Bet Yehudah (The House of Judah)

A prominent rabbinic scholar and posek (halakhic decisor), Judah ‘Ayyash lived most of his life in Algiers, where he was head of the rabbinic court. He responded to halakhic questions from throughout North Africa, Italy, and the western Mediterranean. On moving to Jerusalem in 1756, he became head of the Knesset Israel yeshiva. Judah’s son, Jacob Moses ‘Ayyash, and grandsons also served as rabbinic leaders in Jerusalem and elsewhere.