Rav Yeshaya Bardaki

Rav Yeshaya Bardaki (Cheshvan 18, 5623 / 1862 - 162nd Yahrzeit)

Rav Yeshaya Bardaki was born in Pinsk and taught Torah there, but decided to settle in Eretz Yisrael after his first wife was niftar. When the ship carrying Rav Bardaki, his son, Shmuel Akiva, and his daughter, neared the port of Akko, it was wrecked, and all the passengers were thrown into the sea. Rav Bardaki, however, was a powerful swimmer, and, with his two children on his back, he swam ashore. Upon reaching Yerushalayim, Rav Bardaki was appointed head of the Ashkenazi community. He also was appointed vice-consul of the Austrian Empire.