Benjamin Artom

Who was Benjamin Artom?

Rabbi Benjamin Artom was the Haham of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews of Great Britain. He was born in Asti, Piedmont, Italy.

He was the first person to hold the post of rabbi of Naples. In 1866 he accepted a call to become the spiritual leader, or Haham, of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews in Britain, and held the post until his death on 6 January 1879 at 3 Marine Parade, Brighton.

He composed a prayer for boys on the occasion of their Bar Mitzvah that was at one time used in most orthodox synagogues in Britain, and is still used in the Spanish and Portuguese ones.