The Castellazzo family was an Italian-Jewish family who settled at the beginning of the sixteenth century in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

, where several members occupied the rabbinate with distinction. The most important family members were the following:

Jehiel Castellazzo

Called Ashkenazi to signify that he was not by birth an Oriental, he was rabbi at Cairo in the sixteenth century. He was a contemporary of Yosef Karo

Yosef Karo

Joseph ben Ephraim Karo, also spelled Yosef Caro, or Qaro, was author of the last great codification of Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch, which is still authoritative for all Jews pertaining to their respective communities...

, whom he severely criticized on account of a Halakha

Halakha

Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...

.

Moses Castellazzo

He lived during the seventeenth century. He is eulogistically mentioned in the responsa of Meïr Boton.

Moses dal Castellazzo

His name has been misread by copyists as Moses Kastilin.

He was a portrait-painter who lived at Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

 in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. He is highly praised by David Reubeni

David Reubeni

David Reubeni was a Jewish political activist, described by the Shengold Jewish Encyclopedia as "half-mystic, half-adventurer."- Origin :The mysteries of ha-Reubeni's origins are manifold, and have not been solved to this day....

 in his memoirs for having befriended the latter on his arrival in Venice from Arabia in 1524. Moses's reputation as an artist extended far beyond the limits of the ghetto of Venice; indeed, he was known throughout Italy. In 1521, in recognition of his great talent, the Council of Venice granted him the privilege of selling his woodcut illustrations of the Pentateuch.

Simeon ben Jehiel Castellazzo

He was rabbi at Cairo; died May, 1588. He was well versed in the Kabbalah

Kabbalah

Kabbalah/Kabala is a discipline and school of thought concerned with the esoteric aspect of Rabbinic Judaism. It was systematized in 11th-13th century Hachmei Provence and Spain, and again after the Expulsion from Spain, in 16th century Ottoman Palestine...

, and was renowned for his great piety. David Conforte

David Conforte

David Conforte was a Hebrew literary historian born in Salonica, author of the literary chronicle known by the title Ḳore ha-Dorot.-Biography:...

 reports that he had seen a decision emanating from Joshua Soncin, rabbi of Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 at the time of Joseph Nasi

Joseph Nasi

Don Joseph Nasi was a Jewish diplomat and administrator, member of the House of Mendes, and influential figure in the Ottoman Empire during the rules of both Sultan Suleiman I and his son Selim II...

, in which Soncin invokes the authority of Simeon ben Jehiel. Both Conforte and Joseph Sambari assert that Simeon wrote two works: (1) a collection of responsa, and (2) Megillot Setarim, a commentary, probably cabalistic, on the Book of Esther

Book of Esther

The Book of Esther is a book in the Ketuvim , the third section of the Jewish Tanakh and is part of the Christian Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...

. Chaim Joseph David Azulai

Chaim Joseph David Azulai

Chaim Joseph David Azulai ben Isaac Zerachia , commonly known as the Chida , was a Jerusalem born rabbinical scholar, a noted bibliophile, and a pioneer in the publication of Jewish religious writings.- Biography :Azulai was born in Jerusalem, where he received his education...

 mentions as many as eighty responsa by Simeon.

Moses ha-Kohen Abigdor Castellazzo

He was the son of Simeon (above) and was rabbi at Salonica

Thessaloniki

Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...

, Rhodes

Rhodes

Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...

, Damascus

Damascus

Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...

, and Cairo in the seventeenth century. In Cairo he was the colleague of Aaron ben Chayyim. He was almost ninety years old at his death.

External links

• Moses dal Castellazzo and his printed illustrated Pentateuch