Isak Haleva, the chief rabbi of the Jewish community in Türkiye, passed away at the age of 85, the community announced on Jan. 14.
Haleva had served as chief rabbi since 2002, following the death of his predecessor, David Asseo.
In a social media post, the Turkish Jewish community expressed deep sorrow over the loss of “Rav Isak Haleva, our chief rabbi, who always believed in the peace and unity that love can bring and led our community with this conviction for many years.”
An alumnus of Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Haleva had a long history of religious service before becoming chief rabbi. His tenure was marked by one of the most tragic events in the community’s history: in 2003, al-Qaida terrorists bombed two major synagogues in Istanbul, killing dozens and injuring many, including Haleva.
A father of four, Haleva also taught Hebrew to postgraduate students at Marmara and Sakarya universities in Türkiye.
Haleva was the fourth chief rabbi of the community in the Republic of Türkiye. The Jewish community in Türkiye is primarily made up of descendants of Sephardic Jews who took refuge in the Ottoman Empire after being forced to flee Spain centuries ago. While the community once thrived, its numbers have since dwindled over several decades with migration to Israel.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended his condolences to Erol Kohen and Ishak Ibrahimzadeh, co-chairs of the Turkish Jewish Community, following the death of Chief Rabbi of Turkish Jews, Isak Haleva.
During a phone conversation, Erdoğan conveyed his heartfelt sympathies to Kohen and Ibrahimzadeh over the loss of rabbi Haleva.