year, and was buried in the Jewish cemetery in this city. His death occurred a short time before the massive emigration of virtually all Algerian Jews, following the events of

Algerian war The Algerian War (also known as the Algerian Revolution or the Algerian War of Independence) ''; '' (and sometimes in Algeria as the ''War of 1 November'') was an armed conflict between France and the Algerian National Liberation Front (Algeri ...

(1961–63). Sidi Fredj Halimi was the spiritual father of the Jews living in Constantine, and his reputation spread during his life far beyond that city, in Algeria as well in the neighboring countries of

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and in the Jewish community of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. He also maintained a correspondence with famous rabbis from different European countries. So far he is still one of the most revered figures of Algerian Judaism in France and in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. In recognition for his work for the nation, Sidi Fredj Halimi received from the French government the order of Knight of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Biography

Fredj Halimi was the son of Rabbi Sidi Abraham Halimi (called by his relatives "Sidi Baha") and Bendkia Zerbib, called by her family "Ma Bendkia", daughter of Rabbi Shimon Zerbib. By his father's side Sidi Fredj comes from an illustrious line of rabbis, including his father Sidi Benjamin Halimi and his grandfather Rabbi Khalfalah Halimi. By his mother's side too, he comes from an illustrious line of rabbis going back to the famous Rabbi Messa'oud (also known as "El Hasid", author of ''Zerah Haemeth'') of the 18th century. Sidi Fredj's parents were poor, and the situation even worsened when Rabbi Abraham Halimi died when Sidi Fredj reached the age of 13. As teenager, he studied thoroughly at the

Yeshiva A yeshiva (; ; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are studied in parallel. The stu ...

Jewish studies: 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 () ...

, both

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

s, the

Halakha ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Judaism, Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Torah, Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is ...

and the

Haggadah The Haggadah (, "telling"; plural: Haggadot) is a foundational Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. According to Jewish practice, reading the Haggadah at the Seder table fulfills the mitzvah incumbent on every Jew to reco ...

, but at the same time he had to work to support his family (his mother, his brother, Sidi Khai and his sisters, Clara and Esther). In a few years he acquired an excellent knowledge in Judaism, and this was noticed by the community leaders. He was appointed as ''Dayan'' (simple judge) at the age of 18, ''Rosh Beth Din'' (rabbinical court president) at the age of 21, and finally he was appointed as the Chief-Rabbi of Constantine at the age of 24.

Personality and influence

He was a rabbi with a boundless devotion to his community. He was in good relation with all the Jews of the community without distinction, whatever their religious or political views. He succeeded by his influence to preserve the unity of the community, that at a period of profound social and cultural upheavals due to the francization of the Algerian Jews. He also worked tirelessly to improve the plight of the poor, and was the president of many associations working in the framework of the community, such as the charity association, the

Talmud Torah Talmud Torah (, lit. 'Study of the Torah') schools were created in the Jewish world, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic, as a form of religious school for boys of modest backgrounds, where they were given an elementary education in Hebrew language, H ...

, etc.. An event illustrating his great fame is that the position of Chief Rabbi of

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

was proposed to him during the

. He refused, saying that a rabbi must be familiar with his community and this since a young age, so by attachment to his own community. We can describe his personality in this way: "His erudition and wisdom were matched by his dedication and humility".

Family

Sidi Fredj Halimi married Tefakha Bitoun (called by her relatives "Ma Tefakha") and had eight children, seven daughters (Myriam, Turkia, Pauline, Georgette, Blanche, Julie and Suzanne) as well as one son, Abner Shalom. His daughter Myriam, divorced only a few years after her wedding, died young, leaving her son Gilbert Mordechai Achour orphan at the age of 9. Then his grandparents adopted him and raised him as one of their own children. All his children left

in the early sixties following Algeria's independence, settling mostly in the

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 ...

and

Marseilles Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean S ...

regions. Some if his descendants later emigrated to

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halimi, Sidi Fredj 1876 births 1957 deaths 20th-century Algerian rabbis Chief rabbis of populated places Knights of the Legion of Honour People from Constantine, Algeria Jews and Judaism in Constantine