Moshe Chelouche

Moshe Chelouche was born in 1892 in Jaffa

Moshe Chelouche was born in Jaffa in 1892, the eldest son of Yosef Eliyahu Chelouche, one of the founders of Tel Aviv. His grandfather Aharon Chelouche came to the Land of Israel from Fez in Morocco. Both of his parents were of Moroccan descent.

He studied in Jaffa, then finished his studies at a commercial school in Marseille and returned home in 1911. He then took over the family building materials firm. During World War I he helped Jewish immigrants get Ottoman citizenship, and in 1915 the Ottomans arrested him and held him in Damascus for a year.

In 1928 he was elected to the Tel Aviv City Council. After Mayor Meir Dizengoff died in 1936, the council elected Chelouche mayor by 8 votes to 7 over Israel Rokach. On 30 October the High Commissioner set the vote aside and appointed Rokach, and the council later protested the decision.

He served as Bulgaria's honorary consul and resigned in 1940 after Bulgaria passed anti-Jewish laws. He helped found the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and the Israeli Opera, and held roles in Maccabi and other public bodies. He was married twice and had a son, Aharon, and a daughter, Leah. He died in 1968.