Community Magazine January 2009

Hacham Sion Levy z.t.l. 5682/1922 ( Jerusalem) – 25 Heshvan 5769/November 23, 2008 ( Jerusalem) Ch i ef Ra bbi of Panama YEHUDA AZOULAY T he sephardic community of Panama traces its roots back to the opening of the Panama Canal in the early 20th century. A 1911 census listed Panama’s entire Jewish community at just 505, but two decades later, in 1933, hundreds of sephardic Jews from Israel and syria estab- lished a second community and the orthodox synagogue, shevet Ahim. This community, which would be led for over fifty years by Hacham sion levy, is now the largest congregation in Panama. When Hacham sion first arrived in Panama at the age of 29, he seriously wondered what his teachers in Jerusalem were thinking when they sent him. He encountered a community num- bering under 200 families, only a small handful of which observed kashrut and shabbat. Now, 57 years later, Panama’s sephardic commu- nity is a thriving stronghold of orthodox Jewish observance, and likely the strongest Jewish community in the region – an accomplishment for which its leading members unanimously give credit to Hacham sion. While still a young man, Hacham Sion had to bear the difficult burden of supporting his widowed mother and family. So when a position opened teaching high school math, he applied for the job, despite never having taken any math courses. The dean of the high school took the young rabbi to a classroom, where he saw students struggling to answer a complex problem written across the blackboard. Without hesitation, Rabbi Levy walked up to the board and quickly solved the problem. He was hired on the spot. Later, his family suggested that he open a store, which his mother and sister would run to allow him to resume full-time Torah learning. Hacham Sion liked the idea, but did not have the capital he needed. A friend recommended that he meet with a certain wealthy, pious Jew who might be willing to help. Hacham Sion met with the man to discuss his loan request, and the man responded by asking if the young rabbi would learn Torah with him. After they spent some time studying, the wealthy man instructed his assistant to give Hacham Sion 70 Lira – the full amount he needed to open the new business. He told the rabbi that instead of repaying the loan, he should instead learn with the man one hour every Shabbat. The store was a success, and Hacham Sion was able to devote all his time to learning, except for the several hours each week he needed to manage the business. Soon thereafter, he applied for the position of head kashrut superviser in Jerusalem. Candidates for the job had to have expertise in shehita (slaughtering), nikkur (removing forbidden animal fats), and the entire Yoreh De’a and Even Ha’ezer sections of the Shulhan Aruch . After several months of searching, it became clear that Hacham Sion was the only qualified candidate, and he was thus named to this prestigious position. He immediately got to work improving the kashrut standards in Israel, closing down the shops that were found selling non-kosher meat to the unsuspecting public. During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Hacham Sion joined a military battalion and was involved in the liberation of the land upon which Hadassah Ein Karem hospital was later established. Appropriately enough, just a few years ago, a new Trauma Center was donated at Hadassah Ein Karem in memory of his oldest son Yaakov, and in honor of his wife, Sara. In 1951, Isidore Azrak, a representative of the Shevet Ahim congregation of Panama, came to Israel in search of a young, talented rabbi to lead their community. The Panamanian Jewish community had no rabbi, mohel or shohet , and faced a grave religious crisis. Mr. Azrak met with Hacham Ben Sion Uziel and Hacham Ezra Attiah, two of Israel’s leading Sephardic rabbis, and they right away recommended Hacham Sion. Realizing that he was unquestionably the most qualified candidate for the job, and upon hearing the gravity of the situation in Panama, the rabbis of Jerusalem did not even offer Hacham Sion a choice – they issued a halachic ruling requiring him to assume this difficult position. The Four Cardinal Rules of the Rabbinate When the rabbi and his wife moved to Panama in 1951, they very quickly realized that the situation was even worse than they had thought. No kosher food was available locally; a small shipment of kosher meat arrived each week for the small handful of observant families in the community. There wasn’t even a mikveh . In his memoirs, Hacham Sion recalled the feeling of dejection as he wondered how he could build a Jewish community from oblivion. He then picked up a pen and paper and wrote down four cardinal rules that he would follow in tackling this overwhelming task: 1. He would not get involved in people’s private lives. 2. He would consider even the slightest improvement in any mitzvah , or avoiding even a single sin, a significant accomplishment. 3. He would not accept any money from any member of the community; all services from birth until death would be rendered free of charge. 4. He would build an organized and vibrant community, and raise money to build a new shul. Hacham Sion adhered to these principles for the rest of his life. On his fiftieth anniversary as Chief Rabbi of Panama, Hacham Sion announced, “Nobody here can testify that I ever took any money from them. In the few instances where people forced money on me, I had a receipt sent to them from the tzedaka organization I gave it to.” 28 Community magazine The Early Years of a Legend