Rabbi Jacob S. Kassin

יעקב קצין

Chief Rabbi of the Syrian community of Brooklyn · 1900–1994

Mizrahi · EstablishedIsrael & the Diaspora Today

Jerusalem-born rabbi of an Aleppo family who in 1933 became the first chief rabbi of the Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn. In 1935 he and the community's rabbinical council issued the edict against marriage with converts that has defined the community ever since, and he led it for six decades.

Rabbi Yaakov Kassin with his wife Mazal Tov, his daughter Charlotte and his son Shaul
Rabbi Yaakov Kassin with his wife Mazal Tov, his daughter Charlotte and his son Shaul. public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

Last reviewed November 2026 · How we decide who is included · Suggest a correction

More Sephardic figures