Rabbi Kotel Dadon, who is also an Israeli lawyer, was sent by the SSC to revitalize and educate the Jewish community. He is the first Orthodox Rabbi to serve Zagreb’s Jewish community since World War II; he is regarded as Chief Rabbi of the entire country.As the rabbinic, spiritual and educational leader of the community Rabbi Dadon translated and transliterated prayer books and other Jewish texts into the local language to encourage the community to read and understand with more ease. He wrote a book on the Jewish Calendar explaining the holidays and other Jewish practices. Rabbi Dadon develops Jewish activities and invigorates Jewish life in Zagreb. Passover Seders are conducted for more than 150 participants with him at the helm. He organizes Torah seminars every Sunday. Additionally, he is the shochet supplying kosher food previously not available to the community.
- There are about 3,000 Jews in the country, 1,500 in the city of Zagreb alone.
- The Syrian community of West Deal donated the only kosher sefer torah.
- The Rabbi’s baby boy was the first kosher brit milah ceremony in Zagreb since before the Second World War, and since then some other beritot for babies and for adults took place.
- In 2006 a Jewish day school was inaugurated in Zagreb, the Lauder Hugo Kon School