The Torah and rabbinical community in France is mourning the passing of Rabbi Chaim Peretz, zt”l, a respected dayan who served on a rabbinical court in France and was among the rabbis of the Torah V’Rachamim Yeshiva in Paris. He was 80 years old.

Rabbi Peretz’s passing was reported Sunday, August 9, 2026, bringing a wave of mourning to the Torah communities of both France and Tunisia, where his roots and early Torah development were closely connected.

A distinguished Torah scholar, Rabbi Peretz was counted among the prominent students of Rabbi Matzliach Mazuz, hy”d, the renowned Tunisian Torah leader who was murdered in 1971. Over the course of his life, Rabbi Peretz carried forward the traditions of Tunisian Torah scholarship and halachic learning while serving the Jewish community in France.

In Paris, he devoted himself to Torah study and teaching and served as one of the rabbis of the Torah V’Rachamim Yeshiva. His work as a dayan also placed him in a position of responsibility within the French Jewish community, where he was involved in matters of Jewish law and rabbinical leadership.

Despite enduring severe suffering and physical hardship for years, Rabbi Peretz continued his dedication to spreading Torah. Those reports describing his final years emphasized his extraordinary perseverance and self-sacrifice, as he remained committed to teaching and serving others despite his personal difficulties.

His passing marks the loss of a scholar whose life connected generations and communities from the rich Torah heritage of Tunisia to the vibrant Sephardic Torah world of France. Rabbi Chaim Peretz leaves behind decades of Torah teaching, rabbinical service and a legacy of dedication to Jewish learning.

May his memory be a blessing.