Rav Hai Gaon

Rav Hai Gaon (939–1038), the last of the great Geonim of the Pumpedita academy. Son of Rav Sherira Gaon, he served as Gaon for forty years and passed away at the age of 99. His death closed the glorious epoch of Babylonian Jewry. For over eight centuries, Babylonia had been the world center of Jewish culture and scholarship. After its decline, the center of Jewish learning shifted successively to North Africa, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, and Eastern Europe.