The newly crowned rabbi of the Basel Jewish community, Rabbi Yaron Nisenholz has been a local resident for the past six years. Rabbi Nisenholz, who has been occupied in several educational roles and served as a rabbinical authority was also the deputy of the former rabbi of the community, Rabbi Aryeh Polgar.

The recent coronation ceremony, crowning Rabbi Nisenholz as rabbi of the community, was attended by some five hundred local community members, rabbis from Jewish communities of Switzerland, France, Belgium and Israel, members of the local municipality and representatives of various local religious groups. Also present were the mayor of Prague, the Director of the RCE, Rabbi Menachem Margolin and head of the Jewish agency’s division of spiritual services for the Diaspora, Rabbi Yechiel Wasserman.

The orthodox Jewish community of Basel has been in existence for the past 200 years. Currently the community counts 1200 Jews of various backgrounds. The community’s synagogue holds services three times a day and more impressive and widely attended services on Shabbats and holidays. This vibrant community has a reputation of being an active one with a noteworthy degree of involvement of its members in its diversified activities. Two years ago, the former rabbi, Rabbi Aryeh Polgar, announced his intention to leave his post, resulting in an offer made by the local committee to Rabbi Nisenholz, then serving as deputy rabbi, to assume the rabbinical post. In recent elections that took place in the community hall, Rabbi Nisenholz was elected by a majority vote as the new rabbi of the JC of Basel.