Eliyahu Bekhor ben Raphael Joseph Ḥazzan, Chief Rabbi of Alexandria

Elijah Bekhor ben Raphael Joseph Ḥazzan (d. 1908) moved to Jerusalem at the age of ten with his grandfather, Rabbi Ḥayyim David ben Joseph Raphael Ḥazzan. From the 1860s, he fulfilled public roles in the Sephardi congregations of Jerusalem, and in 1870 he visited England, France, and Italy, meeting with Sir Moses Montefiore and Baron de Rothschild. Two years later he went to Algeria and Tunisia as a meshullaḥ and was profoundly impressed by the impact of modern French civilization on Jews there, particularly the emancipated Algerian Jews. He gave voice to his thoughts on modernity and emancipation in his important philosophical dialogue Zikhron Yerusalayim (A Remembrance of Jerusalem; Livorno, 1874). In 1875, he accepted the chief rabbinate of Tripoli and during his tenure restructured the city’s communal life. In 1888 Elijah Bekhor moved to Alexandria, where he remained for the rest of his life. Among his books are the responsa collection Ta‘alumot Lev (Secrets of the Heart; Livorno, 1878) and Neve Shalom (A Peaceable Habitation; Alexandria, 1893).

Yaron Ben Naeh

Bibliography

Biṭon, Daniel (ed.). Sefer She’elot u-Teshuvot Ḥiqrey Lev (Jerusalem: Mekhon ha-Ma’or, 1998), introduction.

Frumkin, Arye Leib, and Eliezer Rivlin. Toledot Ḥakhme Yerushalayim, 3 vols. (Jerusalem: Defus Salomon, 1927), index.

Gaon, Moshe David. Oriental Jews in Eretz-Israel (Past and Present), 2 vols. (Jerusalem, 1928–38; repr. n.p., n.d .), vol. 2, pp. 245–253 [Hebrew].

Hazzan, Israel Moses. Words of Peace and Truth (London: Meldola, 1845).

Rosanes, Salomon A. Histoire des Israélites de Turquie et de l’Orient (Sofia: Amichpat, 1934–38), vols. 4–5 passim [Hebrew].

Stillman, Norman. Sephardi Religious Responses to Modernity (Luxembourg: Harwood Academic Press, 1995).

Zohar, Zvi. The Luminous Face of the East: Studies in the Legal and Religious Thought of Sephardic Rabbis of the Middle East (Israel: Hakkibutz Hameuchad, 2001) [Hebrew].

Cite this page

Yaron Ben Naeh. "Ḥazzan family." Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World. Executive Editor Norman A. Stillman. Brill Online, 2013. <http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopedia-of-jews-...>

In 1903 he was the president of the 1st Orthodox Jewish religion men meeting that was organized in Vienna.

He had 2 daughters and 7 sons. His sons were educated in religion schools in order to be chief rabbies. But none of them chose this profession. In the years of King Fuat, all the seven brothers, worked as law counselors first in Egypt and later in Italy, for the country administrators.

When Elijah Hazan died, national mourning was announced in Egypt and his funeral day was a national shut down day.

He is the author of:

TAALUMOT LEV

(1st part, 1877;  

  2nd part, 1893;

  3rd part, Alexandria, 1902) : Responsa in 4 parts.

NEVEH SHALOM (Alexandria, 1894): On the customs of Alexandria.

ZIKHRON YERUSHALAYIM (Leghorn 1874): On the love of the Holy Land. It is an apology for Judaism in the form of a dialogue between a Palestinian rabbi and the members of the family of a pious Mæcenas in Tunis.

KONTES YISHMA MOSHE (Leghorn 1874, Italian translation, 1877): A decision on the will of the famous philanthropist Ka’id Nissim Shamama.

THE JEWISH CONGREGATION DIRECTED BY

RABBI ELIJAHU HAZAN

In the nineteenth century Europe, some voices were heard calling for the revision of Maimonides’ Principles of Jewish faith. Inter alia, it was suggested that the article affirming belief in the eternality of Torah be rephrased, so as to provide Jews with the capability of accommodating Judaism to modern conditions. Rabbi Elijahu Hazan responded that Torah as we have it requires no change at all, in order to enable response to contemporary historical developments. The reason, he wrote is:

Since the Holy Torah was given to physical human beings, who are always subject to changes stemming from differences in history and time, in rulers and decrees, in nature and climate, in states and realms- therefore, all Torah’s words were given in marvelous, wise ambiguity; thus, they can receive any true interpretation at any time. Indeed, the Torah of Truth, inscribed by God’s finger, engraved upon the Tablets - will not change nor be renewed, for ever and ever.

The words of the Holy Torah are thus eternal; yet the eternality of Torah is manifest specifically in its inexhaustible capacity to yield multiple meanings, each appropriate to a different human reality.

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=459&letter=H&searc...

Year 1855 ˆ to Jerusalem, Palestine ;

Year 1874 ˆ to Tripolio, Lybia ;

Year 1888 ˆ to Alexandria, Egypt.

Occupations :

Hakham Bashi (Chief Rabbi) of Tripoli, Lybia, from 1874 to 1888 (then he went to Alexandria) ;

Grand Rabbin d´Alexandrie, Egypte, de 1888 à 1908.

Rabbi Eliahou HAZAN a écrit un essai intitulé < Neve Shalom > au sujet des moeurs et coutumes d´Alexandrie (Egypte).

LE TEMPLE "ELIAHOU HAZAN", a Sporting (Ramleh) a Alexandrie, Egypte:

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Le Temple Eliahou Hazan fut construit en 1937 grace a la liberalite mon oncle maternel (frere de ma mere, Lucie nee BARCILON, a Tantah, Egypte, en 1896):

Abramino S. BARCILON y HAZAN, (mon oncle maternel, frere de Lucie nee Barcilon, ma maman) ne en octobre 1880 a Tantah, Egypte, decede le 4 janvier 1957 a Alexandrie, Egypte. qui fit don du terrain.

Ce Temple a ete bati sur un terrain appartenant a la famille BARCILON. Jacques BOUBLI, pere de Victor BOUBLI, fut la cheville ouvriere pour le financement de la construction et en fut le premier Gabay. Il avait fait graver a l´entree: "Daa lifne mi ata omed" - " Sache devant qui tu te tiens debout".

En 1937, la Communaute Israelite d´Alexandrie (Egypte) inaugure le Temple "ELIAHOU HAZAN" a Sporting (Ramleh).

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He was taken to Jerusalem by his grandfather Hayyim David Hazzan and got his education there. He became the Jerusalem’s community secretary in 1866. In the year of 1868 he became an instructor at the religious school. In the year of 1871 he became a law counsilor about donations in the Palestinian Jewish community’s “Public Treasury”. In 1874 he became the chief Rabbi of Tripoli. In 1888 he was determinated as Alexandria’s chief Rabbi. 
In 1903 he was the president of the 1st Orthodox Jewish religion men meeting that was organized in Vienna. 
He had 2 daughters and 7 sons. His sons were educated in religion schools in order to be chief rabbies. But none of them chose this profession. In the years of King Fuat, all the seven brothers, worked as law counselors first in Egypt and later in Italy, for the country administrators. 
When Elijah Hazan died, national mourning was announced in Egypt and his funeral day was a national shut down day. 

He is the author of: 
TAALUMOT LEV 
(1st part, 1877; 
2nd part, 1893; 
3rd part, Alexandria, 1902) : Responsa in 4 parts. 
NEVEH SHALOM (Alexandria, 1894): On the customs of Alexandria. 
ZIKHRON YERUSHALAYIM (Leghorn 1874): On the love of the Holy Land. It is an apology for Judaism in the form of a dialogue between a Palestinian rabbi and the members of the family of a pious Mæcenas in Tunis. 
KONTES YISHMA MOSHE (Leghorn 1874, Italian translation, 1877): A decision on the will of the famous philanthropist Ka’id Nissim Shamama.

THE JEWISH CONGREGATION DIRECTED BY 
RABBI ELIJAHU HAZAN

In the nineteenth century Europe, some voices were heard calling for the revision of Maimonides’ Principles of Jewish faith. Inter alia, it was suggested that the article affirming belief in the eternality of Torah be rephrased, so as to provide Jews with the capability of accommodating Judaism to modern conditions. Rabbi Elijahu Hazan responded that Torah as we have it requires no change at all, in order to enable response to contemporary historical developments. The reason, he wrote is: 
Since the Holy Torah was given to physical human beings, who are always subject to changes stemming from differences in history and time, in rulers and decrees, in nature and climate, in states and realms- therefore, all Torah’s words were given in marvelous, wise ambiguity; thus, they can receive any true interpretation at any time. Indeed, the Torah of Truth, inscribed by God’s finger, engraved upon the Tablets - will not change nor be renewed, for ever and ever. 
The words of the Holy Torah are thus eternal; yet the eternality of Torah is manifest specifically in its inexhaustible capacity to yield multiple meanings, each appropriate to a different human reality.

http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=459&letter=H&searc...

• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via father Joseph Raphael Hazan by SmartCopy: Oct 28 2014, 21:16:08 UTC

Elijah Bekor Hazan: Chief rabbi of Alexandria (1903); born at Smyrna in 1840. He went to Jerusalem with his grandfather, Ḥayyim David Hazan, in 1855. He was successively clerk of the Jerusalem congregation (1866) and member of the rabbinical college (1868). In 1871 he was appointed solicitor of alms for Palestine; in 1874 he was electedrabbi of Tripoli, whence he was called to Alexandria in 1888. In 1903 he presided over the Orthodox rabbinical convention at Cracow. Elijah Hazan is a representative of strict Orthodoxy. He has published: "Ṭob Leb," homilies printed together with his grandfather's "Yiṭab Leb" (Smyrna, 1868); notes to his grandfather's "Yishre Leb" (ib. 1870); "Ḳonṭres Yismaḥ Mosheh," a decision on the will of the famous philanthropist Ḳa'id Nissim Shamama (Leghorn, 1874; Italian transl., 1877); "Zikron Yerushalayim" (ib. 1874); "Ta'alumot Leb," responsa (1st part, ib. 1877; 2d part, ib. 1893; 3d part, Alexandria, 1902); "Neweh Shalom," on the religious customs of Alexandria (ib. 1894). "Zikron Yerushalayim" is an apology for Judaism in the form of a dialogue between a Palestinian rabbi and the members of the family of a pious Mæcenas in Tunis. The author defends the strictest Orthodoxy, insists on the sacredness of the second holy days, and denies the truth of the Copernican system; in an appendix he gives valuable notes on the Ḥazzan family. Many of his works are still in manuscript.

• הרב אליהו בכור חזן, נולד בשנת תר"ה, באיזמיר שבתורכיה לאביו ר' רפאל חזן, ממשפחת רבנים מפורסמים, נכדו של הראשון לציון בירושלים, רבי חיים דוד חזן, מגזע רבני תורכיה וארץ ישראל. בשנת תרט"ו, עלה לבדו כילד לירושלים, ללמוד תורה עם סבו. עד שבשנת תרכ"ה סמכו להוראה. לאחר שנישא למרת דינה, בתו של רבי ישעיה ברדאקי, נתמנה בשנת תרכ"ו לסופר ומזכיר ראשי של כוללות עיה"ק ירושלים. בחודש כסלו בשנת תרכ"ט נתמנה לדיין ומו"ץ בבית דינו של הראב"ד רבי אברהם אשכנזי. בשנת תרל"א, יצא לשליחות מצוה מטעם כוללות הספרדים, לערי צפון אפריקה. ובשנת תרל"ד, עכבוהו ראשי הקהל בטריפולי, ומינו אותו לרב עליהם, וכיהן שם, כראב"ד וכחכם באשי המאושר מטעם השלטונות והקים שם ישיבה רבתי. בשנת תרמ"ח, נקרא לכהן כרבה הראשי של העיר הגדולה אלכסנדריה, בשנת תרס"ג, היה נשיא כנסיית הרבנים העולמית שהתכנסה בקראקוב. חיבר כמה ספרים ובהם 'זכרון ירושלים' ליוורנו תרל"ד. 'תעלומות לב', ליוורנו תרל"ט-תרנ"ג, אלכסנדריה תרס"ג-תרס"ז. 'נוה שלום' אלכסנדריה תרנ"ד. ועוד, ספרים, שחלקם נשארו בכתב יד. בשנת תרס"ז ביקר בירושלים, בעיקר פעל שם, למען השכנת השלום, בין האשכנזים לספרדים, ובתוך קהל הספרדים עצמם. נפטר בכ"ב סיון תרס"ח באלכסנדריה.