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Somekh, Abdallah Abraham Joseph

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

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Rabbi of Bagdad; born in that city 1813; died there 1889. He was educated by Rabbis Jacob Joseph ha-Rofe and Moses Ḥayyim, the latter of whom held the office of ab bet din. Somekh, who was looked upon as the spiritual head of the Bagdad community, was well known also in other parts of Asia, especially India, and his legal decisions were generally accepted is conclusive. About twenty yeshibot were established through his influence with the Sassoon family, E. R. Menashi, and other members of the Calcutta community.

Somekh left in manuscript a work on ritual, parts of which were published after his death (Bagdad, 1900) under the title "Zibhe Ẓedeḳ." A riot occurred at his funeral, the Mussulmans objecting to his being buried near one of the tombs of their local saints. Of Somekh's pupils, still living, may be mentioned Joseph Ḥayyim Moses; Abraham Hallel, the present ab bet din at Bagdad; Ezekiel Solomon David; and Ezra Cohen.