Rabbi Moisés Kaiman was the Rabbi for the Jewish Community of Monterrey, Mexico from 1944 until his death in 2012. Besides his rabbinical duties, he acted as a liaison between the local Jewish Community and the city's religious and political figures. He was a contributor to several newspapers and published six books.
Biography
Early life
Born in Szczuczyn, Poland in an observant Jewish family, he was the son of a loving mother and a father known for his knowledge and oratory. At age 13, he was accepted into the Rabbinical Seminary in Bialystock, which meant leaving his home and family in order to pursue a career as a Rabbi. According to anecdotes, his teachers and classmates used to call him "Moshe the sage". At age 18 he graduated and received the title of Rabbi.
Rabbi Kaiman fled Europe during World War II, which left a strong mark on him: his parents and siblings, as his wife's family were murdered by the Nazis at the Auschwitz concentration camp.
In 1941, Rabbi Kaiman arrived to Cuba, where he was hired as a Rabbi. His children were born while he worked there. A Jewish friend from his hometown of Szczuszyn convinced him to move to the city ofMonterrey, Mexico, to work as the Rabbi of the small local Jewish Community. In 1944, he arrived to Monterrey.
Monterrey
Rabbi Kaiman was the religious guide of the Monterrey Jewish community from 1944 until his death. Given the small size and limited resources of the community, he did not only perform the duties of Rabbi, but had to take on multiple other tasks including Hazzan, Mohel, Shochet, teacher, etc. He was the Rabbi of Monterrey for 68 years, making him the longest serving Rabbi in the world. He became a Mexican citizenship in 1993. His spiritual work was not limited to the Jewish Community. Since his arrival he formed a cordial relationship with members of other religions and the local community in general, and promoted peaceful coexistence and inter-religious dialog. He kept an "open door" policy and received visitors from all religions on a daily basis. He formed a very close friendship with Archbishop and Cardinal Adolfo Suárez Rivera, who referred to him as "brother". He maintained friendly ties with his successor Cardinal Francisco Robles, who is now Archbishop of Guadalajara. He was part of the committee that received Pope John Paul II on both of his visits to the city and received a thank you note from the Vatican for the Hebrew Bible he gave the Pope as a present. Between 1993 and 2006 he wrote a popular weekly column "Desde la Sinagoga" in a local newspaper El Norte with advice on daily life. From 2007 to 2009 he wrote "Cartas de la Sinagoga" for the same newspaper. He also collaborated with El Porvenir and El Diario de Monterrey, and for the New York-based Algemeiner Journal.
