Salah Choheili was born in Ahvaz, Iran in 1952 into the Kuhailia (Persian pronunciation: Choheili) family. His malwasha (baptismal name) is Sam bar Sharat Simat (Classical Mandaic: ࡎࡀࡌ ࡁࡓ ࡔࡀࡓࡀࡕ ࡎࡉࡌࡀࡕ, romanized: Sam br Šarat Simat; full baptismal name: Sam br Šarat Simat br Mhatam Yuhana br Yahya br Zihrun, surname Kuhailia).[4] His father was Ganzibra Jabbar Choheili.[5] Salah Choheili's brother is Najah Choheili (Persian: نجاح چحیلی),[6] who is currently the head of the Mandaean community in Iran,[7][8] while his sister is Nargess Choheili.[9]: 30
In 1992, he attained the rank of ganzibra. In 1996, he emigrated to Australia.[10] During the early 2000s, his priestly assistants were the tarmidas Haithem Saeed (now a rishama who is more widely known as Brikha Nasoraia) and Alaa An-Nashmi (now more widely known as Yuhana Nashmi).[2]
On June 13, 1999, Ganzibra Salah Choheili, together with Tarmida Taleb Doraji from Ahvaz, performed the first-ever masbuta on a university campus and at an academic conference, the ARAM 13th International Conference at Harvard University. The masbuta was performed in the Charles River, with Salem Choheili and his brother assisting as shgandas. A 52-minute film of the 1999 ARAM conference masbuta was also made by Jesse Buckley, the stepson of Jorunn Jacobsen Buckley.[11][9]
In 2004, Ganzibra Salah Choheili copied the Mandaean Book of John. His colophon has been translated into English by Gelbert (2017).[4]
Salah Choheili became a rishama in 2010[5] and is commonly recognized as the head priest and leader of the Mandaean community in Australia.[2] In Australia, he worked on publishing a new version of the Ginza Rabba with various members of the Mandaean community, including Carlos Gelbert, Qais Al-Saadi, and others.[2]
He has initiated several priests, including Ganzibra Waleed Khashan, who also currently resides in Australia.[12][5]
^ abGelbert, Carlos (2017). "Colophon of Sheykh Salah". The Teachings of the Mandaean John the Baptist. Fairfield, NSW, Australia: Living Water Books. p. 172. ISBN9780958034678. OCLC1000148487. I am the copyist; I am ganzibra [sic] Sam br Šarat Simat[h] br Mhatam luhana br Yahya br Zihrun, surname Kuhailia. They call me (ḏ-mqarilai) Salah br Jabbar br Ṭauus [sic] br Saeid br Faraj br Dihdar Rajab br Karam br Faizia br Karam br Īidia br Sheykh Īabdala [sic] br Rajab br Īabud br Sheykh Bihram br Sheykh Zihrun br Sheykh Yahya br Sheykh Zihrun br Riša ḏ-ama sheykh of all the people. I stayed twenty six years in the house of the ganzibra Īabdala in the country of Iraq under the authority of my father (atutia īda ḏ-ab dilia), the great and high and venerated ganzibra, who was steadfast and a possessor of [holy] books, and Riš-ama of the Mandaeans in Iran: they call him Jabbar, I was consecrated [by him] and stayed ten years with my grandmother Šarat the daughter of Šarat Simath whose name was Makiia in the city of Ahwaz.
