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By Rabbi Ari Enkin, rabbinic director, United with Israel
Although most people are under the impression that Gaza produces mainly terrorists, this has been the case only in recent years. A number of famous Jews hailed from Gaza in ancient times.
In this article – Part II on the Jewish History of Gaza – we will focus on Nathan of Gaza and Rabbi Israel Najara.
Nathan of Gaza (1643-1680) was a colorful and controversial figure who made his mark on Jewish history. He was a religious leader and author born in Jerusalem. After his marriage in 1663 he moved to Gaza, where he became famous as a “prophet” for the infamous false messiah, Shabtai Zvi. Nathan met Shabbtai Zvi in Jerusalem and was convinced that Shabtai was the Messiah.
As the “prophet of the Messiah” he embarked upon missionary activity among Diaspora Jews and served as Shabtai’s spokesperson and apologist. He studied the Talmud intensely, as well as the Kabbalistic mysticism of his time. He elaborated his ideas in numerous open letters and treatises. His most famous work was called Zemir Aritzim, which dealt with hastening the redemption. It was written in about 1670.
Nathan died in Macedonia in 1680. His life ended in poverty but with many friends and disciples. In fact, his influence continues to this day to some extent. There is a mysterious religious group in Turkey known as the Donmeh who still believe that the Shabbtai Zvi is the Messiah who will one day return to redeem them. There is even evidence to suggest that Mustafa Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey, was a Donmeh in secret.
Legacy Remains among Jews Worldwide
Rabbi Israel Najara was born in 1555 in Safed and died 1625 in Gaza. He was a Jewish liturgical poet, preacher, biblical commentator, kabbalist, and rabbi of Gaza.
The best known of his hymns is the Yah Ribon, which is recited on Friday night by Jews of all traditions and is found in all prayer books. This is a remarkable accomplishment, as it is very rare to find a liturgical prayer, poem, hymn or song that was accepted by all Jews regardless of tradition, origin or lineage.
Rabbi Najara is buried in the ancient Jewish cemetery in Gaza. His son, Moses Najara, was also a poet, and he succeeded his father as the chief rabbi of Gaza.
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