Yehuda Gerami - Revision history

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2026-07-29T15:40:40Z

Early life and education

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Career

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Career

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Early life and education

David at 15:02, 29 July 2026

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Early life and education

David: David moved page Yehud Gerami to Yehuda Gerami

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David moved page Yehud Gerami to Yehuda Gerami

David: Created page with "{{short description|'''Chief Rabbi of Iran'''}} {{Infobox person | name = Yehuda Gerami | image = | caption = | native_name = י..."

2026-07-29T14:59:59Z

Created page with "{{short description|'''Chief Rabbi of Iran'''}} {{Infobox person | name = Yehuda Gerami | image = | caption = | native_name = י..."

New page

{{short description|'''Chief Rabbi of Iran'''}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Yehuda Gerami
| image =
| caption =
| native_name = יהודה גרמי
| native_name_lang = he
| birth_name =
| birth_date = 1983 or 1984
| birth_place = Tehran, Iran
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Iranian
| other_names =
| occupation = Chief Rabbi of Iran
| years_active = 2011–present
| known_for = Spiritual leader of the Iranian Jewish community
| title = Chief Rabbi of Iran
| predecessor = Mashallah Golestani-Nejad
| spouse = Tzipora Gerami
| children =
| parents = Shlomo Gerami (father)
| religion = Judaism (Orthodox)
}}

'''[[Yehuda Gerami]]''' (Hebrew: יהודה גרמי; born 1983 or 1984) is the Chief Rabbi of Iran and the spiritual leader of the country’s Jewish community since 2011. He oversees synagogues, mikvehs, kosher slaughter and religious education for Iran’s estimated 8,000–20,000 Jews, concentrated mainly in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan.<ref name="WikiBio">Biographical details drawn from contemporaneous reports and organisational profiles of Iranian Jewish leadership.</ref><ref name="ToI2021">Lazar Berman, [https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-us-irans-chief-rabbi-says-he-feared-vengeance-after-soleimani-killing/ In US, Iran’s head rabbi says he condemned Soleimani killing to protect Jews] ''The Times of Israel'', 15 November 2021.</ref>

==Early life and education==
Gerami was born in Tehran to a religious Persian Jewish family with ancient roots in Iran. His father, Dr Shlomo Gerami, was a surgeon who worked at several Tehran hospitals, including the Dr Sapir Jewish Hospital.<ref name="WikiBio" />

He attended local schools and received supplementary Talmud Torah education. At the age of 15 he travelled via Turkey to Jerusalem, where he studied for a year at Yeshivas Ateres Yisrael under Rabbi Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi. After returning briefly to Iran he continued his studies at Yeshivas Ner Israel in Baltimore, Maryland, an institution that maintained a government-sanctioned arrangement allowing Iranian students. He received rabbinical ordination (semicha) from Rabbi Moshe Heinemann at the age of 25.<ref name="WikiBio" /><ref name="Mishpacha">Contemporary biographical accounts of Gerami’s yeshiva studies, including reports in Orthodox Jewish media.</ref>

==Career==
Upon returning to Iran and marrying his Iranian-born wife Tzipora, Gerami began delivering Torah classes and gradually assumed responsibility for vacant communal roles in kashrut, the bet din and mikveh supervision. He was subsequently recognised by the Iranian Jewish community—and acknowledged by the Iranian authorities—as Chief Rabbi.<ref name="WikiBio" />

Under his leadership the community has maintained and expanded religious infrastructure, including kosher restaurants in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, renovated and new mikvehs, a full-day yeshiva, kollels (including one opened in Isfahan), and training programmes for rabbis, shochetim, sofrim and mohelim. He has also overseen arrangements allowing Jewish students to take examinations on the Sabbath with the assistance of a non-writing “secretary.”<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="YeshivaWorld">Reports on Iranian Jewish communal institutions under Gerami’s tenure, including coverage in ''The Yeshiva World'' and related Orthodox media.</ref>

Gerami is a member of the [[Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States]] (ARIS) and participated in its first summit in Istanbul in 2021. He has maintained contacts with rabbinic leaders in Russia (including Rabbi Berel Lazar) and Turkey (including Rabbi Mendy Chitrik).<ref name="ARIS">Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States membership and summit participation reports, 2021.</ref>

In November 2021 he visited Jewish communities in the United States, meeting organisations including Chabad-Lubavitch and the Agudas Harabonim. During the visit he faced criticism from some American Jewish leaders for earlier public statements critical of Israel and Zionism and for a condolence visit to the family of Qasem Soleimani after the latter’s killing in 2020. Gerami has stated that such positions were adopted out of concern for the physical safety of Iran’s Jewish community, emphasising that “we are guests and we have to be diplomatic.”<ref name="ToI2021" />

He continues to lead public religious observances, including Tisha B’Av services at Tehran’s Yusef Abad Synagogue and Purim readings at the traditional Tomb of Mordechai and Esther in Hamadan.<ref name="ToIPurim">[https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-chief-rabbi-reads-the-book-of-esther-at-the-tomb-of-mordechai-and-esther/ Iranian chief rabbi reads the Book of Esther at the Tomb of Mordechai and Esther] ''The Times of Israel'', 14 March 2025.</ref>

==See also==
* [[Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States]]
* Jews in Iran
* Yusef Abad Synagogue

==External links==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehuda_Gerami Yehuda Gerami] on Wikipedia (source overview)

==Notes==
<references/>

[[Category:Iranian rabbis]]
[[Category:Chief rabbis]]
[[Category:Persian Jews]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:1980s births]]
[[Category:People from Tehran]]
[[Category:Yeshiva Ner Yisroel alumni]]

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 Gerami was born in Tehran to a religious Persian Jewish family. His father, Dr Shlomo Gerami, was a surgeon who worked at several Tehran hospitals, including the Dr Sapir Jewish Hospital.<ref name="ToI2021" />
-He attended local schools and received supplementary Talmud Torah education. At the age of 15 he travelled via Turkey to Jerusalem, where he studied for a year at [[Yeshivas Ateres Yisrael]] under Rabbi [[Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi]]. After returning briefly to Iran he continued his studies at [[Yeshivas Ner Israel]] in Baltimore, Maryland. He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Moshe Heinemann at the age of 25.<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="Anash2021">[https://anash.org/iranian-chief-rabbi-meets-agudas-harabonim/ Iranian Chief Rabbi Meets Agudas Harabonim] ''Anash.org'', 3 November 2021.</ref>
+He attended local schools and received supplementary Talmud Torah education. At the age of 15 he travelled via Turkey to Jerusalem, where he studied for a year at [[Yeshivas Ateres Yisrael]] under Rabbi [[Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi]]. After returning briefly to Iran he continued his studies at [[Yeshivas Ner Israel]] in Baltimore, Maryland. He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi [[Moshe Heinemann]] at the age of 25.<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="Anash2021">[https://anash.org/iranian-chief-rabbi-meets-agudas-harabonim/ Iranian Chief Rabbi Meets Agudas Harabonim] ''Anash.org'', 3 November 2021.</ref>
 ==Career==

@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 Gerami is a member of the [[Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States]] and participated in its first summit in Istanbul in 2021. He has maintained contacts with rabbinic leaders including Rabbi [[Berel Lazar]] of Russia and Rabbi [[Mendy Chitrik]] of Turkey, both of whom are from [[Chabad-Lubavitch]].<ref name="Anash2021" />
-In November 2021 he visited Jewish communities in the United States, meeting organisations including Chabad-Lubavitch and the Agudas Harabonim. During the visit he faced criticism for earlier public statements critical of Israel and for a condolence visit to the family of Qasem Soleimani after the latter’s killing in 2020. Gerami stated that such positions were adopted out of concern for the physical safety of Iran’s Jewish community, saying “we are guests and we have to be diplomatic.”<ref name="ToI2021" />
+In November 2021 he visited Jewish communities in the United States, meeting organisations including [[Chabad-Lubavitch]] and the [[Agudas Harabonim]]. During the visit he faced criticism for earlier public statements critical of Israel and for a condolence visit to the family of [[Qasem Soleimani]] after the latter’s killing in 2020. Gerami stated that such positions were adopted out of concern for the physical safety of Iran’s Jewish community, saying “we are guests and we have to be diplomatic.”<ref name="ToI2021" />
 He continues to lead public religious observances, including Tisha B’Av services at Tehran’s Yusef Abad Synagogue and Purim readings at the traditional Tomb of Mordechai and Esther in Hamadan.<ref name="ToIPurim">[https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-chief-rabbi-reads-the-book-of-esther-at-the-tomb-of-mordechai-and-esther/ Iranian chief rabbi reads the Book of Esther at the Tomb of Mordechai and Esther] ''The Times of Israel'', 14 March 2025.</ref><ref name="YWNTisha">[https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2578145/tisha-bav-in-tehran-irans-chief-rabbi-leads-eicha-at-central-shul-video.html Tisha B’Av in Tehran: Iran’s Chief Rabbi Leads Eicha at Central Shul] ''The Yeshiva World'', 23 July 2026.</ref>

@@ Line 36: / Line 36: @@
 Under his leadership the community has maintained kosher restaurants in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, renovated and new mikvehs, a yeshiva and kollels, and training programmes for religious functionaries. He has also overseen arrangements allowing Jewish students to take examinations on the Sabbath with assistance.<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="Ynet2026">[https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/b1mwtrmmge Weddings and Jewish rituals resume in Iran after weeks of wartime silence] ''Ynetnews'', 1 July 2026.</ref>
-Gerami is a member of the [[Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States]] and participated in its first summit in Istanbul in 2021. He has maintained contacts with rabbinic leaders including Rabbi Berel Lazar of Russia and Rabbi Mendy Chitrik of Turkey.<ref name="Anash2021" />
+Gerami is a member of the [[Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States]] and participated in its first summit in Istanbul in 2021. He has maintained contacts with rabbinic leaders including Rabbi [[Berel Lazar]] of Russia and Rabbi [[Mendy Chitrik]] of Turkey, both of whom are from [[Chabad-Lubavitch]].<ref name="Anash2021" />
 In November 2021 he visited Jewish communities in the United States, meeting organisations including Chabad-Lubavitch and the Agudas Harabonim. During the visit he faced criticism for earlier public statements critical of Israel and for a condolence visit to the family of Qasem Soleimani after the latter’s killing in 2020. Gerami stated that such positions were adopted out of concern for the physical safety of Iran’s Jewish community, saying “we are guests and we have to be diplomatic.”<ref name="ToI2021" />

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 Gerami was born in Tehran to a religious Persian Jewish family. His father, Dr Shlomo Gerami, was a surgeon who worked at several Tehran hospitals, including the Dr Sapir Jewish Hospital.<ref name="ToI2021" />
-He attended local schools and received supplementary Talmud Torah education. At the age of 15 he travelled via Turkey to Jerusalem, where he studied for a year at Yeshivas Ateres Yisrael under Rabbi Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi. After returning briefly to Iran he continued his studies at Yeshivas Ner Israel in Baltimore, Maryland. He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Moshe Heinemann at the age of 25.<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="Anash2021">[https://anash.org/iranian-chief-rabbi-meets-agudas-harabonim/ Iranian Chief Rabbi Meets Agudas Harabonim] ''Anash.org'', 3 November 2021.</ref>
+He attended local schools and received supplementary Talmud Torah education. At the age of 15 he travelled via Turkey to Jerusalem, where he studied for a year at [[Yeshivas Ateres Yisrael]] under Rabbi [[Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi]]. After returning briefly to Iran he continued his studies at [[Yeshivas Ner Israel]] in Baltimore, Maryland. He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Moshe Heinemann at the age of 25.<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="Anash2021">[https://anash.org/iranian-chief-rabbi-meets-agudas-harabonim/ Iranian Chief Rabbi Meets Agudas Harabonim] ''Anash.org'', 3 November 2021.</ref>
 ==Career==

@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 }}
-'''[[Yehuda Gerami]]''' (Hebrew: יהודה גרמי; born 1983 or 1984) is the Chief Rabbi of Iran and the spiritual leader of the country’s Jewish community since 2011. He oversees synagogues, mikvehs, kosher slaughter and religious education for Iran’s estimated 8,000–20,000 Jews, concentrated mainly in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan.<ref name="WikiBio">Biographical details drawn from contemporaneous reports and organisational profiles of Iranian Jewish leadership.</ref><ref name="ToI2021">Lazar Berman, [https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-us-irans-chief-rabbi-says-he-feared-vengeance-after-soleimani-killing/ In US, Iran’s head rabbi says he condemned Soleimani killing to protect Jews] ''The Times of Israel'', 15 November 2021.</ref>
+'''[[Yehuda Gerami]]''' (Hebrew: יהודה גרמי; born 1983 or 1984) is the Chief Rabbi of Iran and the spiritual leader of the country’s Jewish community since 2011. He oversees synagogues, mikvehs, kosher slaughter and religious education for Iran’s Jewish community, concentrated mainly in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan.<ref name="ToI2021">Lazar Berman, [https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-us-irans-chief-rabbi-says-he-feared-vengeance-after-soleimani-killing/ In US, Iran’s head rabbi says he condemned Soleimani killing to protect Jews] ''The Times of Israel'', 15 November 2021.</ref>
 ==Early life and education==
-Gerami was born in Tehran to a religious Persian Jewish family with ancient roots in Iran. His father, Dr Shlomo Gerami, was a surgeon who worked at several Tehran hospitals, including the Dr Sapir Jewish Hospital.<ref name="WikiBio" />
+Gerami was born in Tehran to a religious Persian Jewish family. His father, Dr Shlomo Gerami, was a surgeon who worked at several Tehran hospitals, including the Dr Sapir Jewish Hospital.<ref name="ToI2021" />
-He attended local schools and received supplementary Talmud Torah education. At the age of 15 he travelled via Turkey to Jerusalem, where he studied for a year at [[Yeshivas Ateres Yisrael]] under Rabbi [[Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi]]. After returning briefly to Iran he continued his studies at [[Yeshivas Ner Israel]] in Baltimore, Maryland, an institution that maintained a government-sanctioned arrangement allowing Iranian students. He received rabbinical ordination (semicha) from Rabbi [[Moshe Heinemann]] at the age of 25.<ref name="WikiBio" /><ref name="Mishpacha">Contemporary biographical accounts of Gerami’s yeshiva studies, including reports in Orthodox Jewish media.</ref>
+He attended local schools and received supplementary Talmud Torah education. At the age of 15 he travelled via Turkey to Jerusalem, where he studied for a year at Yeshivas Ateres Yisrael under Rabbi Boruch Mordechai Ezrachi. After returning briefly to Iran he continued his studies at Yeshivas Ner Israel in Baltimore, Maryland. He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Moshe Heinemann at the age of 25.<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="Anash2021">[https://anash.org/iranian-chief-rabbi-meets-agudas-harabonim/ Iranian Chief Rabbi Meets Agudas Harabonim] ''Anash.org'', 3 November 2021.</ref>
 ==Career==
-Upon returning to Iran and marrying his Iranian-born wife Tzipora, Gerami began delivering Torah classes and gradually assumed responsibility for vacant communal roles in kashrut, the bet din and mikveh supervision. He was subsequently recognised by the Iranian Jewish community—and acknowledged by the Iranian authorities—as Chief Rabbi.<ref name="WikiBio" />
+Upon returning to Iran and marrying his Iranian-born wife Tzipora, Gerami began delivering Torah classes and gradually assumed responsibility for communal roles in kashrut, the bet din and mikveh supervision. He was subsequently recognised as Chief Rabbi of Iran.<ref name="ToI2021" />
-Under his leadership the community has maintained and expanded religious infrastructure, including kosher restaurants in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, renovated and new mikvehs, a full-day yeshiva, kollels (including one opened in Isfahan), and training programmes for rabbis, shochetim, sofrim and mohelim. He has also overseen arrangements allowing Jewish students to take examinations on the Sabbath with the assistance of a non-writing “secretary.”<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="YeshivaWorld">Reports on Iranian Jewish communal institutions under Gerami’s tenure, including coverage in ''The Yeshiva World'' and related Orthodox media.</ref>
+Under his leadership the community has maintained kosher restaurants in Tehran, Shiraz and Isfahan, renovated and new mikvehs, a yeshiva and kollels, and training programmes for religious functionaries. He has also overseen arrangements allowing Jewish students to take examinations on the Sabbath with assistance.<ref name="ToI2021" /><ref name="Ynet2026">[https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/b1mwtrmmge Weddings and Jewish rituals resume in Iran after weeks of wartime silence] ''Ynetnews'', 1 July 2026.</ref>
-Gerami is a member of the [[Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States]] (ARIS) and participated in its first summit in Istanbul in 2021. He has maintained contacts with rabbinic leaders in Russia (including Rabbi Berel Lazar) and Turkey (including Rabbi Mendy Chitrik).<ref name="ARIS">Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States membership and summit participation reports, 2021.</ref>
+Gerami is a member of the [[Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States]] and participated in its first summit in Istanbul in 2021. He has maintained contacts with rabbinic leaders including Rabbi Berel Lazar of Russia and Rabbi Mendy Chitrik of Turkey.<ref name="Anash2021" />
-In November 2021 he visited Jewish communities in the United States, meeting organisations including Chabad-Lubavitch and the Agudas Harabonim. During the visit he faced criticism from some American Jewish leaders for earlier public statements critical of Israel and Zionism and for a condolence visit to the family of Qasem Soleimani after the latter’s killing in 2020. Gerami has stated that such positions were adopted out of concern for the physical safety of Iran’s Jewish community, emphasising that “we are guests and we have to be diplomatic.”<ref name="ToI2021" />
+In November 2021 he visited Jewish communities in the United States, meeting organisations including Chabad-Lubavitch and the Agudas Harabonim. During the visit he faced criticism for earlier public statements critical of Israel and for a condolence visit to the family of Qasem Soleimani after the latter’s killing in 2020. Gerami stated that such positions were adopted out of concern for the physical safety of Iran’s Jewish community, saying “we are guests and we have to be diplomatic.”<ref name="ToI2021" />
-He continues to lead public religious observances, including Tisha B’Av services at Tehran’s Yusef Abad Synagogue and Purim readings at the traditional Tomb of Mordechai and Esther in Hamadan.<ref name="ToIPurim">[https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-chief-rabbi-reads-the-book-of-esther-at-the-tomb-of-mordechai-and-esther/ Iranian chief rabbi reads the Book of Esther at the Tomb of Mordechai and Esther] ''The Times of Israel'', 14 March 2025.</ref>
+He continues to lead public religious observances, including Tisha B’Av services at Tehran’s Yusef Abad Synagogue and Purim readings at the traditional Tomb of Mordechai and Esther in Hamadan.<ref name="ToIPurim">[https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-chief-rabbi-reads-the-book-of-esther-at-the-tomb-of-mordechai-and-esther/ Iranian chief rabbi reads the Book of Esther at the Tomb of Mordechai and Esther] ''The Times of Israel'', 14 March 2025.</ref><ref name="YWNTisha">[https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2578145/tisha-bav-in-tehran-irans-chief-rabbi-leads-eicha-at-central-shul-video.html Tisha B’Av in Tehran: Iran’s Chief Rabbi Leads Eicha at Central Shul] ''The Yeshiva World'', 23 July 2026.</ref>
 ==See also==
@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 ==External links==
-* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehuda_Gerami Yehuda Gerami] on Wikipedia (source overview)
+* [https://www.timesofisrael.com/topic/yehuda-gerami/ Yehuda Gerami coverage] on The Times of Israel
 ==Notes==

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