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Sasson Kadoorie

(1885–1971)

Sasson Kadoorie was a rabbi and community leader. Born in Baghdad, Kadoorie was educated at the rabbinical seminary there and later appointed head of the rabbinical court of the community. He was chief rabbi of Baghdad from 1927 to 1929. Before being appointed to this post, he supported Zionist institutions such as the Jewish National Fund, but later he rejected *Zionism, to the anger of his congregation. Despite the fact that the Iraqi government supported him, the community forced him to resign. In 1932 he became chairman of the community and served in this capacity until 1949, when the members of the community again compelled him to resign, suspecting him of helping the authorities to suppress the Jewish national movement in Iraq. Together with Menahem and Ezra *Daniel, Kadoorie advocated opposition to Zionism in order to prevent the persecution of Iraqi Jewry by the Muslim population. In 1953 he resumed office as community chairman and also became again chief rabbi of the community.


BIBLIOGRAPHY:

H.J. Cohen, Ha-Pe'ilut ha-Ẓiyyonit be-Iraq (1969), index.


Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.