Alashkar, Solomon

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ALASHKAR, SOLOMON

ALASHKAR, SOLOMON (16th century), leader (çelebi) of Egyptian Jewry, who was also known by his title muʿallim ("master"). Alashkar was a wealthy trader and philanthropist who supported scholars and yeshivot in Ereẓ Israel and Egypt. In the 1560s a fierce feud broke out between him and R. Jacob ibn Tibbon, one of the foremost Egyptian rabbis, who insulted Alashkar. Rabbis Joseph *Caro, Moses di *Trani, and Israel de *Curiel, all of Safed, were asked to make peace between them, but failed. Alashkar was one of those who helped to subsidize publication of the Shulḥan Arukh (Venice, 1565). When his fortunes changed and he was unable to meet his debts to the governor of Egypt, Hussein Pasha, the latter ordered Alashkar's execution (1583?); but he was saved because the governor himself was killed and, according to Joseph *Sambari, Alashkar recovered financially.

bibliography:

A. Scheiber and M. Benayahu, in: Sefunot, 6 (1962), 127–134. add. bibliography: J. Sambari, Divrei Yosef (ed. S. Shtober, 1994), 417–18; A. David, To Come To the Land (1999), 46–47, 83, 195.

[Abraham David]

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