Rabbi
Abraham Levy
OBE
Personal
Born(1939-07-16)16 July 1939
Gibraltar
Died25 December 2022(2022-12-25) (aged 83)
London, England
ReligionJudaism
Spouse
Estelle
​
(m. 1963)​
Alma materUniversity of London
Occupation
  • Rabbi
  • theologian
  • author
PositionSpiritual head of the British Spanish and Portuguese Congregation
Began1 September 1962
Ended1 September 2012
SemikhahJews' College

Abraham Levy OBE (Hebrew: אברהם די יצחק הלוי, romanized: Abraham de Yitzḥak ha-Levi; 16 July 1939 – 25 December 2022) was an English Orthodox rabbi, theologian, and author. He served as spiritual head of the Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community in Britain from 1962 to 2012, and was a founding member of Naima Jewish Preparatory School. Levy was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services on inter-faith co-operation in the 2004 New Year Honours.[1][2]

Biography

Abraham Levy was born on 16 July 1939 in Gibraltar.[3][4] His uncle was Sir Joshua Hassan, former Chief Minister of Gibraltar.[3] His siblings were the former Mayor of Gibraltar Solomon Levy, Nita Corre, Loli Berisch and James Levy.[5] Rabbi Abraham Levy is also a relative to Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, deputy mayor of Jerusalem.[6][7]

Levy moved to the United Kingdom in 1951 to study at Carmel College, and received his ordaination from Jews' College and a PhD from the University of London.[1] He became spiritual head of the Britain Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community in 1962, a position he held until 2012.[8] Levy served as rabbi of the Bevis Marks Synagogue and Lauderdale Road in London. He was also Honorary Deputy President of London School of Jewish Studies, founder and Honorary Principal of Naima Jewish Preparatory School, and an ecclesiastical authority for the Board of Deputies of British Jews.[1]

Levy died in London on 25 December 2022, at the age of 83.[9] He had one son.[10] He is buried at Hoop Lane Sephardi Cemetery in Golders Green.[11] King Charles paid tribute to him, describing him as a "kind and towering figure" and said he knew him "as a greatly respected and admired teacher across communities."[12]

Awards and honours

Publications

  • Levy, Abraham (1972). The Sephardim: A Problem of Survival. Elmar Printer & Stationers.
  • Gubbay, Lucien; Levy, Abraham (1989). The Jewish Book of Why and What: A Guide to Jewish Tradition, Custom, Practice and Belief. New York: Shapolsky Publishers. ISBN 978-0-944007-09-9.
  • Gubbay, Lucien; Levy, Abraham (1992). The Sephardim: Their Glorious Tradition from the Babylonian Exile to the Present Day. Carnell. ISBN 978-1-85779-036-8. Illustrated.
  • Gubbay, Lucien; Levy, Abraham (2006). Ages of Man: A Plain Guide to Traditional Jewish Custom, Practice and Belief in Modern Times. Sephardi Centre. ISBN 978-0-232-51646-3.
  • Levy, Abraham (2017). A Rocky Road'. Halban. ISBN 978-1-905559-81-7. Levy's memoirs, filled with anecdotes from both public life and community service and a testimony to his religious faith.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Rabbi Dr - Abraham - Levy OBE | London School of Jewish Studies". www.lsjs.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 United Kingdom: "No. 57155". The London Gazette (1st supplement). 31 December 2003. pp. 1–28.
  3. 1 2 The Jewish Genealogical Society of Great Britain Conference Newsletter, 28 October 2012]
  4. ↑ Autobiography of Abraham Levy, "A Rocky Road" (Halban, 2017)
  5. ↑ Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle, May 29, 2018
  6. 1 2 Gibraltar Chronicles, "The memoirs of Rabbi Levy" by Alice Mascarenhas, 15 September 2017
  7. ↑ Jewish News, "Tributes to ‘towering’ former leader of Spanish and Portuguese Jewry in UK", Jenni Frazer, 28 December 2022
  8. ↑ The Jewish Chronicle 19 April 2012
  9. ↑ "Rabbi Dr Abraham Levy obituary". The Times. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  10. ↑ Limmud mourns leading British Sephardi rabbi, Dr Abraham Levy
  11. ↑ Jewish News, "Tributes to ‘towering’ former leader of Spanish and Portuguese Jewry in UK", Jenni Frazer, 28 December 2022
  12. ↑ "King pays tribute to Rabbi Abraham Levy for his 'message of tolerance'". The Jewish Chronicle. 29 December 2022. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
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