TzadikimKabbalist, head of the Jewish court in Amsterdam.
Kabbalist, head of the Jewish court in Amsterdam.
Isaac Aboab da Fonseca was born in the Portuguese town of Castro Daire as Simão da Fonseca. His parents were Marranos, Jews who had been forcibly converted to Christianity. Although the family had ostensibly converted to Christianity, this did not put an end to local antisemitic suspicions. When Isaac was seven, the family moved to Amsterdam. From that moment on, the family "reconverted" back to Judaism, and Isaac was raised Jewish from that moment on. Together with Manasseh ben Israel, he was given lessons by the scholar Isaac Uziel.
At the age of eighteen, Isaac was appointed rabbi (chacham) for Beth Israel, one of three Sephardic communities which existed at that point in Amsterdam.
In 1642, Aboab da Fonseca was appointed rabbi at Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue in Recife, in the then Dutch colony of Pernambuco, Brazil, a city which was occupied by the Dutch in 1624 (see Dutch Brazil, Jews in Pernambuco). Most of the European inhabitants of the town after the Dutch occupation were Sephardic Jews, originally from Portugal, but who had first emigrated to Amsterdam due to persecution by the Portuguese Inquisition. They then helped colonize this new Dutch colony at the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. By becoming the rabbi of the Portuguese Jewish community in Recife, Aboab da Fonseca was also probably the first appointed rabbi of the Americas. Kahal Zur Israel congregation here had a synagogue, a mikveh and a yeshiva as well. Still during Fonseca's tenure as rabbi in Pernambuco, the Portuguese re-occupied the capital of Recife in 1654, after a struggle of nine years. Fonseca then managed to return to Amsterdam after the loss of the new colony to the Portuguese. Some members of his community immigrated to North America and were among the founders of New Amsterdam.
Back in Amsterdam, Aboab da Fonseca was appointed Chief Rabbi for the Sephardic community. In 1656, he was one of several scholars who excommunicated the famous philosopher Baruch Spinoza. During the reign of Aboab da Fonseca, the community flourished; the Portuguese synagogue (the Esnoga) was inaugurated on August 2, 1675 (10 Av 5435).
Isaac Aboab da Fonseca died in Amsterdam on April 4, 1693, at the age of 88.
May the merit of the tzaddik Rabbi Yitzchak Abuhab of Amsterdam protect us all, Amen.
Malka bat SarahWilliam Yady ben Avrahamרבי יחיאל הלל בן רבי יעקבJuan Antonio Villalon Lozano bat David Villalon Ruchel bat KaylaShlomo Yitzchak ben SarahVELVEL ROYTMAN ben AvrahamGUADALUPE ARGIMIRO CABRERA GARCIA ben Leandro Cabrera Kayla bat PeppiZLATA KHAZINA bat Sarahשיינה מינדל בת ר' יחיאל הללZalman ben SarahMoshe Yitzchak ben MalkaDAVID GIDALEVSKIY ben AvrahamMERCEDES YOLANDA CABRERA GARCIA bat Mercedes García 
Yura bat LeyaRobert Eugene ben Marieליאם בן ענתIsaac Benyamin ben Chanah Hinda ניר בן ארנהרפאל בן דינהנעם בן עדיElisheba bat MariaMARTHA ELOINA GOMEZ HERNANDEZ bat ROSAאלישע יהודה בן רותEfrat bat Zionaליאל הושע בן מריםאביהו בן ענתאליה בן מרבעירא בן טליהחגי נפתלי בן אסתר אביגיליוסף חיים בן יעלSarah bat Myriamנתנאל משה בן יוכבדLUIS FELIPE CABRERA ben GUADALUPE ARGIMIROMiriam bat Sarahרון בן חבצלתאור מתוק בן ג'קליןדני בן חווהאיתי בן עדיJackie bat Berthaנועם בן עליזהשמעון פנחס בן רבקהנריה בן רבקהאליה בן מרברונן חי בן לאהעילם בן אפרתינון בן אפרתחנינא בן צופיתגיא בן מילכהאיתן בן שרהנתנאל בן פאניאלישע יהודה בן חגיתOneida Yanira bat MililaYolanda bat Olgaדביר בן לאהאהרון יהושוע בן חיה שושנהROSA MAGDA GOMEZ HERNANDEZ bat Rosa Hernándezגל בן חדווהתומר בן ציפורהדביר בן גרניתZalman ben Ruchelבן בן נתיבהAvrohom Yaakov ben RochelMelissa Lewis bat Barbara Indraמור מרדכי בן אורנהמתן בן דבורהיהושע פאליק בן הרב יחיאל הללEmily bat Marieסימון חיים בן אסתרShmuel ben ManyaSean ben Gloriaאורן בן אילנהאלמוג בן שנהבBrookyn bat Elainaיוסף חיים בן זיוהמשה בן חנה מלכה
Moshe Wolf aka Jetro da Silva ben Matilda Sarita Mazal, Bastien Benyamin, Jonah Yehiel, Isla Bib Chanah bat Moshe Jacob and Carol Chanah Dinah Leibel and Shanah DANNIELA DE LA GARZA BARRERA bat Blanca SoniaOneida Yanira bat MililaMoshe Yitro ben Matilda Cremilda Elton ben Marshall Adam Benyamin ben AvrahamMoshe Yitro ben Pedro Shaul Yosef ben Israel Debbie bat RalphTzivia Gallegos bat DionicioAugusto ben Salvador R. HernandezDaniel ben ShimonLUIS FELIPE CABRERA ben GUADALUPE ARGIMIROCarol Cari Chanah Dinah, Isaac Benyamin and family ben Joseph and Mordechai Juan ben JuanMoshe Yitro ben Pedro Shaul אסתר בת אברהםElisheba bat William YadyIngrid bat HorstLuiz ben LinoRivka bat JosephGRACIELA bat ISMAEL Arik ben John AmbroseFlorrie Sésé bat KaeTzadikimHillulot | Biographies | Prayers | Virtual Candle
