Chief Rabbi of Cairo
1848 CE–1928 CE · Modern · Jerusalem
R. Raphael Aharon ben Shimon (1848-1928) was Chief Rabbi of Cairo from 1891 to 1921 — three of the most consequential decades in the modern history of Egyptian Jewry, encompassing the British occupation (1882) onward and the formation of modern Egyptian national identity. Born in Rabat to a leading Moroccan-rabbinic family, he made aliyah to Jerusalem in his youth before being called to Cairo.
His Nahar Mitzraim is the principal scholarly documentation of Egyptian-Jewish minhag — a remarkable conservation effort for a community that had only one generation left in Egypt. His U-Mitzur Devash responsa, Bat Naavat HaMardut, and Tuv Mitzrayim (a historical chronicle of Egyptian Jewry) preserve the late-classical phase of an ancient community.
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CasablancaקזבלנקהMorocco — Atlantic metropolis
What they did here
Born in Rabat, Morocco, to R. David ben Shimon — a leading Moroccan-rabbinic figure of the era.
About Casablanca
Modern Casablanca's Jewish community swelled from a few hundred in 1900 to over 80,000 by 1950 — Morocco's largest. R. Shalom Mashash served as chief rabbi here before being called to Jerusalem in 1978.
Works
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