He was a skilled diplomat of the highest order, but somehow Hasdai Ibn Shaprut found himself in the history books for his success as a weight loss coach
Hasdai Ibn Shaprut (915-970 CE) is famous as one of the leading “chatzranim,” or court Jews, of Jewish history. These were Jews who became close to gentile rulers and because of their proximity to power, they were able to influence political affairs, both with regard to non-Jews as well as fellow Jews.
Hasdai was renowned as a physician, and is often described as the personal physician of one of the most famous and powerful of the Islamic rulers of Spain (Andalus), Abdurrahman III, with whom he developed a very close relationship.
But a closer look at the historical record reveals that there is in fact no evidence that Hasdai was Abdurrahman’s doctor. Rather, he was from a young age the Caliph’s diplomatic troubleshooter.
On one notable occasion, however, Hasdai was indeed asked by Abdurrahman to combine his diplomatic and medical skills on a mission of great delicacy. That’s how he became perhaps the first celebrity dietician of all time.
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