OPINION: Rabbi Abraham Levy was an iconic figure at home and abroad

There are rabbis who castigate their congregations for falling below their standards. There are those who are under the thumb of their honorary officers. Some pander to their communities and some, over the years, acquire almost the status of saints.

My cousin by marriage, Rabbi Abraham Levy, who died last week at the age of 83 fell into another category. Abraham Levy was a class act.

He was born into the most distinguished Jewish family in Gibraltar; the Hassans. Sir Joshua Hassan served as First Minister and mayor for more than 20 years. His nephew, Abraham, was sent to the prestigious Jewish School, Carmel College, in Oxfordshire when he was 12, and was much influenced by its headmaster, Rabbi Kopul Rosen.  When the class was asked what they wanted to do when they grew up, Abraham Levy was the only one who said he wanted to be a rabbi.

He went on to Jews’ College in its golden age and got his semicha in 1962 when the great teacher, Rabbi Kopel Kahana was preparing the students. He got his PhD from London University. This was a serious scholar.

Abraham Levy was, of course, Sephardi and he became the minister of their synagogue in Lauderdale Road for the next 50 years.

The Sephardim were the first Jews to return to Britain in Stuart times and were very highly regarded. It was considered appropriate for many years for the Ashkenazi to stand up if a Sephardi entered the room. It was also said that there were Sephardi families who sat shiva if their daughters married Ashkenazi boys.

Throughout their existence there have been serious arguments among the Sephardim. They effectively dismissed their spiritual leader, Haham Moses Gaster, in 1917.  For long periods there was no Haham, or spiritual leader, at all.

Abraham Levy didn’t avoid periodic rows and when Haham Solomon Gaon resigned in 1977, he was not appointed his successor. He was only given the title of Senior Minister.

Outside the synagogue, however, he was the Sephardim’s representative at any state occasion when the Chief Rabbi was also invited. The great thing about Abraham Levy was that he had no difficulty fitting in. Always immaculate, he was to be found resplendent in a top hat; the kippah was not for official events.

During his ministry he faced many problems. He wanted better schooling for Jewish children. The Sephardi community was not interested, so he went ahead on his own and created the Naima Jewish Preparatory School in which he took a continuing interest.

When the Shah of Persia was overthrown, there was a mass exodus of Iranian Sephardi Jews to London and Abraham Levy was asked what the immigrant members could do for the synagogue.  It now has what must be the finest sukkah in the country.

He was well known abroad. At a service in Madrid’s synagogue he spoke in Ladino, the Sephardi’s equivalent of Yiddish, and delighted the congregation because the Spanish could no longer speak what had been the classical language.

Abraham Levy was so highly regarded for his work on multi-faith promotion that King Charles has sent a letter of condolence to the community regretting his passing.

A class act and one who will be  difficult to follow.