Jacob Meir, (1856-1939), was the first Sephardic
Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate
of Palestine.
Born in Jerusalem in 1856, Meir was at the
forefront of the effort to revive Hebrew as a
modern language. He was chosen Chief Rabbi of
Jerusalem in 1911 and when the office of Chief
Rabbi of Palestine was established in 1921, he
was elected to fill the post with the title “Rishon
Le-Zion”. He held the post until his death in
1939. Rabbi Meir was awarded the French Legion
of Honor and received decorations from British,
Turkish and Greek governments as well as Hussein
bin Ali, King of Hejaz.[1]
In 2006 the Israel Postal Authority issued a
stamp bearing his image, designed by Aharon
Shavo. |
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