Alberto ibn Maymun (World of Sultans)

Alberto Joseph ibn Maymun (Hebrew: אלברטו יוסף אבן מימון Alberto Yosef ben Maimon, Arabic: البرتو يوسف بن ميمون Albirtu Yusuf ibn Maymun, born October 12, 1872), also known by his temple name and title Rabbi Yisrael ben Maimon (Hebrew: הרב ישראל בן מימון) and his Spanish name Alberto José de Maimon was an Andalusian Sephardic Jewish rabbi, revolutionary, military leader, the local leader of the Jewish Community of the Alpujarras and later succeeded his uncle Solomon ibn Maymun as the national leader of the Jewish Community of Andalusia.

Alberto ibn Maymun hailed from the prominent Ibn Maymun family of Andalusia, a predominantly Sephardic Jewish family. During the Andalusian Civil War fought between Catholic and Muslim republicans against the Royalists, he formed the Free Maymun Army (Hebrew: צבא מימון חינם) (Arabic: الجيش الحر ميمون) following attacks on Jewish villages by people fighting on all three of the other militant groups.

After the civil war, Joseph ibn Maymun became the prime minister of Andalusia and he controlled much of Andalusia's armed forces. During the Second Andalusian-Spanish War, Ibn Maymun was one of the masterminds behind the successful defending of the Alpujarras Region by both Andalusian state forces and Jewish militants against the technologically-advanced Spanish armies, who were militarily supported by the Italian fascists. He controlled the Alpujarras Unit during the Second Andalusian-Spanish War.

Childhood
Alberto ibn Maymun was born near the borders of Andalusia and Spain, in Orgiva, a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in the Alpujarras Mountain region of the southern Iberian Peninsula. He was fluent in Arabic, Hebrew and Spanish.

His father, David ibn Maymun was a silversmith and a banker. His mother operated a kosher bakery and restaurant, where he spent his childhood working with since his father was often in Cordoba doing bussiness.

His uncle, Solomon ben Obadiah ibn Maymun was the chief rabbi of the Andalusian Jewish Community. Born into observant Jews, Alberto's mother would take him to Solomon's home and local Yeshiva many times to do weekly Torah studies where he studied and learned Hebrew. His was also tought Judeo-Arabic, to write spoken Arabic and Spanish in the Hebrew alphabet.

Rise to Rabbinate
Alberto ibn Maymun had been destined to live a religious life. At the age 14, his family made a visit to Ottoman Palestine in the city of Jerusalem, where he lived for approximately two years before returning to Andalusia.

Eventually, his uncle was relocated to Al-Sabil (Seville) and he succeeded in Solomon to become the local chief Rabbi to the Jewish communities of the Alpujarras Region of Andalusia and Spain. He had contact with other Jewish leaders in Spain.

In 1922, his uncle passed away and he succeeded him as the national chief rabbi of the Jewish Communities of Andalusia.

Andalusian Civil War
During the Andalusian Civil War, Alberto ibn Maymun had recieved notice from his Catholic and Muslim counterparts that Republican and Royalist forces alike were beginning to attack Jewish villages in the Alpujarras Region.

Free Maymun Army
Alberto was alarmed by the consistent attacks on the Alpujarras Jewish communities, and eventually fled the city of Al-Sabil to his homeland. In the Alpujarras Region, he formed the Free Maymun Army, a Jewish militant group in Andalusia mean to defend themselves from attacks from the other militant groups whether to be Catholic Republican, Muslim Republican and Royalist. Eventually, he signed a neutrality pact with the Catholic and Muslim factions of the Republican forces.

Andalusian-Spanish War
In 1938, Joseph ibn Maymun joined the Andalusian Army. Part of the the Eastern Command, he headed the Alpujarras Unit. In 1940, Spain invaded Andalusia due to influence and convincing by Italy's Benito Mussolini. The Alpujarras Region of Andalusia was one of the very first to be invaded, albeit the invasion was launched from the (then) Spanish city of Granada.

Using old Soviet technology and weaponry, Ibn Maymun's forces fought against a Spanish army that used state-of-the-art Italian and German technology. Using marksmanship skills, Ibn Maymun's mountain forces overcame the mite of the Italian and German-backed Spanish forces, and forced them to retreat and flee north to invade Andalusia from there.

In 1942, Joseph Ibn Maymun along with Juan Assad and Abd-Rabbuh al-Saab planned the victorious, yet very costly Andalusian offensive to take Granada from Spain.