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Eilat's Chief Rabbi Moshe Hadaya Dies at 91 After 70 Years of Service
Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Hadaya, the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Eilat and its region for nearly 70 years, passed away on Saturday, 10 October 2026, at the age of 91. Born in Aleppo, Syria, in 1935, Rabbi Hadaya immigrated to Israel in his youth and studied under prominent rabbinical figures in Jerusalem.
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What happened
- 01Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Hadaya, the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Eilat for nearly 70 years, passed away on Saturday at the age of 91.
- 02Born in Syria in 1935, Rabbi Hadaya immigrated to Israel in his youth and belonged to a distinguished rabbinical family.
- 03He arrived in Eilat in the mid-1950s on a short mission and established the city's first women's mikveh.
- 04During his tenure, he established Eilat's kashrut system, synagogues, and mikvahs, and performed thousands of circumcisions as its first mohel.
- 05The Eilat Municipality honored Rabbi Hadaya with a Lifetime Achievement Award in March 2025.
- 06His son, Rabbi Yair Hadaya, was recently elected to succeed him as the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Eilat.
His rabbinical career began at the age of 18, when he served in Moshav Magdim, Yerucham, and Dimona. In the mid-1950s, he was sent to Eilat on what was intended to be a short-term mission. During that initial visit, he established the city's first women's mikveh, and the assignment ultimately became a lifelong commitment.
Throughout his seven decades of service, Rabbi Hadaya established Eilat's kashrut system, synagogues, and Torah study groups, and served as the city's first mohel. He was widely regarded as a spiritual father figure by both religious and secular residents. In March 2025, the Eilat Municipality honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. His son, Rabbi Yair Hadaya, was recently elected to succeed him as the city's chief rabbi.
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