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Rabbi Mendy Chitrik

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Chitrik (born March 31st, 1977) is an American Israeli Turkish Rabbi. He is the rabbi of the Ashkenazi Jewish community of Turkey, a small and ancient community that predates the much larger and famous Sephardi community which mostly settled in the Ottoman Empire and mainly its capital, Istanbul after their expulsion from Spain, as well as the chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States

Rabbi Chitrik grew up in Tsfat and received his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Zalman Nechemya Goldberg and Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, ZTL, and from his grandfather Rabbi David Moshe Lieberman, shlita, Chief Rabbi of Antwerp.

Rabbi Chitrik has published several books on Jewish life in Turkish and is in the midst of publishing a book on Turkish-Sephardic customs. Fluent in five languages, Rabbi Chitrik is likely the last rabbi in the world to deliver a weekly Torah class in Ladino. He is a sought-after lecturer on the History and Customs of Turkish Jews.

Rabbi Chitrik was elected Chairman of ARIS (Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States) in 2019 and served as a permanent member of the Standing Committee of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) 2014-2020. He is a member of the RCA and other rabbinical bodies.

For the past 20 years, Rabbi Chitrik and his wife Chaya have been involved in strengthening Jewish life and Jewish learning in Istanbul through classes, Shabbatot, large-scale Jewish holiday events, one-on-one counseling, daily prayer services and have brought a new enthusiasm for Jewish life to Istanbul.

As part of his responsibilities in the Jewish community of Turkey, Rabbi Chitrik leads the KTR - Turkey Chief Rabbinate’s Kashrut for export organization and the EAKC the Emirati Agency for Kosher Certification. In addition, he is a field representative for the OU and other major kosher organizations, a shochet, and a mohel.

Rabbi Chitrik and his wife Chaya and their eight children have an open house in Istanbul, where local residents and travelers worldwide share Shabbat and holiday meals.

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/personal-relationships-are-the-future-of-jewish-muslim-coexistence/

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/chief-rabbi-yitzhak-yosef-endorses-alliance-of-rabbis-in-islamic-states-659166

https://m.jpost.com/diaspora/passover-in-muslim-countries-matza-in-iran-seder-in-uae-662187/amp?__twitter_impression=true&s=08

https://m.jpost.com/opinion/for-jews-in-the-muslim-world-an-increasingly-bright-future-awaits-661731

https://forward.com/news/454465/a-rabbis-3000-mile-turkish-odyssey-in-the-name-of-kashrut/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashkenazi_Synagogue_of_Istanbul?wprov=sfla1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alliance_of_Rabbis_in_Islamic_States?wprov=sfla1

https://www.makorrishon.co.il/international/279991/

https://www.salom.com.tr/salomturkey/haber-115677-jewish_traces_in_anatolia.html

https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/diplomacy/turkish-ambassador-in-us-hosts-religious-leaders-at-iftar-dinner