Exilarch (Resh Galuta) (jan 1, 587 BC – jan 1, 1258)

Description:

The Jewish community in Babylon (today Iraq) was given some autonomy from the beginning of the Babylonian Exile, although the nature of this self-government is well-documented only after about 100 CE. The leader of the Jewish community in Babylon, the Exilarch, was a descendant of King David.

The Exilarch's government had the power to extablish courts of law, enforce Jewish law, and collect taxes from the entire Jewish community in the Persian Empire and later in the Islamic Caliphate. The Exilarch was treated with a high degree of respect by the non-Jewish authorities.

The power of this position was eventually weakened when their exclusive legal authority over the Jewish community was removed, and after the Mongol destruction of Baghdad, the office ceased to function.

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