List of Jewish Leaders in The Land of Israel - The Chief Rabbinate Subordinate To The Nagid of Egypt

The Chief Rabbinate Subordinate To The Nagid of Egypt

Since that time, the Nagid, a title going back to the 11th century, now ruled all Jewry in Egypt, and by extension, Palestine as well.

• Maimonides 1171–1204 - who came from Spain via Morocco and Israel, succeeded as Nagid in Egypt. During his reign, there were repeated attempts to revive the Jewish community in Jerusalem. Two of the most prominent rabbis there during this time were Hananiah ben Yehudah, and Yehiel ben Yitzhak who inquired of Maimonides how to dispose of a certain amount of money. In 1187, Saladin conquered Palestine from the Crusaders resulting in increased tension and violence between Christians and Muslims in Israel. Soon after Saladin's conquest, Jews were invited to return to Jerusalem and it was decided by the rabbis in Egypt that a "vice-Nagid" would be appointed to oversee internal Palestinian affairs. The first two who held this title was Hillel ben Moshe and Ovadiah ben Ulah.
• Avraham ben Moshe 1204–1237 under whose rule, Jerusalem, by treaty, passed to the Christians under Frederick II 1228.
• David ben Avraham – 1237–1300 under his rule, Jerusalem passed briefly under the Muslims, but then passed under Christian rule 1243, invaded by the Khwarizian Turks 1244, and tenuously held by the Mameluke Egyptians 1250. Yehiel ben Yoseph, who came from Paris in 1257, led the Jews in Palestine from his Midrash haGadol d'Parisi in Acre during which time, the Mongol Hordes invaded Jerusalem 1260. He was succeeded by Moshe ben Nahman (b. Spain) who revived Jerusalem 1267 and built a synagogue which became known as the Ramban Synagogue, where the chief rabbinate would preside until the 16th century. In 1270, he was succeeded by Solomon Petit who came from France. In 1291, the Mameluke Egyptians brought Palestine under their full control and David ben Avraham's son:
• Avraham ben David co-ruled with his father in Egypt from 1291 until 1300 after which, he co-ruled with his son
• Moshe ben Avraham until 1305, and then, by his other son
• Yehoshua until his death in 1313, after which, Yehoshua ruled alone. During this time, the noted geographer Ashturi Farhi came from France in c.1306 and went to Jerusalem where he studied with Baruch Ashkenazi who probably led the Jews of Palestine. If this assumption is true, then he was succeeded by Isaac Hatikvah (b. Spain). Yehoshua ruled until his death in 1355
• David ben Yehoshua 1355–1374, son of Yehoshua.
• Amram – 1374–1384 mentions in a letter c.1380 a certain rabbi Yoseph ben Eliezer Tov Elem who lived in Jerusalem.
• Shimon 1384–1422
• Yosef ben Ovadiah – 1422–1430
• Abd al Latif – 1430–1442 during whose reign, Elijah of Ferrara was chief rabbi of Palestine c.1435.
• Yosef ben Khalifah 1442–1465, during whose reign, Abraham Halevy was chief rabbi of Palestine.
• Shlomo ben Yosef – 1465–1482 during whose reign, Shalom Ashkenazi was chief rabbi of Palestine.
• Natan Sholal – 1482–1504 during whose reign, Obadiah ben Abraham di Bertinoro was chief rabbi of Palestine 1488. For a brief period, he was chief rabbi in Hebron 1490–1495 and Isaac ibn Haim ruled in Jerusalem in his place until his return to Jerusalem. Beginning in the last years of Natan's reign, he co-ruled with his nephew
• Isaac Sholal 1502–1517 and at the same time, Jacob of Trijal succeeded as chief rabbi of Palestine. He was followed by Judah Albotini (b. Turkey) who ruled Palestine until the conquest by the Ottoman Turks 1516 when the office of Nagid of Egypt was abolished. Isaac, therefore, sought to make the Palestinian rabbinate independent of the Egyptian rabbinate. Shortly after the Ottoman conquest, he settled in Jerusalem and became successor to Albotini. He ruled in Jerusalem until 1525.