Chief Rabbi () is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a capitulation by Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel, Israel has had two chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi.
Cities with large Jewish communities may also have their own chief rabbis; this is especially the case in Israel but has also been past practice in major Jewish centers in Europe prior to the Holocaust. North American cities rarely have chief rabbis. One exception however is Montreal, with two—one for the Ashkenazi community, the other for the Sephardi.
Jewish law provides no scriptural or Talmudic support for the post of a "chief rabbi." The office, however, is said by many to find its precedent in the religio-political authority figures of Jewish antiquity (e.g., kings, high priests, patriarchs, exilarchs and geonim). The position arose in Europe in the Middle Ages from governing authorities largely for secular administrative reasons such as collecting taxes and registering vital statistics, and for providing an intermediary between the government and the Jewish community, for example in the establishment of the Crown rabbi in several kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula, the rab de la corte in the Kingdom of Castile or the arrabi mor in the Kingdom of Portugal, likely influenced by the expectations of their Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican governments and neighbors. Similarly, in the 19th century there was a Crown rabbi of the Russian Empire.
By country/region
Albania Joel Kaplan (2010–), Chabad shaliach, newly-created role
Argentina
Sephardi (Syrian) Salomon Benhamu Yosef Chehebar
Ashkenazi
Austria Isaac ben Moses of Vienna (Isaac Or Zarua) (ca. 1200–1270) Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller, "Tosfos Jomtov" (1578–1654) Shabtai Sheftel Horowitz (1561–1619) Gershon Ashkenazi (ca. 1612–1693) Samson Wertheimer (1658–1724) Mosche Chanoch Berliner (1727–1793) Isaak Noah Mannheimer (1824–1865) Lazar Horowitz (1828–1868), chief rabbi of Vienna Adolf Jellinek (1865–1893) Moritz Güdemann (1894–1918) Zwi Perez Chajes (1918–1927) David Feuchtwang (1933–1936) Israel Taglicht (1936), provisional chief rabbi Isidor Öhler (1946), preacher at the Stadttempel Akiba Eisenberg (1948–1983) (1983–2016) (July 2016)
Belgium The title of , legally equivalent to a Roman Catholic archbishop in Belgium’s salary grid for religious officials, is filled in by the institutionally recognized and state-funded (CCIB/CICB), which only represents 17 synagogues out of at least 43only 3 out of 33 synagogues in Antwerp are affiliated with the CCIB/CICB; there are also Chief Rabbis for the cities of Antwerp and Brussels. Eliakim Carmoly (1832–1834) (1834–1859) Élie-Aristide Astruc (1866–1879) (1880–1891) (1891–1923) (1924–1929) (1931–1940) (1940–1957) (1963–1980) (since 1980; also Chief Rabbi of Brussels since 1987)
Bulgaria (1880–1885) Preciado Bakish (1885–1889) (1889–1891) Moshe Tadjer (1891–1893) Moritz Grünwald (1893–1895) Preciado Bakish (1895–1898) Moshe Tadjer (1898–1900) Mordecai Ehrenpreis (1900–1914) M. Hezkeya Shabetay Davidov (1914–1918) (1920–1925) No Chief Rabbi (1925–1945) (1945–1949) Behor Kahlon (1990–2012) Aharon Zerbib (2012–2015) Yoel Yifrach (2015–Present)
Chile Angel Kreiman Brill, 1970s and 1980s
Colombia
Ashkenazi Eliezer Paltiel Roitblatt (1946-1957) Chaim Menachem Bentzion Blumenkrantz (Early 1950s) Alfredo Goldschmidt (1974–Present) (appointed 1991)
Sephardi Miguel Attias (1948–early 1950) David Sharbani (early 1950s–1978) Yehuda Benhamu (1978–1986) Yehuda Ari Azancot (1986–2000) Shlomo Meir Elharar (2000–2010) Avi Amsalem (2010–Dec. 2020)
Cuba Meyer Rosenbaum (Son of Isamar of Nadvorna, Elected 1948: left Cuba in 1956, a little more than two years before Fidel Castro came to power in the Revolution) Raphael Yair Elnadav (1956–1959) Shmuel Szteinhendler current Chief Rabbi of Cuba and regional director for Masorti Judaism in Latin America.Rabbis of Chilean Masorti Forum meet with Mr. Zeev Bielsky Masorti WorldThe Virtual Jewish History Tour Cuba Jewish Virtual LibraryThe Jewish Traveler: Havana Hadassah Magazine
Croatia Miroslav Šalom Freiberger (1941–1943) Kotel Da-Don (1998–2006) from 2006 rabbi of the Bet Israel community Zagreb Luciano Moše Prelević (2006–)
Cyprus Arie Zeev Raskin (2005–)
Czech Republic Karol Sidon
Denmark Abraham Salomon (1687–1700) (1700–1728) Marcus David (1729–1739) Hirsch Samuel Levy (1741–1775) (1778–1793) Abraham Gedalia (1793–1827) Abraham Wolff (1828–1891) David Simonsen (1892–1902, 1919–1920) Tobias Lewenstein (1903–1910) Max Schornstein (1910–1919) Max (Moses) Friediger (1920–1947) Marcus Melchior (1947–1969) Bent Melchior (1970–1996) (1996–2014) (2014–)
Ecuador Menachem Mendel Fried (2022- )
Egypt Moses Israel (?-1802) Refael Aharon Ben Shimon (1891–1921) Masoud Haim Ben Shimon (1921–1925) Chaim Nahum (1925–1960) Haim Moussa Douek (1960–1972)
Estonia Michael Asher Alony (1995–1996) Efraim (2000–)
The Far East Aharon Moshe Kiselev (1937–1949)
Finland Simon Federbusch (1931–1940) (1946–1951) Mika Weiss (1957–1961) Shmuel Beeri (1961–1963) Mordechai Lanxner (1973–1982) Ove Schwartz (1982–1987) Lazar Kleinman (–1992) Michael Asher Alony (1995–1996) Moshe Edelmann (1999–2012) (2012–)
Chabad-Lubavitch Benyamin Wolff (2003~)
France David Sintzheim (1808–1812) Abraham Vita de Cologna (1808–1826) Emmanuel Deutz (1810–1842) Marchand Ennery (1846–1852) Salomon Ulmann (1853–1865) Lazare Isidor (1866–1888) Zadoc Kahn (1889–1905) Alfred Lévy (1907–1919) (1920–1939) Isaïe Schwartz (1939–1952) Jacob Kaplan (1955–1980) René-Samuel Sirat (1981–1987) Joseph Sitruk (1987–2008) Gilles Bernheim (2009–2013) (elected 22 June 2008, resigned 11 April 2013) Haim Korsia (2014–)
Galicia Aryeh Leib Bernstein (1778–1786) Edgar Gluck Galicia is a historical region in Eastern Europe, that today forms part of Poland and Ukraine; the title of its Chief Rabbi was abolished on November 1, 1786 as part of the Josephinism Reforms.
Due to its being a center for Jewish scholarship, the Rabbi of Lemberg was traditionally seen as the Rabbi of Galicia in the era prior to World War II.
Greece Elias Barzilai Jacob Arar Gabriel Negrin
Guatemala Meyer Rosenbaum (Son of Isamar of Nadvorna, Later Chief Rabbi of Cuba)
Honduras
Aaron Lankry
Hong Kong Ephraim Mirvis Mordecai Avston Netanel Meoded
Hungary Note that this list is not in chronological order. Meir Eisenstadt known as the Panim Me'iros (1708–), rabbi of Eisenstadt and author of "Panim Me'irot" Alexander ben Menahem Phinehas Auerbach
Hirsch Semnitz Simon Jolles (1717–?) Samson Wertheimer (1693?–1724) (also Eisenstadt and Moravia) (Issachar Berush Eskeles) (1725–1753) Joseph Hirsch Weiss—grandfather of Stephen Samuel Wise Samuel Kohn (father of Ferenc Hevesi)
Moses Kunitz, a pioneer of the Haskalah movement in Hungary (1828–1837)
Chaim Yehuda Deutsch
Iran
Yedidia Shofet (1922–1980) Uriel Davidi (1980–1994) Yosef Hamadani Cohen (1994–2007) Mashallah Golestani-Nejad (2007–2011) Yehuda Gerami (2011–present)
Ireland
Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1921–1937) Immanuel Jakobovits (1949–1958) Isaac Cohen (1959–1979) David Rosen (1979–1984) Ephraim Mirvis (1985–1992) Shimon Yehudah Harris (1993–1994) Gavin Broder (1996–2000) Yaakov Pearlman (2001–2008) Yoni Wieder (2023–present)
Israel
The position of chief rabbi () of the Land of Israel has existed for hundreds of years. During the Mandatory Period, the British recognized the chief rabbis of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities, just as they recognized the Mufti of Jerusalem. The offices continued after statehood was achieved. Haredi Jewish groups (such as Edah HaChareidis) do not recognize the authority of the Chief Rabbinate. They usually have their own rabbis who do not have any connection to the state rabbinate.
Under current Israeli law, the post of Chief Rabbi exists in only four cities (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Beersheba). In other cities there may be one main rabbi to whom the other rabbis of that city defer, but that post is not officially the "Chief Rabbi".
Many of Israel's chief rabbis were previously chief rabbis of Israeli cities.
Sephardi Moshe Galante (the Younger) (1665–1689) Moshe ibn Habib (1689–1696) Moshe Hayun Abraham ben David Yitzhaki (1715–1722) Binyamin Maali Elazar ben Yaacob Nahum (1730–1748) Nissim Mizrahi (1748–1754) Israel Yaacob Algazy (1754–1756) Raphael Samuel Meyuchas (1756–1791) Haim Raphael Abraham ben Asher (1771–1772) Yom Tov Algazy (1772–1802) Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas (1802–1805) Yaacob Moshe Ayash al-Maghrebi (1806–1817) Jacob Coral (1817–1818) Yosef ben Hayyim Hazan (1819–1822) Yom Tov Danon (1822–1824) Salomon Moshe Suzin (1824–1836) Yonah Moshe Navon (1836–1841) Yehuda ben Raphael Navon (1841–1842) Chaim Abraham Gagin (1842–1848) Isaac Kovo (1848–1854) Haim Nissim Abulafia (1854–1861) Haim David Hazan (1861–1869) Avraham Ashkenazi (1869–1880) Raphael Meir Panigel (1880–1892) Yaacob Shaul Elyashar (1893–1906) Yaacob Meir (1906) Eliyah Moshe Panigel (1907–1909) Nahman Batito (1909–1911) Moshe Yehuda Franco (1911–1915) Haim Moshe Elyashar (1914–1915) Nissim Yehuda Danon (1915–1921) Yaacob Meir (1921–1939) Benzion Uziel (1939–1954) Yitzhak Nissim (1955–1973) Ovadia Yosef (1973–1983) Mordechai Eliyahu (1983–1993) Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron (1993–2003) Shlomo Amar (2003–2013) Yitzhak Yosef (2013–2024) David Yosef (2024–)
Ashkenazi Meir Auerbach—Rabbi of Jerusalem (1860–1871) Samuel Salant (1871–1909) Abraham Isaac Kook (1921–1935) Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (1936–1959) Isser Yehuda Unterman (1964–1973) Shlomo Goren (1973–1983) Avraham Shapira (1983–1993) Yisrael Meir Lau (1993–2003) Yona Metzger (2003–2013) David Lau (2013–2024) Kalman Ber (2024–present)
Military Rabbinate Shlomo Goren (1948–1968) Mordechai Piron (1968–1977) Gad Navon (1977–2000) Israel Weiss (2000–2006) Avichai Rontzki (2006–2010) Rafi Peretz (2010–2016) Eyal Karim (2016–)
Japan Binyamin Edre'i (2015–present)
Latvia
Mordechai Nurock
Lebanon
Moïse Yedid-Levy (1799–1829) Ralph Alfandari Youssef Mann (1849) Aharoun Yedid-Levy Zaki Cohen (1875) Menaché Ezra Sutton Jacob Bukai Haïm Dana Moïse Yedid-Levy Nassim Afandi Danon (1908–1909) Jacob Tarrab (1910–1921) Salomon Tagger (1921–1923) Shabtai Bahbout (1924–1950) Benzion Lichtman (1932–1959) Shahud Chreim (1960–1978)
Lithuania
Avraham Duber Kahana Shapiro
Luxembourg
Samuel Hirsch (1843–1866) Robert Serebrenik (1929–1941)
Mexico Shlomo Tawil (1998–Present)
North Macedonia Avi Kozma
Morocco Mardo Chee Bengio Chief Rabbi of Tangier. Raphael Ankawa (1918–1935) Mikail Encaoua Chalom Messas (1961–1978) Aaron Monsonego (1994–2018) Yoshiyahu Pinto (2019–present)
Nepal Chezki Lifshitz (2000–present)
Norway (1930–1942) Michael Melchior (1980–)
Panama Zion Levy (1951–2008) Sephardic Chief Rabbi Aaron Laine (1986–) Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Perets (2016–) Sephardic Chief Rabbi
Peru
Abraham Moshe Brener (1930–1967) Baruj Epstein (1966–1967) Yaakov Kraus (1987–1998) Efraim Zik (1999–2009) Itay Meushar (2009–2016) Salomon Cohen (2016–2019)
Poland
Jacob Pollak (appointed 1503) (1541–1542) Dow (1945–1956) Zew Wawa Morejno (1956–1957) Dow (1957–1961) (1961–1966) Zew Wawa Morejno (1966–1973) (1988–1999) Michael Schudrich (2004–)
Military rabbinate Chaim Elizjer Frankl (?–1933) Major Baruch Steinberg (1933–circa 12 April 1940) murdered by NKVD in the Katyn massacre
Romania Jacob Itzhak Niemirower (1921—1939) Alexandru Safran (1940–1948) Moses Rosen (1948–1994) Menachem Hacohen (1997–2012) (2012–present)
Russia
Adolf Shayevich (1983, officially since 1993–) Chabad Berel Lazar (2000–)