Nathan (Jonathan) ha-Kohen Sholal ben Ḥayyim(1437–1502) was one of the last incumbents of the office of nagid (pl. negidim) in Egypt. Born in Tlemcen into a family of Talmud scholars, Sholal emigrated to Italy and from there to Palestine, settling in Jerusalem before 1471. Heavy taxation and oppression by the high-handed community elders led many Jews to leave Jerusalem. One of them was Nathan Sholal, who went to Egypt sometime around or after 1481. Around 1484 he was appointed nagid of the Jewish community in Egypt, recognized as such by…