Rabbi Isaac Antebi Sacca (; born 1964) is the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Buenos Aires,https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/argentinas-sephardi-chief-rabbi-meets-with-pope-francis-in-vatican-city-599845 The Jerusalem Post, August 26, 2019. as well as the founder and president of Menora, an organization for Jewish youth.http://kikarhashabat.co.il/%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%94-%D7%9E%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A0%D7%A4%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%92%D7%A0%D7%98%D7%99%D7%A0%D7%94.htmlKikar HaShabbat (website), August 7, 2012.
Biography Early life and education Rabbi Sacca was born in Buenos Aires into a Jewish family from Aleppo and Eastern Europe. He studied at Yesod Hadat, a community in Buenos Aires that keeps Aleppo's Jewish traditions. There, he became a distinguished student of Chacham Yitzhak Chehebar, the Chief Rabbi of Argentina.
From 1981 to 1984, Rabbi Isaac Sacca studied at Porat Yosef Yeshiva, located in the Old City of Jerusalem. From 1985 to 1989, he studied at Yechave Daat Beit Midrash -within the first group of students it has ever had- directed by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who afterwards granted him rabbinical ordination. Rabbi Sacca is considered one of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's closest students.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDZS1vq_a6Q| Rabbi Itzhak Yosef about the relationship between Rabbi Isaac Sacca and his father Rabbi Ovadia Yosefhttps://beta.hebrewbooks.org/reader/reader.aspx?sfid=64820#p=3&fitMode=fitwidth&hlts=&ocr| Aprobation of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef of the book "Otzarot Chachme Aram Tzova al HaRambam" by Rabbi Isaac Saccahttps://agenciaajn.com/noticia/la-maxima-autoridad-rabinica-mundial-visita-la-argentina-3130
Rabbinical career From 1989 to 1997, he led the youth department at Yesod Hadat and taught at Beth David Yeshiva within the same community.
In 1996, he founded Menora Organization, with the aim of strengthening the Jewish identity and spreading religious values among the Argentinian Jewish youth.https://www.israelhayom.co.il/article/367781 Israel Hayom, March 25, 2016.
Since 1997, Rabbi Sacca has been the Sephardi Chief Rabbi in Buenos Aires.https://www.radiojai.com/index.php/2020/04/26/51324/conociendo-al-rabino-dialogamos-con-isaac-sacca/
In 2019, he started and promoted a joint university program with the University of Palermo (Buenos Aires), catered for Orthodox Jews, unique in Latin America, Menora-UP.https://itongadol.com/comunidad-en-accion/apertura-de-menora-up-2023 Since then, more than 140 Jewish students studied on this program, on at least four different careers.https://visavis.com.ar/2022/12/15/ceremonia-de-entrega-de-diplomas-de-las-carreras-universitarias-de-menora-up-en-el-palacio-san-martin/
Interfaith work He often meets and discusses different topics with multiple religious and political leaders.https://visavis.com.ar/2020/08/25/el-gran-rabino-sacca-eduardo-duhalde-y-lideres-religiosos-llamaron-a-un-dialogo-social-amplio/, March 25, 2020https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/cooperacion-mutua-del-cncps-y-organizacion-de-la-comunidad-judia-argentina-ante-el-0 , June 1, 2020.https://www.casarosada.gob.ar/component/djmediatools/?view=item&cid=45601&id=0&tmpl=component Among them is Pope Francis, with whom he has met many times since the period the Pope was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires.https://itongadol.com/noticias/70586--rabino-argentino-se-reunio-con-el-papa-francisco-en-el-vaticano April 25, 2013.
Published works Books compiled by Rabbi Isaac Sacca
Otzarot Chachme Aram Tzova Al HaRambam: it contains interpretations and commentaries on the Rambam's Mishneh Torah- Sefer haMada- written by the greatest sages from Aleppo in all generations. (Published by Machon Aram Tzova-Yerushalaim, 1989)
Michtabe Halacha Yitzhak Yeranen: it includes halachic writings and answers by Rabbi Yitzhak Chehebar, Chief Rabbi of the Jews from Aleppo in Buenos Aires. (Published by the Sephardi Community in Argentina, Yesod Hadat- 1992)
Books written by Rabbi Isaac Sacca
Casher: Comida sana para el cuerpo y el espíritu (Published by Editorial Séfer, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2024).
Enamorados: Una guía práctica y real para construir, disfrutar y mantener vivo el amor (Published by Editorial Lea, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2025).
Books translated by Rabbi Isaac Sacca
Chazon Ovadia: Pesach's Laws and Haggadah, written by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. (Published by Midrash Sepharadi-1989)
Torat Hamoadim: Halachic resolutions on the Jewish festivities written by Rabbi David Yosef. (Published by Yechave Daat Beit Midrash-1990)
References
External links Rabbi Isaac Sacca's official website (English)