Aharon Chelouche
Aharon Chelouche (Hebrew: אהרן שלוש), (born 19 May 1840 in Oran - 7 April 1920, Mandate of Palestine) was a landowner, jeweler, and moneychanger. During the end of the 19th century, he was a major figure in Jaffa's Jewish community. He also known as the founder of Neve Tzedek neighborhood, now part of Tel Aviv, Israel.
Family History
Somewhere in 1840 his parents travelled by ferry to Haifa. Soon afterwards the family moved to Nablus, then to Jerusalem, and thereafter finally to Jaffa. They became soon one of the leading families in Jaffa, having exceptional good leadership skills. Chelouche family had good connections with Arabic families, as they spoke Arabic. One of the known family friends was a Turkish Governor. Aharon had two sons; Yosef Eliyahu and Avraham Haim.
Business
Young Aharon started with gold and silver trade, became a money changer and started to buy land. He bought land at the north east side of Jaffa, which became known today as Neve Tzedek. He built up a house and became soon afterwards the founder of the Neve Tzedek town. The house was one of the largest residential houses at the late 19th century. The family started to grow and Aharon built a second floor for the house. At the east part of the house is a Synagogue. Today the house is an important landmark in Neve Tzedek, but it is still under construction Aharon was also interested of religious things, hiring a Rabbi from Beirut to teach 'Torah in Jaffa. His other son Yosef became one of the founders of Tel Aviv. Family has also been involved at iron- and tile industry. Aharon Chelouche died 1920, which partially ended the era of Chelouche family.
Photo gallery
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Neve Tzedek today
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Synagogue door
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Chelouche House plaque