Nessim Korkidi

Nessim Korkidi came to Jerusalem (Eretz Israel-Palestine) with his parents, Abraham and Sultana in 1882 when he was ten years old. Was born in 1872 on the 2nd Adar 5632. His brothers (4) and his two sister Sara and Levana. remain in Bergamo (Turkey) where Nessim was born.

His father put him in a religious school in Jerusalem at the Yeshivah Doresh Zion where he learned to be a Rabi. Also privatly learned with Rabbi Shimon Harush and later in the Yeshivah Tiferet Yerushalayim. After receiving his Semichah, Rabbi Nissim married Rachel Levi the daughter of Rabbi Nahum Rizo Levi in 1889 and proceeded to live in Jaffa with his parents where his father dedicated to comerce for the living. Nessim never oficiated as Rabi but was and intermediate to solve problems between the jews. He was also very active into de Jewish comunity in the arab city.

Jaffa was the base from which new Jewish settlements sprung up in that area. New  Neighborhoods were founded such Neveh Shalom and Neveh Zedek, which later became the nucleus of the new city of Tel Aviv.

Even though he received smichah from the Rabis he refused to usemTorah as the means of living.

In the beginning he occupied with teaching but soon he tried his hands in business at which he was vwey succesful. However applied himself to Torah stidies, to prayer and to public welfare.

In 1906 arrived to Jaffa a city architect named Akiba Arieh Weiss. He asked to buy land in order to build a new city out of Jaffa. He was the head of a commitee named Ahuzat Bait during the first four year. Nessim Korkidi was one of the members of the commitee.

The jews accepted to own land outside of the limits of Jaffa in order to build a new neighbourhood. Three people with Otoman citizenship, between them Rabbi Nissim decided to established the association called Achuzat Bayit and bought land on behalf of Keren Kayemet of Israel. In 1909 fourty people and between them Nessim Korkidi and his wife Rache Levy received their house. Akiba Arieh Weiis build his house in Hertzl street number 2.The all neighbourhoos was called "Ahuzat Bait". after a couple of years the zionist leader Nahum Sokolov, asked Korkidi if he accepted to change the name of the neighbourhood to Tel Aviv. Korkidi agreed. Nessim Korkidi was in the City council that elected Meir Dizengof to be the first Mayor of the city. Nessim Korkidi was also the Cantor of the Sinagogue that was buit in Tel Aviv. His name is engraved in the marble table that was erected in the Rotschild street, where is written the names of the first fourty settlers of Tel Aviv.One of the streets in Tel Aviv was named also Korkidi.

In the following years he was one of the founders of the section Bayit Vegan from which the city Bat Yam developed.

Rabbi Nessim had a sweet voice and with his knowledge of the Sephardic liturgy he became the official cantor of the Beit HaKneset Hagadol-Beit Yaakov in Jaffa. He trained many disciples who eventually wenr in his footsteps and became chazanim in many synaogues in Eretz Yisrael.

Rabbi Nissim passed away on 26th of Chesvan 5699 (November23 1938 and was buried in the cemetery of Nachalat Yitzchak in Tel Aviv.