Ovadia Yosef's Grandson Reveals Childhood Sexual Abuse

Ovadia Cohen, grandson of the late Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, has publicly disclosed for the first time that he was a victim of prolonged sexual abuse starting at age 14. Cohen shared his experience in an interview on the podcast "How to Do Things" with Shir Reuben, broadcast on Kan Podcasts and Kan BOX.

He described how a "mashgiach" (a supervisor or spiritual guide) at the yeshiva (religious seminary) in Jerusalem where he studied allegedly initiated contact through lengthy conversations, asking intrusive questions about sexual habits while simultaneously delivering moralistic lectures. Cohen characterized the experience as an "endless nightmare."

Cohen recounted fragmented memories of the events, feeling he was in a daze or drugged. He recalled being restrained and experiencing flashes of memory. He stated that for years he struggled with feelings of guilt but has now decided to speak out to help others who have experienced abuse.

"This is why I am here today. I want to put the shame aside. I don't want to hide, I want to be seen as I am. To give some optimism and strength and hope, that it is possible to succeed, it is possible to survive," Cohen said.

Cohen, named after his grandfather, a towering figure in Israeli religious and Sephardic Orthodox society and the spiritual leader of the Shas party, comes from a prominent rabbinical family. His grandfather was considered one of the most significant decisors of Jewish law for Sephardic Jews in recent generations. Many of his grandfather's children and their spouses hold senior rabbinical positions, including his sons Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, a former Sephardic Chief Rabbi, and Rabbi David Yosef, who succeeded him.