Turkey’s Jewish community installed David Sevi as its chief rabbi on Thursday during a ceremony at Istanbul’s Neve Shalom synagogue, nearly a year after the death of his predecessor, Ishak Haleva.
Sevi, 70, who was acting chief rabbi since Haleva’s Jan. 14 death, is the fourth hakham bashi since the founding of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, and the 34rd in office since the days of the Ottoman Empire.
Sevi was elected in September after the city’s Jewish community held an internal election, Israel’s Arutz 7 reported. The rabbi was chosen unanimously, with no other candidates running for the position.
He was born to a family with deep roots in Turkey and is a member of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States. Sevi has worked for decades to promote Jewish education, preserve the traditional customs of Turkey’s Jewish community and strengthen religious life, according to the report.
Sevi also served as the community’s shochet (ritual slaughterer) and as the synagogue’s hazzan (cantor) and is widely respected by members.
The chief rabbi is expected to lead the Jewish community in the Muslim-majority nation through 2032, with an option for renewing his contract.
Haleva died Jan. 14 at age 84 after serving as chief rabbi for 23 years.
Though the vast majority of Turkish Jews immigrated to Israel in recent decades, the country still has a Jewish population estimated at 15,000 to 20,000 people, the vast majority of whom live in Istanbul.
Non-Muslim citizens of Turkey, including Jews, suffer from institutional violations of their freedom of religion, according to a 2022 report.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has become more hostile toward Israel and closer to Hamas since the terrorist organization’s Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
He called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “vampire who feeds on blood” while urging Muslims worldwide to fight the Jewish state. Erdoğan also told Newsweek that Palestinian terrorists from Gaza were “simply defending their homes, streets and homeland” on Oct. 7.
