Malkiel Ashkenazi
Encyclopedia
Malkiel Ashkenazi was a Sephardic rabbi
and leader of the Jewish community in Hebron
in 1540.
In 1517, when the Ottoman
Turks conquered Palestine
, Sephardic Jews living in Ottoman Salonika were allowed to move to the Holy Land
. Many of these Jews had been expelled from Spain in 1492. Hakham Malkiel Ashkenazi purchased a walled compound in Hebron and founded the Abraham Avinu Synagogue
which became a center of study for Kabbalah
. Malkiel was a respected authority in Jewish law, and his decisions on religious matters were widely accepted, also outside of Hebron.
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
and leader of the Jewish community in Hebron
Hebron
Hebron , is located in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judean Mountains, it lies 930 meters above sea level. It is the largest city in the West Bank and home to around 165,000 Palestinians, and over 500 Jewish settlers concentrated in and around the old quarter...
in 1540.
In 1517, when the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Turks conquered Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, Sephardic Jews living in Ottoman Salonika were allowed to move to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. Many of these Jews had been expelled from Spain in 1492. Hakham Malkiel Ashkenazi purchased a walled compound in Hebron and founded the Abraham Avinu Synagogue
Abraham Avinu Synagogue
The Abraham Avinu Synagogue was built by Hakham Malkiel Ashkenazi in the Jewish Quarter of Hebron in 1540. The domed structure represented the physical center of the Jewish Quarter of Hebron, and became the spiritual center of the Jewish Community there and a major center for the study of Kabalah...
which became a center of study for 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...
. Malkiel was a respected authority in Jewish law, and his decisions on religious matters were widely accepted, also outside of Hebron.