Religionדוד כהנא

Dawid Kahane

David Kahane was a Polish-born rabbi who survived the Holocaust, served as Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army and of the Israeli Air Force, and later served as Chief Rabbi of Argentina.

1903 to 1998Chief Rabbi of the Polish ArmyRabbi of the Israeli Air ForceChief Rabbi of ArgentinaThe Lvov Ghetto Diary

Born: 15 March 1903, Hrymailiv
Died: 24 September 1998, Jerusalem
Occupation: rabbi, military personnel
Education: University of Vienna
Rank: podpolkovnik

Dawid Kahane was born in 1903 in Hrymailiv

Kahane was born in 1903 in Grzymałów, in eastern Galicia, now Hrymailiv in Ukraine. He grew up in a religious Jewish family of rabbis.

He studied in Berlin and Breslau, and then in Vienna. In 1929 he was ordained as a rabbi at the rabbinical seminary in Vienna and earned a doctorate from the University of Vienna.

Back in Lwów, he taught religion, joined the Mizrachi movement and served as a synagogue rabbi. During World War II he was held in the Lwów Ghetto and in Janowska camp, escaped in 1943 and hid with the help of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. His parents were murdered in Bełżec, and he hid his young daughter to save her.

From 1945 to 1949 he was Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army and worked to rebuild Jewish community life in Poland. He moved to Israel in 1950 and served as rabbi of the Israeli Air Force until 1964. In 1966 he became Chief Rabbi of Argentina and held the post until 1975.

He returned to Israel in 1975 and served as rabbi of the Tzahala neighborhood in Tel Aviv. He published memoirs, including the Lvov Ghetto Diary. He died in 1998.

Dawid Kahane's life in 10 milestones

1903
Born in Grzymałów, Galicia.
1929
Ordained as a rabbi and earned a doctorate in Vienna.
1943
Escaped from Janowska camp and went into hiding.
1945
Became Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army.
1950
Moved to Israel and became rabbi of the Air Force.
1966
Began serving as Chief Rabbi of Argentina.
1975
Returned to Israel and became rabbi of Tzahala.
1978
Published the Lvov Ghetto Diary.
1989
Chosen to light a torch at the Independence Day ceremony.
1998
Died.

Dawid Kahane served in the military

He served as Chief Rabbi of the Polish Army from 1945 to 1949 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. After joining the IDF, he served as rabbi of the Israeli Air Force from 1950 to 1964.