Chouraqui
CHOURAQUI
CHOURAQUI , family originally of *Tlemcen, *Algeria. The first known members of the family lived in the 15th century: moses, mentioned by Simeon b. ?ema? Duran, and ephraim, mentioned by ?ema? b. Solomon Duran. elijah (d. 1706), theologian and poet, was rabbi of Tlemcen. His son saadiah wrote a treatise on mathematics, Moneh Yisrael (Ms. Jews' College, London), an extensive commentary on Psalm 119, Shir ?adash and Shir ha-Ma'alot (Ms. Jewish Theological Seminary of America). Several of his piyyutim and bakkashot have been published in various liturgical collections. In about 1735 isaac was dayyan in *Oran and after 1738 in *Algiers. With Judah Ayash, also dayyan in Algiers, he wrote a preface to ?ayyim b. Moses *Attar's Or ha-?ayyim. Some of his responsa were published in Solomon Seror's Peri ?addik (Leghorn, 1748). mas?ud was dayyan of Tlemcen from 1720 to 1740, while jacob held the same office in Gibraltar. Their descendants judah, david, and moses, who settled in Oran after 1792, on occasions played important roles in politics and commerce. Before 1835 mordecai became rabbi in Safed, where his son moses was chief rabbi in the 1860s.
bibliography:
Bloch, in: rej, 13 (1886), 89–90; J. Ben-Naim, Malkhei Rabbanan (1931), 21a, 71a, 100a; J. Toledano, O?ar Genazim (1960), 140–1, 160.
[David Coros]