On the Institution of the Ḥakham Bashi in Early Twentieth-Century Libyan Jewry

Abstract This article investigates the relative power of the Lybian Jewish community’s head rabbi, the Ḥakham Bashi, and other community ldeaders. Examining several personalities who served as the Ḥakham Bashi, it analyzes important events among those associated with his appointment and power, as reflected in various journalistic and archival sources. Through these incidents, the article uncovers salient tendencies that correspond to the persona of the Ḥakham Bashi and, among other things, explains the balance of the forces within Libyan Jewry between 1874 and 1911. On this foundation, it adduces the worldview that guided the Libyan Jewish religious leadership in reference to the role of the Ḥakham Bashi.