Rabbi Israel Moshe Hazan

Israel Moses ben Eliezer Ḥazzan (d. 1862) moved with his family to Jerusalem while still a child.

In the 1840s he served as one of the city’s jurists (dayyanim). He left Jerusalem in 1848 as a rabbinical emissary to Western Europe. In 1845, while in London, he published Words of Peace and Truth, a polemical tract taking issue with a pamphlet of the Reform movement, which had recently been established in England. While in Rome, Israel Moses was offered the rabbinate of its Jewish community. He remained there until 1852, spent the next few years as rabbi in Corfu, and in 1857 accepted the rabbinate of the Jewish community in Alexandria. He finally returned to Palestine in 1862. He settled in Jaffa (Yafo), but soon afterward died while on a visit to Beirut.

Israel Moses was a spirited polemicist. His Qinʾat Ṣiyyon (Zeal for Zion; Amsterdam, 1846) is a collection of his letters condemning the Reform rabbinical synod convened by Levi Herzfeld in Brunswick, Germany, in 1844. His Sheʾerit ha-Naḥala: Vikuaḥ Shoʾel u-Meshiv (Remnant of the Portion: A Dialogue of Questioner and Respondent; Alexandria, 1862) is a dialogue between a pious merchant and two rabbis. Their exchange takes up many topics, such as the question of language study by Jewish youths and the value of secular studies, including the physical sciences, all of which Israel Moses favored. His Kerakh shel Romi (The Metropolis of Rome; Livorno, 1875), is a collection of responsa. He also wrote a commentary on the gaonic responsa entitled Iyye ha-Yam (The Isles of the Sea), but only the first of its two parts was published in his lifetime (Livorno, 1869; Jerusalem, 1980). His other works remain in manuscript.

Born in Izmir in 1808, died at Beirut Oct.1863. He was taken by his father to Jerusalem(1811) where he was educated under his grandfather, Joseph Ben Hayyim Hazzan. In 1840 he became a member of a rabbinical college, in 1848 he was appointed “Meshullash” (Messenger) while at Rome he was elected as the chief Rabbi. (1847-1854). He became very good friend of the Pope IX.Pius and used to teach him Hebrew. IX.Pius has given him a sword made of valuable stones as a present for his teaching him Hebrew. This sword was kept as a memory at the Hazan family’s home till 1930, later with the change of the house, the sword was lost.

Later he became the Rabbi of Corfu for 5 years, in 1857 he was called for the rabbinate in Alexandria. He became as an AV BEIT DIN MEMBER till 1862. Later he was settled in Haifa and went to Beirut. In 1863 he was buried in Sidon.

He had a great personality, the poet Ludwig August Frankl, after seeing him in Corfu, got very impressed of his respectable, a sacred and superior personality. Although he was a fanatic religious person, he was open minded and struggled with the superstitions and the established ideas that were not valid.

He is the author of:

KINAT ZIYYON (Amsterdam, 1846): A pamphlet written against the decisions of the Rabbinical Synod at Brunswick.

DIVREI SHALOM AND EMET (1856): Written in English and in Hebrew against the reform movements.

NAHALAL LE-YISRAEL (Vienna, 1851) (Alexandria, 1862): Obligation of deciding laws of inheritance according to Torah.

KONTRES KEDUSHAT YOM TOV SHENI (1855): Written against the attempt in Italy to abolish the second day of the festivals.

SHEERIT HA-NAHALAH (Alexandria, 1862): A dispute between a merchant and two emissaries of Erez Israel. It was later combined with the Nahalah le-Yisrael.

IYYEI HA-YAM (Leghorn, 1869): A commentary on the responsa of the geonim.

KERAKH SHEL ROMI (Leghorn, 1876): Responsa.

YISMAH LEV: Sermons preached in Jerusalem and during his activity as an emissary.

3 PSAUMES: Maskil le Moshe, Tehila and Tefila. Later translated to french and italian.

NEZAH YISRAEL: Remained in manuscript and is an attack on the “Vikkuah al Hokhmat ha-Kabbalah” of S.D.Luzatto.

HOKER LEV: Responsa still in manuscript.

A writing from the book: “JEWS AMONG MUSLIMS” ,

 DESHEN, SHLOMO, PP.70-71.

“ SUPPORT FOR THE INTEGRATION OF SECULAR STUDIES INTO THE JEWISH CURRICULUM:

In pre-modern times, almost all Jewish boys received several years of elementary schooling. However, the traditional curriculum was concerned only with the mastery of reading and language skills necessary for participation in synagogue life. A major issue in modern Jewish history was the reform of the elementary-school curriculum so as to include secular subjects. By and large, Sephardic rabbis favored such an integrated program. Thus Rabbi Joseph Hayyim was asked about a change planned for the Baghdad Jewish school, in which context children would receive lessons in arithmetic, Arabic and commercial correspondence- in addition to the traditional program of Torah studies. Rabbi Hayyim supported the inclusion of these subjects in the curriculum, but ruled that they should not be taught inside the actual prayer hall (where classes in Torah subjects were held), but in other premises. He added:

   ..... like they do in schools. For in our times, in each city there is a school, for the teaching of writing and languages. But, they construct or rent a building for these studies, and do not conduct them in the synagogues or in the yeshivoth.

Rabbi Hayyim thus clearly advocates that Baghdadi Jews follow the modern model of schools as a community institution, physically differentiated from the sites of prayer and Torah-study. He sees no problem with regard to the curriculum change . There is a gap between his position and the one typical of European Orthodoxy. Note, for instance, the 1891 decision of the heads of the Russian Yeshiva of Volozhin to close down the institution, rather than to agree to the inclusion of secular topics in the curriculum as required by Russian authorities; and the anathema declared by Jerusalem’s Ashkenazi rabbis in 1853 against anyone who sent his children to a newly-founded modern school.

Interestingly Rabbi Hayyim presents his position as “stringent”, relative to the ruling of another leading Sephardic rabbi, ISRAEL MOSHE HAZAN. Rabbi HAZAN supported the conduct of an integrated program of Torah and secular studies inside the synagogue itself. Furthermore, he wrote that if gentile parents insisted on sending their children to such a Jewish study-program, it was permissible to accept them.

• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via father Rabbi Eliezer Hazan by SmartCopy: Oct 28 2014, 21:15:01 UTC

Israel Moses Hazan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Israel Moses Hazan, Sephardic rabbi, Smyrna 1808-Beirut Oct 1862. Life[edit] He was taken by his father Eliezer Hazan to Jerusalem (1811), where he was educated under his grandfather, Joseph ben Hayyim Hazan. In 1840 he became a member of a rabbinical college; in 1848 he was appointed "meshullach" (messenger). While at Rome he was elected chief rabbi. In 1852 he resigned this office for the rabbinate of Corfu, and in 1857 he was called to the rabbinate of Alexandria. In 1862 he went to Jaffa; but, being in ill health, he removed to Beirut, where he died. He was buried in Sidon. In Rome and in Corfu he was held in high esteem, and the poet Ludwig August von Frankl, who saw him in Corfu (1856), speaks in glowing terms of his venerable personality. While a champion of Orthodoxy, he possessed sufficient independence of mind to protest against the superstitious practices customary among the Jews of Rome, who insisted on washing corpses with warm water, and who would not allow a clock in the yard of the synagogue. He wrote a letter condemning the reforms advocated in the Brunswick rabbinical conference (published in the collection "Kin'at Tziyyon," Amsterdam, 1846). Works[edit] Naḥalah le-Yisrael, a collection of decisions in an inheritance case (Vienna, 1851; Alexandria, 1862); linked here Kontres Kedushat Yom-Tob Sheni, an argument in favor of retaining the second holy days (ib. 1855); linked here Dibre Shalom we-Emet, a reply (in the form of an address to the Israelites of Great Britain by a Levite) to a Reform pamphlet (Hebrew and English, London, 1856); She'erit ha-Nahalah, a discourse in dialogue on religious questions, with a revised edition of his Nahalah le-Yisrael (Alexandria, 1862); Iyye ha-Yam, responsa of the Geonim, with his notes (Livorno, 1864); linked here Kerakh shel Romi, responsa (ib. 1876); linked here. Other responsa, with homilies and a defence of the Kabbalah, remain in manuscript. Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography[edit]

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "Hazzan, Hazan". Jewish Encyclopedia. 1901–1906. Solomon Hazan, Ha-Ma'alot li-Shelomoh, p. 114; Elijah Hazan, Zikron Yerushalayim, p. 131, Livorno, 1874; Berliner, Gesch. der Juden in Rom, pp. 152, 208, Frankfurt-am-Main, 1893.

Son of Eliezer Hazan; born in Smyrna 1808; died at Beirut Oct., 1862. He was taken by his father to Jerusalem (1811), where he was educated under his grandfather, Joseph ben Ḥayyim Hazan. In 1840 he became a member of a rabbinical college; in 1848 he was appointed "meshullaḥ" (messenger). While at Rome he was elected chief rabbi. In 1852 he resigned this office for the rabbinate of Corfu, and in 1857 he was called to the rabbinate of Alexandria. In 1862 he went to Jaffa; but, being in ill health, he removed to Beirut, where he died. He was buried in Sidon. In Rome and in Corfu he was held in high esteem, and the poet Ludwig August Frankl, who saw him in Corfu (1856), speaks in glowing terms of his venerable personality. While a champion of Orthodoxy, he possessed sufficient independence of mind to protest against the superstitious practises customary among the Jews of Rome, who insisted on washing corpses with warm water, and who would not allow a clock in the yard of the synagogue. He wrote a letter condemning the reforms advocated in the Brunswick rabbinical conference (published in the collection "Ḳin'at Ẓiyyon," Amsterdam, 1846). He published: "Naḥalah le-Yisrael," a collection of decisions in an inheritance case (Vienna, 1851; Alexandria, 1862); "Ḳonṭres Ḳedushat Yom-Ṭob Sheni," an argument in favor of retaining the second holy days (ib. 1855); "Dibre Shalom we-Emet," a reply (in the form of an address to the Israelites of Great Britain by a Levite) to a Reform pamphlet (Hebrew and English, London, 1856); "She'erit ha-Naḥalah," a discourse in dialogue on religious questions, with a revised edition of his "Naḥalah le-Yisrael" (Alexandria, 1862); "Iyye ha-Yam," responsa of the Geonim, with his notes (Leghorn, 1864); "Kerak shel Romi," responsa (ib. 1876). Other responsa, with homilies and an apology for the Cabala, remain in manuscript.

Bibliography: Solomon Hazan, Ha-Ma'alot li-Shelomoh, p. 114; Elijah Hazan, Zikron Yerushalayim, p. 131, Leghorn, 1874; Berliner, Gesch. der Juden in Rom, pp. 152, 208, Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1893.

[from http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7427-hazzan-hazan]