Solomon Abudarham
|
Chief Rabbi Solomon Abudarham |
|
|---|---|
| Died | December 1804 Gibraltar |
| Cause of death | Yellow fever |
| Resting place |
Jews' Gate Cemetery 36°07′14″N 5°20′43″W / 36.1205°N 5.3454°W |
| Other names | Shelomo Abudarham II |
| Known for | Academy of Rabbi Solomon Abudarham Flemish Synagogue Abudarham Synagogue |
| Predecessor | Chief Rabbi Yehuda ben Yitshak Halevi |
Solomon Abudarham (died 1804) was Chief Rabbi of the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar until his death from yellow fever in December 1804. Also known as Shelomo Abudarham II, the rabbi established a school of religious study on Parliament Lane and laid the inaugural stone for the Flemish Synagogue on Line Wall Road. In 1820, his academy was converted into the Abudarham Synagogue, named after the rabbi.
Chief Rabbi Solomon Abudarham, also known as Shelomo Abudarham II, was the grandson of Shelomo Abudarham I of Tétouan, Morocco. It is also probable that he is the descendant of Rabbi David Abudarham, author of Sefer Abudarham. The younger Abudarham immigrated to the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar from Morocco in 1790, prompted by the reign of terror which began when the Muslim Mawlay al-Yazid became Sultan of Morocco following the death of Sidi Muhammad ben Abdallah that year. Abudarham succeeded Rabbi Yehuda ben Yitshak Halevi as Chief Rabbi of Gibraltar.
The late 18th century was a time of prosperity for Gibraltar's merchants due to the French Revolutionary Wars. At the same time, some of the congregants of the Great Synagogue on Engineer Lane had reservations about the trend toward a less formal, more Moroccan style of service at their house of worship. They opted to build a new, lavish synagogue on Line Wall Road, with a service that would be more in-keeping with that of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The new synagogue was built in a garden for a total of US$26,300 and closely resembled the Amsterdam synagogue. It was entitled Nefusot Yehudah (The Dwelling of Judah), but is more commonly known as the Flemish Synagogue (Spanish: Esnoga Flamenca). It was founded at the turn of the 19th century, in 1799 or 1800. Chief Rabbi Abudarham laid the inaugural stone which bears his name and is still present at the site. He also established a Bet Medrash (School of Jewish religious study), the Academy of Rabbi Solomon Abudarham, on Parliament Lane.
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