The Rule of Wealth in Baghdad

Having had a taste of power in the turbulence surrounding the appointment and downfall of ḥakham bashi Raphael Kassin, the gevirim of Baghdad were reluctant to relinquish their new-found influence in the community. After the removal of the powerful, decisive, and energetic ḥakham bashi, these wealthy laymen took over at the helm, almost completely ignoring the rabbis. Thus, once Kassin had been removed, the gevirim of Baghdad reappointed Rabbi Obadiah Halevi—first as head of the rabbinic court, and thereafter as ḥakham bashi. To all appearances, the rabbi enjoyed great public prestige, confirmed during the summer of 1862 when he received a medal of honour from the sultan. However, the uniting of the two offices in the hands of a single person who lacked any leadership ability seems to have been contrived in order to ensure that both posts were in weak hands and thereby to avoid the creation of a locus of power that might threaten the rule of the wealthy. Thus Jacob Obermeier, who moved to Baghdad after teaching in the school run by the Alliance Israélite Universelle in Damascus, wrote: