Community Magazine June 2012

The Benevolent Builder Rabbi Semah Kadi Levy ל”צז Rabbi Kadi was born on 7 Tishre 5680 (1919) in Sana’a, the capital city of Yemen, to Hacham Yosef Yizhak-Halevi, a revered scholar and rabbinical judge in the city who continued a long line of towering Yemenite rabbinical figures. He was a direct descendent of Rabbi Sasson Halevi, a legendary sage and poet who composed the “ Yere’im Shalehuni ” hymn which Yemenite Jews recite to this day each year before the Kol Nidre service on Yom Kippur eve. His piyutim (songs) are also found in the Mahzor Aram Soba from the 1500’s. Rabbi Yosef Yizhak-Halevi was affectionately known as “ el kadi – the judge,” due to his widespread reputation as a fair, honest and scholarly judge. Even gentiles in Yemen would bring their disputes to the rabbi, knowing that he would guarantee a fair, honest hearing and decision. Eventually, he became known by the name “Mori Yosef El Kadi.” His brother, Rabbi Semah Kadi’s uncle, was Rabbi Yihye Yizhak-Halevi, who served as the Chief Rabbi of Yemen for nearly three decades, from 1905 until his death in 1932. The Kadi family emigrated to Israel from Yemen in 1930. Rabbi Yosef Kadi became the rabbi of the newly-established Nordia neighborhood in Tel-Aviv and a rabbinical judge for the area’s Yemenite community. Meanwhile, young Semah quickly proved to be a sharp, diligent and studious child with tenacious ambition, as already at the young age of 14, he received rabbinical ordination to serve as shohet (kosher slaughterer). When it came time to choose a career, Rabbi Semah followed a longstanding family tradition to adhere to the ideal of the Rambam not to receive payment for Torah study or rabbinical service. He thus went into the construction business in Israel, before moving to Brooklyn in 1952. KosherMoney As a businessman, Rabbi Kadi followed the strictest ethical standards, conducting his affairs with impeccable integrity, no matter the sacrifices entailed. On one occasion, he purchased an old building on the corner of 54 th Street and 14 th Avenue in Borough Park, with the intention of demolishing the structure entirely and building a new one in its place. The demolition was scheduled to take place on a Monday, but it would ultimately prove redundant. On Friday night, a small group of hooligans set fire to the building, and it burned down almost completely. All that was left to do was to clean up the rubble. DAVID MIZRAHI He may have been a home construction contractor by trade, but the numerous structures that Rabbi Semah Kadi z.s.l. built from wood and brick may be the least enduring formations this prolific rabbi, scholar, community activist, Jewish patriot, savior of Yemenite Jewry, selfless benefactor and gracious host would leave us with. The life of Rabbi Semah Kadi, who passed away several weeks ago at the age of 92, is a profound lesson in faith, commitment to Torah, firm tenacity, and boundless love for our fellow Jews. 28 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE