Rabbi Zion Levy

Rabbi Zion Levy zt”l (1925–2008) was the Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Panama for 57 years. His tenure is thought to be the longest of any religious leader in the region.

He built up a Jewish community of 6,000-7,000 Torah-observant Jews in a country of 3 million.

Levy was born in Jerusalem shortly after his parents immigrated to Israel from Morocco. His father was Rabbi Yaakov Levy zt”l, a noted kabbalist at Beit El Yeshiva. Levy studied at Porat Yosef Yeshiva.

He arrived in Panama in 1951 at the urging of the Jerusalem beth din.

The Rabbi performed many religious tasks while the community was beginning to expand. Some of his work included: officiating Jewish marriages, authorizing Kosher foods, slaughtering animals under the proper Jewish regulations, conducting Jewish circumcisions (Brit Milah), and writing Sifrei Torah and Mezuzot. Overall, Rabbi Levy did most of the work by himself.

Rabbi Zion Levy zt”l built up the Shevet Ahim Congregation and community in Panama. To prevent power struggles between community factions and himself, Levy established himself as the sole Torah authority. He also laid down the conversion law immediately: No conversions will be performed in Panama, ruling that all converts must undergo conversions in Orthodox rabbinical courts outside Panama and then be subject to a two-year probation period in Panama, where they would have to prove their commitment to a Torah lifestyle.

In his later years, Levy oversaw the construction of new synagogues in Panama City and worked to smooth relations with the country’s Arab and Muslim communities. He frequently phoned the country’s imam for a talk.

By the time of his death, the Shevet Ahim community numbered 10,000 Jews, 6,000 of whom are Torah-observant. The community included several synagogues, mikvahs, three Jewish schools, a yeshiva, a kollel, and a girls’ seminary, along with several kosher butchers.

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