Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States
Rabbinic association supporting Jewish communities in Muslim-majority countries
| Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States | |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit / Religious organisation |
| Logo | |
| Founded | September 2019; Incorporated 8 October 2020 |
| Founder(s) | Mendy Chitrik |
| Dissolved | |
| Registration ID | Florida N20000011307; EIN 85-3435240 |
| Status | Active |
| Headquarters | 1035 14th Street, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States |
| Location | |
| Area served | Muslim-majority countries and regions |
| Services | |
| Registration | |
| Key people | |
| Website | rabbisalliance.org |
| Remarks | |
Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States (ARIS) is a rabbinic association founded in September 2019 by Rabbi Mendy Chitrik to connect and support rabbis serving Jewish communities in predominantly Muslim countries and regions. It describes itself as the first rabbinic association in the Muslim world and aims to sustain Jewish life, promote interfaith coexistence, and combat antisemitism and Islamophobia.[1][2]
The organisation is registered in the United States as Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States Inc., a Florida domestic non-profit corporation (document number N20000011307), incorporated on 8 October 2020 with principal address at 1035 14th Street, Miami Beach, Florida 33139. It holds US tax-exempt status (EIN 85-3435240) as a religious organisation, granted in March 2021. Officers have included Menachem M. Chitrik (President/Director), Yeshaya Cohen (Director) and Chaim H. Zyslin (Director).[3][4]
Its activity follows the halachic guidelines of Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef (Rishon LeZion), who has formally endorsed the alliance.[5]
Mission and activities
ARIS states its mission is “to support, sustain, and advocate on behalf of Jewish life across Islamic States.” Aspirations include providing a platform for mutual support among rabbis and communities; safeguarding Jewish practice (prayer, festivals, kosher food); advancing interfaith engagement linked to the Abraham Accords; developing a network of Friends of ARIS; producing multilingual content; and convening annual summits.[6]
Membership covers rabbis in Albania, Azerbaijan, Morocco, Turkey, Tunisia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Nigeria and additional locations, as well as Muslim-majority regions such as North Cyprus, Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. The organisation reports serving communities comprising tens of thousands of Jews and acting as an apolitical voice for coexistence.[1][7]
Leadership and membership
Chairman is Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, rabbi of the Ashkenazi community of Istanbul, Turkey.[8]
Presidium Council and Executive Board
The membership of the Alliance spans several streams within Orthodox Judaism. The Presidium Council is weighted toward Sephardi and Israeli Chief Rabbinate figures, including Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, Tunisian Chief Rabbi Haim Bitan, Turkish Hahambashi Isak Haleva, and Moroccan-linked rabbis such as Gad Bouskila and David Rafael Banon.
By contrast, the Executive Board and operational membership are dominated by Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries (shluchim). Explicitly identified Chabad rabbis include Chairman Mendy Chitrik (Istanbul), Levi Banon (Casablanca), Levi Duchman (UAE), Yeshaya Cohen (Kazakhstan) and Shneor Segal (Azerbaijan); numerous additional members serving in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Uganda, Uzbekistan and the UAE are likewise drawn from the Chabad network. Overall, Chabadniks constitute a clear majority of the active rabbinic membership, while the higher advisory layer retains a stronger Sephardi and non-Chabad Orthodox presence.
| Name | Role / Position | Location / Notes | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yitzhak Yosef | Chief Sephardi Rabbi (halachic guidance) | Israel (Rishon LeZion) | Sephardi Orthodox / Israeli Chief Rabbinate (Rishon LeZion) |
| Shimon Gad Elituv | Presidium Council | Member of the Council of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate | Israeli Chief Rabbinate / mainstream Orthodox |
| David Rafael Banon | Presidium Council | Montreal Bet Din | Sephardi / Orthodox (Montreal Bet Din) |
| Haim Bitan | Presidium Council | Chief Rabbi of Tunisia | Sephardi / traditional Tunisian Jewish community |
| Isak Haleva | Presidium Council (Hahambashi) | Chief Rabbi of Turkey | Sephardi / traditional Turkish Jewish community (Hahambashi) |
| Gad Bouskila | Presidium Council | Rabbi of Netivot Yisrael Moroccan community of NY | Sephardi / Moroccan Orthodox |
| Mendy Chitrik | Chairman, Executive Board | Rabbi of Ashkenazi community of Istanbul, Turkey | Chabad-Lubavitch[9] |
| Yeshaya Cohen | Executive Board | Chief Rabbi of Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch[10] |
| Shneor Segal | Executive Board | Chief Rabbi of Azerbaijan Ashkenazi community | Chabad-Lubavitch[11] |
| Levi Banon | Executive Board | Chabad Community Rabbi of Casablanca, Morocco | Chabad-Lubavitch (explicitly listed as Chabad Community Rabbi on ARIS site) |
| Yisrael Uzan | Executive Board | Chief Rabbi of Nigeria | Chabad-Lubavitch[12] |
| Levi Duchman | Executive Board | Rabbi of the UAE | Chabad-Lubavitch[13] |
| Chaim Hilel Azimow | Observer | Rabbi of North Cyprus | Chabad-Lubavitch[14][15][16] |
Rabbi members
The great majority of the listed rabbi members are Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries (shluchim). This includes virtually all those serving in the post-Soviet Muslim-majority regions—Yoel Kaplan (Kosovo/Albania), the Baku and Sumqayit rabbis in Azerbaijan (Mendy Leichter, Nachshon Yunaev, Mati Lewis, Pesah Mirov, Shneor Elimelech), Dan Krichevsky (Bashkortostan), the extensive Kazakhstan contingent (Shimon Ash, Asaf Feinstein, Shevach Zaltopolsky, Elchanan Cohen, Mendel Zalmanov, Mordechai Morosow, Saadia Liberow, Asher Tumarkin, Shmuel Karnaukh, Mordechai Cohen), Arie Reichman (Kyrgyzstan), Yitzchak Gorelik (Tatarstan), and the Uzbekistan rabbis (Shlomo Babaev, Shlomo Rabin)—as well as the African contingent (Menachem Sternbach in Lagos, Moshe Raskin in Uganda, Shlomo Bentolila as Chief Rabbi of Central Africa, Yerachmiel Bensaid in Ivory Coast, Shimi Aziza in Tanzania) and the UAE rabbis (Mendel Duchman, Shimon Frenkel). By contrast, the Istanbul rabbis (Isak Peres, Naftali Haleva, Izak Alaluf, David Zvi, Avraham Gershon, Mendel Porush) largely belong to the traditional Sephardi Turkish community and its Bet Din. The Iranian rabbis (Yehud Gerami, Eliyahu Saidiyan) represent the indigenous Persian Jewish community (Orthodox, with training in both Israeli and American yeshivas). Chimon Lahiany (Marrakesh) and Binyamin Hatab (Tunisia) reflect local North African Sephardi traditions, while the late Avraham Hamra served Syrian Sephardi expatriates. Overall, Chabad accounts for the overwhelming majority of the operational membership outside the historic Sephardi centres of Turkey, Iran and parts of North Africa.
| Name | Role / Position | Location | Affiliation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yoel Kaplan | Chief Rabbi of Kosovo and Albania | Kosovo / Albania | Chabad-Lubavitch[17] |
| Mendy Leichter | Rabbi of Sumqayit | Azerbaijan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Nachshon Yunaev | Rabbi for Youth Activities | Jewish community of Baku, Azerbaijan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Mati Lewis | Rabbi | Jewish community of Baku, Azerbaijan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Pesah Mirov | Rabbi | Jewish community of Baku, Azerbaijan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Shneor Elimelech | Rabbi | Jewish community of Baku, Azerbaijan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Dan Krichevsky | Chief Rabbi | Russia Republic of Bashkortostan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Avraham Dayan | Formerly Rabbi | Jewish community in Alexandria, Egypt | Local Egyptian / Sephardi |
| Yehud Gerami | Chief Rabbi of Iran | Iran | Local Persian Jewish / Orthodox (trained at Ner Israel and Israeli yeshivas)[18] |
| Eliyahu Saidiyan | Chief Rabbi of Isfahan | Iran | Local Persian Jewish / Orthodox |
| Shimon Ash | Rabbi of Pavlodar | Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Asaf Feinstein | Rabbi of Ust'-Kamenogorsk | Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Shevach Zaltopolsky | Rabbi | Almaty, Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Elchanan Cohen | Chief Rabbi of Almaty | Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Mendel Zalmanov | Rabbi of Kostanay | Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Mordechai Morosow | Rabbi of Shymkent | Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Saadia Liberow | Rabbi | Almaty, Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Asher Tumarkin | Rabbi of Karganda | Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Shmuel Karnaukh | Rabbi of Nursultan | Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Mordechai Cohen | Rabbi | Almaty, Kazakhstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Arie Reichman | Chief Rabbi of Kyrgyzstan | Kyrgyzstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Menachem Sternbach | Rabbi of Lagos | Nigeria | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Chimon Lahiany | Rabbi | Marrakesh, Morocco | Local Moroccan / Sephardi (or Chabad-linked) |
| Yitzchak Gorelik | Chief Rabbi | Russian Republic of Tatarstan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Isak Peres | Rabbi of Yenikoy Community; Bet Din member | Istanbul, Turkey | Local Turkish Sephardi (Bet Din of Istanbul) |
| Naftali Haleva | Etz Ahayim, Ortaköy; Bet Din member | Istanbul, Turkey | Local Turkish Sephardi (Haleva family; Bet Din of Istanbul) |
| Izak Alaluf | Rabbi of Kemerburgaz community; Bet Din member | Istanbul, Turkey | Local Turkish Sephardi (Bet Din of Istanbul) |
| David Zvi | Rabbi of Beit Israel | Istanbul, Turkey | Local Turkish / community rabbi |
| Avraham Gershon | Hesed-Leavraam-Buyukada | Istanbul, Turkey | Local Turkish / community rabbi |
| Mendel Porush | Rabbi for Kashrut | Istanbul, Turkey | Local / kashrut authority (Istanbul) |
| Shlomo Babaev | Rabbi of Uzbekistan | Uzbekistan | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Shlomo Rabin | Head Rabbi of Buchara Jewish community | Uzbekistan | Chabad-Lubavitch / local Bukharan |
| Moshe Raskin | Chief Rabbi of Uganda | Uganda | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Binyamin Hatab | Rabbi | Tunisia | Local Tunisian / Sephardi |
| Mendel Duchman | Rabbi | Dubai, UAE | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Shimon Frenkel | Emirates Agency for Kosher Certification | UAE | Chabad-Lubavitch / kashrut |
| Shlomo Bentolila | Chief Rabbi of Central Africa | Central Africa | Chabad-Lubavitch (Head Shaliach of Central Africa)[19] |
| Yerachmiel Bensaid | Chief Rabbi of Ivory Coast | Ivory Coast | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Shimi Aziza | Chief Rabbi of Tanzania | Tanzania | Chabad-Lubavitch |
| Avraham Hamra | Chief Rabbi of Syrian Expatriates Community (in memoriam) | — | Syrian Sephardi |
Advisory Board
The Advisory Board comprises a mix of philanthropists, communal activists, academics and Chabad figures rather than a single denominational bloc.[20]
Founding Patron: Alexander Machkevich (also spelled Mashkevich; Kazakhstan / Israel; d. 2025).[21]
| Name | Location | Affiliation / brief biography |
|---|---|---|
| Alexander Machkevich (Founding Patron) | Kazakhstan / Israel | Kazakh-Israeli billionaire philanthropist; founded the Kazakhstan Jewish Congress and led the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress; major funder of synagogues (including Chabad) and interfaith projects across Central Asia.[21] |
| Carole Basri | USA | American lawyer and documentary filmmaker of Iraqi Jewish (Sephardi/'Mizrahi') descent; focuses on the history and archives of Middle Eastern Jewry; former member of the U.S. State Department’s Future of Iraq Project and Coalition Provisional Authority.[22] |
| Daniel Berkove | Israel | Israeli-based business consultant (energy sector); board member of Innovation: Africa and the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States; producer of the “Blessing Israel” anti-antisemitism music video collaboration.[23] |
| Avraham Berkowitz | US | Senior Chabad-Lubavitch emissary; former executive director of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC); alternate Chabad NGO delegate at the United Nations; director of special missions for Chabad Headquarters.[24] |
| Nir Boms | Israel | Israeli academic and research fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center, Tel Aviv University; specialises in regional cooperation, Syria and the Abraham Accords; director of the TAU Workshop on Israel and the Middle East.[25] |
| Sandra Dangoor | UK | UK-based philanthropist / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
| Brigitte Dayan | USA | US-based professional / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
| Jason Epstein | USA | US-based professional / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
| Levi Matusof | Paris | Chabad-Lubavitch representative in Paris; linked to the long-standing Matusof family of Chabad shluchim (including the pioneering Moroccan emissary Rabbi Shlomo Matusof).[26] |
| Eli Ovits | Israel | Israel-based professional / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
| Joy Malka Rothenberg | Israel | Israel-based professional / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
| Daniel Seal | UAE | UAE-based professional / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
| Tuli Skaist | USA | US-based professional / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
| Leizer Schiner | USA | US-based professional / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
| Efrat Sopher | London | London-based professional / communal figure (listed on ARIS Advisory Board).[20] |
See also
External links
Official website X (Twitter) account List of rabbis Advisory Board
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, About rabbisalliance.org.
- ↑ Contemporary reports summarised in Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States overview, drawing on organisational statements.
- ↑ Florida corporate records, ALLIANCE OF RABBIS IN ISLAMIC STATES INC and related filings.
- ↑ Organisation records, Alliance Of Rabbis In Islamic States Inc Miami Beach, FL.
- ↑ Jeremy Sharon, Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef endorses Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States The Jerusalem Post, 16 February 2021.
- ↑ Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, Mission rabbisalliance.org.
- ↑ Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, Home rabbisalliance.org.
- ↑ Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, ARIS Rabbis rabbisalliance.org.
- ↑ Described as belonging to the Chabad movement and as Chabad emissary / shliach in Istanbul; see Mendy Chitrik biographical coverage and Chabad.org / JTA reporting on his role.
- ↑ Director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Kazakhstan and chief rabbi since 1994; see CrownHeights.info and Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS reporting.
- ↑ Chabad emissary since 2002 and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Azerbaijan; see Chabad of Baku and JNS profile.
- ↑ Co-director of Chabad Lubavitch of Nigeria; see JNS and Chabad.org coverage of Chabad of Nigeria.
- ↑ Chabad emissary and first resident chief rabbi of the UAE; see Chabad of the UAE and Levi Duchman biographical coverage.
- ↑ Tamar Runyan, New Chabad House Brings Passover to Northern Cyprus Chabad.org, 23 April 2008. Identifies Rabbi Chaim Hillel Azimov as “the newly arrived co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of North Cyprus”.
- ↑ Dan Webber, North Cyprus Jewish Center Caters to Growing Community Chabad.org, 23 September 2009. Describes him as “Chabad-Lubavitch Rabbi Chaim and Devora Azimov” who opened the centre.
- ↑ Chabad-Lubavitch of North Cyprus Chabad.org locator. Lists Rabbi Chaim Hillel Azimov as Co-director.
- ↑ Chabad.org and contemporary reports identify Kaplan as Chabad-Lubavitch emissary and Chief Rabbi of Albania; see e.g. Balkan Nation Installs First Chief Rabbi Chabad.org, 2010.
- ↑ Yehuda Gerami profile and reports; see Yehuda Gerami and contemporaneous coverage of Iranian Jewish leadership.
- ↑ Chabad reports on Shlomo Bentolila as emissary to Central Africa since 1991; see e.g. Chabad.org coverage of Chabad of Central Africa.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 20.7 20.8 20.9 Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States, Advisory Board rabbisalliance.org.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Israeli-Kazakh billionaire Alexander Mashkevich dies at 72 The Jerusalem Post, 24 March 2025. Founder of the Kazakhstan Jewish Congress and former president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress; major funder of synagogues (including Chabad institutions) and interfaith projects.
- ↑ Carole Basri biographical overview; see also contemporaneous reporting on her Iraqi Jewish archive and legal work.
- ↑ Daniel R. Berkove author profile, The Lehrhaus.
- ↑ Head of Chabad-led Federation Steps Down from Moscow Post Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2008; see also Chabad.org profiles of his FJC and UN roles.
- ↑ Biography – Nir Boms nirboms.com.
- ↑ Chabad.org coverage of the Matusof family of shluchim in Morocco and France; see e.g. obituaries and profiles of Rabbi Shlomo Matusof and descendants active in Paris and Cannes.