Jacob Raphael Bouchara

Jacob Raphael Bouchara was a member of a prominent Jewish family of Algiers and one of the principal shipowners of his time. His father Abraham was leader of Jewish community and advisor to the Deys of Algiers. Jacob’s uncle Isaac was a shipowner and financier in Leghorn, Genoa, and Algiers.

Jacob succeeded his father as “muqaddim”, a leader of Jewish community of Algiers, and was a close associate of the Algerian Dey. Jacob’s commercial activities extended from Alexandria to Venice and from Leghorn to Hamburg. As muqadim he supported yeshivot and printed Hebrew works at his own expense.