Nagid ( ) is a Hebrew term meaning a prince or leader. This title was often applied to the religious leader in Sephardic communities of the Middle Ages. In Egypt, the Jewish Nagid was appointed over all the Jews living under the dominion of the king of Egypt; he was invested with all the power of a king and could punish and imprison those who acted in opposition to his decrees; his duty was also to appoint the dayyanim (judges of the rabbinic court) in every city.Jewish Travellers (ed. Elkan Nathan Adler), chapter: Obadiah da Bertinoro, London 1930, p. 229
According to Muslim scholars, the role of the Nagid (or Ra’īs) was to represent the Rabbanite majority, but also to represent the minority groups of the Karaites and Samaritans as well. Accordingly, his function was to "join the Jews together and to prevent their separation," mainly by serving them as legal authority in accordance with their laws and customs.
In Arab countries, the ( 'sheikh of the Jews') was a Jewish community leader who would act as a liaison between Jewish communities and Muslim authorities, as in Fes before French colonization.
Among the individuals bearing this title are the following (Dates refer to lifespan, not when this title was held.): Samuel ibn Naghrillah (Shmuel Ha-Naggid), Sa'adya ben Mevorakh, 999-? David ben Daniel, Joseph ibn Naghrela (Yosef Ha-Naggid), 1035-1066 Yehudah "Judah" ben Sa'adya, 1020-1080 Abū 'l-Faḍl Mevorakh ben Saʿadya, 1040-1111 Nethan'el ben Mevorakh, 1098- , , Sar Shalom ben Moses, ?-1204 Maimonides, 1138-1204 Abraham ben Moses ben Maimon, 1186-1237 , 1222-1300 , c. 1246–c. 1316 Yehoshua Hanagid, 1310-1355 , 1335?-1415?
See also Exilarch Nasi (Hebrew title) Hakham Bashi Chief Rabbi
References
External links Jewish Encyclopedia: Gaon and Nagid
he:נגיד