Mourning engulfed the kehilla of Jews of Syrian and Lebanese origin in Israel on Friday morning upon the news of the death HaRav Avraham Chamra, z’l, at the age of 78.

The niftar was born in Syria, where he began leading the community as a young man, and tended to all the needs of the Jewish community with great mesirus nefesh, including kashrus, marriage, araba minin, gittin and levayos.

He moved to Israel in 1994 after ensuring that many other Jews left the country as well, and established a new kehilla in Eretz Hakodesh in the city of Holon. He also served as a member of the Holon Religious Council.

“Rav Chamra, zt’l, upheld kashrus, marriage and chinuch for the Jewish kehilla in Syria while maintaining a friendship with the [Syrian] President, thereby greatly assisting the preservation of the community,” stated Chief Rabbi HaRav Yitzchak Yosef.

“From the time he moved to Eretz Yisrael, he was moser nefesh for the members of the community in Syria in order to bring them to Eretz Yisrael and was active in the preservation and elevation of the glorious Jewish traditions of these communities.”

The levaya was held on Friday afternoon in Holon.

Yehi Zichro Baruch.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)