Amram Aburbeh was born on March 16, 1892 (17 Adar 5652) in Tétouan, Morocco.[1] During his youth, he studied in Midrash Shlomo, a beit midrash (study hall) run by his father, Rabbi Shlomo Aburbeh. His mother was Yocheved Khalfon.[1]
In 1906 Aburbeh immigrated to Palestine with his paternal grandparents, Rabbi Yosef and Billiada Aburbeh.[1][2] The rest of the family followed them 7 years later, settling in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. Here Aburbeh's father held a yeshiva in his home called Or Zaruaa. Aburbeh studied in the Touvy Yisba'u yeshiva of the Ma'araviim congregation until 1910.[1] He later studied in the Porat Yosef Yeshiva.[1] He received rabbinical ordination from his teacher, RabbiYosef Haim HaCohen, president and Rabad (chief judge) Rosh Av Beit Din of the Ma'araviim congregation in Jerusalem, when he was 29 years old.[1] Aburbeh also became a certified shochet (ritual slaughter) and bodek. He married his teacher's daughter, Rivka, in 1919; the couple had five sons and one daughter.[1]
Aburbeh co-owned abookstore with his colleague RabbiYosef Yitzchak Shloush, head of the Ma'araviim congregation in Jerusalem.[1][2] The bookstore sold Hebrew religious books and Judaica of which it also exported to North African Jewry and other communities in the Diaspora, such as Beirut, Lebanon.[1][2] The store operated first in the Old City in Jerusalem (its catalogue indicates it was established in 1896) and later was relocated to the Mahane Yehuda neighborhood.[1] Among the prayer books published in Jerusalem by Amram Aburbeh in 1933 is Siddur Shalom Yerushalem סדור שלום ירושלם כמנהג ק"ק ספרדים יוצאי המערב והמזרח . In 1941 Siddur V'Ani Tefilah סידור ואני תפלה כולל תפלות כל היום כמנהג ק"ק ספרדים was published; and in 1942 siddur "Seder Tefilah: According to tradition of Sefaradim holy community, including daily Tefilot for year round" סדר תפלה [Seder Tfilah]. סדר תפלה: ק"ק ספרדים, כולל תפלות לכל ימות השנה . In addition he sold Psalms books such as
ספר תהלים מרום ציון [Sefer Tehilim Marom Zion]. ספר תהלים מרום ציון עם באור המלות עם מקור הדמעה וחנוכת הבית
. Rabbi Amram Aburbeh's bookstore also sold books in the Ladino language: such as the siddur סדר מנחה וערבית של חול ושבת [Seder Mincha and Arvit of weekdays and Shabbat]. junto mincha de shabbat con el brich גונטו לה מנחה די שבת קון איל בריך and ספר שבחי האר״י [Sefer Shivchei HaAri] (in Ladino). 1911. (see citation links in Further Reading section).
Rabbi Amram Aburbeh received a license by the Government of Eretz Israel in 1942 to shipEtrogs abroad to the Jewish communities. This was published in the Official Gazette of the Government, issue no. 1204, page 617. [1]
In addition to his occupation at the shop, Aburbeh taught at Porat Yosef Yeshiva[1] and at Yeshivat Shaarey Zion, established by Chief RabbiBen-Zion Meir Hai Uziel. Uziel appointed Aburbeh as Chief Rabbi of the Nachlaot neighborhood in Jerusalem, where he served from 1925-1951.[1][2] During the same time, Aburbeh was a dayan (religious court judge) for the Ma'araviim rabbinical court in Jerusalem, headed by Rabbi Ben-Zion Avraham Cuenca.[1] In 1934 Aburbeh was appointed as shadar (funds emissary) on behalf of the Ma'araviim institutions in Jerusalem. He was dispatched to Morocco, where he successfully collected funds for a year.[1] His return to Eretz Israel on September 6, 1934 was documented by the Jewish Agency administration as a registered passenger on the ship Roma [2]
Cornerstone-laying ceremony for the Or Zaruaa synagogue, 1926
In 1920 Aburbeh was among the founders of the new Jerusalem neighborhood of Bayit Vegan.[1] In 1926 he founded and built a new synagogue in the Nachlaot neighborhood for the Ma'araviim congregation called Or Zaruaa,[1] which he named after the beit midrash headed by his late father. This new synagogue included a beit midrash that he headed. Or Zaruaa Synagogue was chosen to be included as one of the buildings for preservation in Jerusalem.[3] In 1930 Aburbeh was elected as an executive committee member of the Ma'araviim congregation in Jerusalem.[1]
Or Zaruaa Synagogue
Rabbi Amram Aburbeh, a known philanthropist thanks to his multiple donations over the years 1940-1943 to the Sephardic General Orphanage in Jerusalem as his name appears among lists of two synagogues: The Avraham Memorial of the Ma'araviim congregation and Bayit VaGan of 100 mill (currency) and 50 mill (currency), respectively.
He was an active Zionist, and took part in the struggle to establish the state of Israel. The British Mandate authorities in Palestine arrested him due to his connections with the Haganah paramilitary organization. During this time, Aburbeh volunteered for the Mishmar Ha'Am (People's Guard). His sons were members of the Notrim police force and later served in the Israel Defense Forces.[1]
An official publication Reshumot (Portofolio of Notifications 130) announcement on the election to Jerusalem municipalitycouncil, that were held on 14 November 1950, states that among the approved candidates Rabbi Amram Aburbeh was candidate number 7 to honor the Yichud Shevet Yehudah party candidates list, representing the religious Sephardi Jews.[4]
In 1951 Aburbeh was elected by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Council as Chief Rabbi of the Sephardic congregation of Petah Tikva. He served alongside the city's Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Rabbi Reuven Katz. Aburbeh gave lectures in several of Petah Tikva's downtown synagogues, including Beth Israel, Ohel Chaim, and Beit Avraham (called the "Great Sephardic Synagogue", which he founded). On Shabbat he gave lectures in additional neighborhoods. He was a member of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Council and chairman of the National Rabbinical Council of the Sephardic community.[1]
Aburbeh died on December 20, 1966 (7 Tevet 5727) in Petah Tikva and was buried in the Segula cemetery in that city[1] beside his wife, Rivka.[2]
Aburbeh also edited the prayer book (siddur) Siddur Rinat Israel Rinat Yisrael Sephardic and Edot ha-Mizrach Nusach and composed a special prayer for the recovery of injured Israeli soldiers.
A Sefer Torah was written as a memorial to honor Rabbi Amram Aburbeh and his wife Rivka. It was donated by their sons and daughter in 1968 to The Great Sephardic Synagogue in Petach Tikva called Beit Avraham. Later it was transferred to Mishkan Yonah synagogue in Petach Tikva. In 2017 this Torah scroll was borrowed by the synagogue of Arbel religious Elementary school in Nof HaGalil.
A Sefer Torah written in honor of Aburbeh and his wife Rivka.
"Rabbi Amram Aburbeh's big store for Torah scrolls, Tefillin and Mezuzahs moved to the yard in front of Friedman store in the Old City of Jerusalem", an ad in Geulah Calendar for 1930 by the editor L. Shachor (Eretz Israel).
Announcement to Senders of Tefillin and Mezuzahs abroad. Rabbi Amram Aburbeh, Mahne Yehudah Jerusalem among the licensed to check Tefillin and Mezuzahs . Published in HABOKER newspaper on 16.5.1941 page 8.
Title page of Siddur V'Ani Tefilah, prayers in the Sephardic tradition, published by Rabbi Amram Aburbeh & Co., Jerusalem, 1941.
Title page of Siddur Rinat Israel, Rinat Yisrael Nusach HaSfaradim and Edot HaMizrach.
Rabbi Amram Aburbeh memorial plaque at Or Zaruaa synagogue, Jerusalem, Israel. Rabbi Amram Aburbeh, author of Netivei Am, served as the synagogue's rabbi since its establishment in 1927 till 1951.
Residence of Petah Tikva Chief Rabbi, author of Netivei Am, Rabbi Amram Aburbeh.
Further reading
"Zionism and the State of Israel as Viewed by Leading Sephardic-Oriental rabbis (1948-1967)", in On Both Sides Of The Bridge: Religion and State in the Early Years of Israel. Mordechay Bar-On and Zvi Zameret, eds. 2002. Jerusalem:Yad Ben Zvi.
Zvi Zohar on Rabbi Amram Aburbeh, in Daf LeTarbut Yehudit, Ministry of Education, Aryeh Strikovski editor, vol. 277, 2008, pp. 54 – 58.
Zvi Zohar, The Luminous Face of the East: Studies in the Legal and Religious Thought of the Sephardic Rabbis of the Middle East. Tel Aviv: 2001. (Hebrew)
^בית ספר ממלכתי דתי אמי"ת "נתיבי עם" [Netivei Am National Religious School - AMIT] (in Hebrew). School Administration of Beersheba. 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
Israel
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