Yosef Hamadani Cohen

Chacham
Yosef Hamadani Cohen
Personal life
Born1916
DiedMarch 29, 2014
Tehran, Iran
Religious life
ReligionJudaism
Jewish leader
PredecessorUriel Davidi
SuccessorYounes Hamami Lalehzar

Yusef Hamadani Cohen (Persian: یوسف همدانی کهن ;1916 – 29 March 2014) was the Chief Rabbi of Iran and spiritual leader for the Jewish community of Iran (Iranian Jews) between January 1994 and 2007.[1]

Career

In August 2000, Chief Rabbi Hamadani Cohen met with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami for the first time.[2] In 2003, Cohen and Member of Parliament Morris Motamed met with Khatami at Yusef Abad Synagogue which was the first time a President of Iran had visited a synagogue since the Islamic Revolution.[3] For the event, Cohen led the opening of the Torah scroll ark and the recitation of prayers.[4]

Death

Cohen died after a long illness on 29 March 2014 in Tehran over Shabbat.[5][6]

References

  1. ^ Iran: Kosher Info and Synagogues Kosher Delight
  2. ^ Khatami Meets Jewish leaders BBC
  3. ^ Report of Iranian President's visit from Yousef-Abad Synagogue, Tehran Iran Jewish
  4. ^ President Khatami visits the main synagogue in Teheran on Tu B'shvat Archived 2011-05-19 at the Wayback Machine Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture
  5. ^ Newman, Marissa (30 March 2014). "Iranian chief rabbi Yousef Hamadani Cohen dies". Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  6. ^ "Iran's Chief Rabbi Passed Away Over Shabbat". The Jewish Press. 30 March 2014.
Jewish titles
Preceded by Chief Rabbi of Iran
1994–2007 		Succeeded by