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Edited by: Fern Sidman
The Jewish community of Turkey is grieving the loss of Chief Rabbi Isak Haleva, who passed away at 84 on Tuesday. Haleva, who served as the Hahambaşi (Chief Rabbi) since 2002, was deeply respected for his leadership, spiritual guidance, and commitment to fostering peace and unity. His death marks the end of an era for Turkey’s Jewish community, according to a report on The Jewish Telegraphic Agency web site.
Haleva was the 35th individual to hold the title of Hahambaşi, a role with historical roots tracing back to the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul (then Constantinople) in 1453. The JTA report noted that this title symbolizes continuity and resilience within the Jewish community of Turkey, bridging centuries of history from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkish Republic. In a heartfelt statement, the Turkish Jewish community said, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our esteemed elder, our Chief Rabbi Rav Isak Haleva, who always believed in the unifying power of peace and love and who led our community in line with this belief for many years.”
Haleva assumed his role during a transformative and challenging period for Turkish Jewry. According to the information provided in the JTA report, just a year into his tenure, he guided the community through the devastating 2003 Al-Qaeda bombings of two synagogues in Istanbul. These attacks marked one of the darkest moments for Turkey’s Jewish population in the 21st century.
Haleva’s tenure also coincided with significant geopolitical shifts. He was elected the same year that Recep Tayyip Erdogan came to power as Turkey’s prime minister. Over the years, Erdogan’s government transitioned from being a strong ally of Israel to a vocal critic, particularly in the wake of the 2023 war in Gaza, when Turkey endorsed Hamas and severed trade ties with Israel. Amid these tensions, Haleva remained a steady and respected figure, navigating his community through the complexities of political and social change.
The JTA report highlighted Haleva’s remarkable ability to serve as a bridge between Turkish Jews and the broader Muslim-majority society. His constructive and warm demeanor helped him cultivate relationships with national and international leaders. “During his duty, Rav Haleva, with his warm and constructive personality, established personal friendships with both our president and many statesmen who visited our country,” the Turkish Jewish community said in their statement.
Haleva was present during key diplomatic moments, including President Barack Obama’s visit to Turkey in 2009 and Pope Francis’s trip in 2014. He also met Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in Istanbul in 2008 during a summit hosted by Erdogan. The JTA reported that in speaking about the meeting, Haleva later told an Israeli news outlet, “As a religious official, I do not involve myself in political matters. The prime minister of Turkey summoned me, so I came.” He shared that he encouraged Assad to pursue peace with Israel.
The JTA reported that even Turkish President Erdogan personally conveyed his sympathies, reaching out to the lay leadership of the Jewish community to offer condolences. This gesture speaks volumes about tthe respect Haleva commanded across religious and political divides.
The JTA reported that Israeli President Isaac Herzog highlighted Rabbi Haleva’s lasting influence on interfaith dialogue and his leadership within Turkey’s ancient Jewish community. Writing on X, Herzog stated, “While Chief Rabbi Rav Haleva’s voice will be greatly missed, his legacy will serve as a guiding light for future generations.”
Rabbi Haleva’s son, Naftali Haleva, who is also a rabbi and a potential successor to his father, emphasized the universal appeal of his father’s character. “Because of his characteristic personality, he touched everyone’s heart,” Naftali Haleva shared in an interview, according to the JTA. Messages of condolence have come from both Jews and non-Jews, spanning local and international communities, attesting to the rabbi’s role as a unifying figure across cultural and religious divides.
Julie Eadeh, the U.S. Consul General in Istanbul, expressed her condolences, saying, “During my many meetings with Chief Rabbi Haleva as Consul General, I have been inspired by his messages of our shared humanity. His leadership and dedication to the Jewish community will be remembered and cherished. Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and all those whose lives he touched.”
For Turkey’s Jewish community, Rabbi Haleva’s leadership extended beyond formal religious duties. He was a fatherly presence, deeply committed to Sephardic Judaism and to fostering a sense of unity among his people. Ishak Ibrahimzadeh, president of Turkey’s organized Jewish community, expressed his personal loss on X, saying, “I lost not only our chief rabbi, but also my spiritual father.” As reported by the JTA, Rabbi Haleva’s warmth and accessibility endeared him to people across generations. Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, a Chabad emissary in Istanbul who worked closely with Haleva for over two decades, emphasized the rabbi’s ability to connect with everyone in a “fatherly manner.”
Rabbi Haleva’s influence transcended Turkey’s borders, extending to Sephardic communities in Israel, the United States, and beyond. Ethan Marcus, managing director of the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, told the JTA that Rabbi Haleva embodied the ideal qualities of a Sephardic rabbi. “His deep sense of wisdom, commitment to Ladino and the Sephardic tradition, and his joie de vivre were unique markers of Ottoman Sephardic rabbis,” Marcus remarked, lamenting the loss of these qualities with the rabbi’s passing. Rabbi Haleva’s passion for Ladino, the traditional language of Sephardic Jews, further underscored his dedication to preserving cultural heritage.
For many, Rabbi Haleva represented the final chapter of a historical period in Turkey’s Jewish history. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak, a Turkish-born scholar at Tel Aviv University’s Moshe Dayan Center, highlighted this sentiment to the JTA, noting that Haleva symbolized an era of Ottoman Sephardic leadership that is now fading. His death marks not just the loss of an individual but also a connection to a rich and storied past.
“The Jewish community in Turkey is currently a small community. We could also call it a big family,” Yanarocak, told the JTA. “Unfortunately, I feel as though we have lost a beloved grandfather in our family. Rabbi Haleva was kind-hearted, warm, and one of us with his ever-smiling face.” Yanarocak’s sentiments reflect a widespread sense of loss among Turkish Jews, who regarded Haleva as both a spiritual leader and a familial presence.
Despite his passing, Rabbi Haleva’s contributions to interfaith dialogue, cultural preservation, and community leadership will continue to inspire future generations. As President Herzog aptly noted, his legacy serves as a “guiding light.” Rabbi Haleva’s life exemplified the power of faith, wisdom, and kindness in uniting diverse communities, a legacy that resonates far beyond the boundaries of Turkey’s Jewish community.
Born in 1940, Rabbi Haleva lived through a period of dramatic decline in Turkey’s Jewish population. According to the JTA, the Jewish community in Turkey shrank from nearly 100,000 in the early 20th century to approximately 15,000 today. The report in the JTA indicated that this sharp decline was fueled by a series of discriminatory events targeting non-Muslim minorities, such as the 1942 wealth tax and the 1955 Istanbul pogrom, as well as broader economic and political instability in subsequent decades.
Despite these challenges, Rabbi Haleva remained committed to his Turkish roots. Even as many Sephardic Jews sought Spanish and Portuguese citizenship in recognition of their heritage, he proudly identified as a “Turkish Jew.” During a visit to Portugal in 2016, he told the JTA, “I’m a Turkish Jew, period.”
Haleva’s decision to return to Turkey after studying in Israel and completing his rabbinic ordination at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva highlights this commitment. There, he studied under such renowned Sephardic rabbis as HaGaon HaRav Ovadya Yosef, Zt’l, HaRav Yaakov Ades, and HaRav Ben Zion Abba Shaul, leaders who left an indelible mark on modern Sephardic Judaism. “For the 20th and 21st century, these were the most prominent Sephardic rabbis for the entire universe,” his son, Naftali Haleva, told the JTA.
Rabbi Haleva’s leadership style bridged the old world of Ladino-speaking Ottoman Jews and the modern realities of a community adapting to a changing Turkey. According to the information in the JTA report, he was the first Chief Rabbi to deliver sermons in Turkish, reflecting his deep understanding of his community’s evolving identity. Ethan Marcus, managing director of the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America, noted that Rabbi Haleva was a “connector generation,” steeped in Sephardic traditions yet fully engaged with contemporary challenges.
“He was born into a world where Ladino was the lingua franca, albeit diminishing in use,” Marcus told the JTA. “The idea of being Sephardic was that ethos of warmth and love and being steeped in one’s traditions and halacha but also fully engaged in the wider world and its challenges. It’s something he was fully immersed in.”
This ability to connect with people across generations and cultures made Rabbi Haleva a unique and cherished figure. “We all grew up under his knees – in the synagogue, the Jewish high school, his presence was felt very much,” Yanarocak said, recalling the rabbi’s influence on Turkish Jews who have since emigrated to Israel.
Later this year, Turkey’s Jewish community will hold an election to choose Rabbi Haleva’s successor, a process that uniquely allows all adult Jews in Turkey to vote. Among the candidates is Rabbi Haleva’s son, Naftali Haleva, who has already expressed his deep admiration for his father’s legacy.
The JTA report noted that Rabbi Haleva’s death represents not just the loss of an individual but also the fading of a connection to a historical era of Sephardic life. As Marcus poignantly stated, “Losing him is really losing one of those last connections to that world that we’re trying to uphold and preserve.”
Rabbi Isak Haleva’s life and leadership exemplify the resilience of Turkey’s Jewish community and the enduring power of faith and tradition in the face of adversity. His memory will remain a source of inspiration for generations to come, a testament to the strength of a community that continues to adapt and thrive despite the challenges of history.
