He was a third-generation Ashkenazic American with chassidic roots, yet he led a group of Syrian Jewish immigrants to become the largest Sephardic congregation in the US. What was Rabbi Avraham Dov Hecht’s secret that got him hired on the spot after one Shabbos drashah?
It was 1967, shortly after the miraculous Israeli victory in the Six Day War, when Jews still living in Arab lands found themselves in extreme physical danger. In the halls of the United Nations, in front of an Arab delegation headed by Saudi Arabian ambassador George Baroudy, a group of Sephardic lay leaders and their rabbi made several requests.
“I am the oldest son of Chacham Ibrahim,” the rabbi told the diplomats in fluent Arabic. “My father, may his memory be blessed, was the spiritual leader of the Syrian Jewish community for many long and fruitful years.”
At one point during the meeting Baroudy approached the rabbi with a comradely smile, touched his beard and stated emphatically in Arabic, “Ah! This rabbi is a true Syrian and I respect him!”
The other members of the Syrian Jewish delegation looked at each other knowingly. They knew their rabbi was talented and innovative, but Chacham Ibrahim? Their rabbi was a stars-and-stripes American, yet this venerated Saudi leader had been thoroughly taken in.
Create a free account to keep reading.
