Jerusalem was filled with mourning on Tuesday night as thousands of residents came to pay their last respects to Rabbi Rachamim Attia, a revered kabbalist and rabbinic figure. His funeral began at the courtyard of Porat Yosef Yeshiva in the Geula neighborhood, where he had spent years studying Torah and serving God, and continued to Mount of Olives cemetery, where he was laid to rest.
Leading the eulogies was his son-in-law, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, the former Sephardi chief rabbi, who spoke through tears about the huge loss to the family and to the wider public. He described Attia as a man of extraordinary devotion, saying he was a servant of God in every limb and a tireless student of Torah.
Additional tributes were delivered by Rabbi David Yosef and Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, both former Sephardi chief rabbis, who urged repentance in light of the passing of a righteous man said to protect his generation. Also speaking were Rabbi Moshe Tzadka, head of Porat Yosef Yeshiva, and Rabbi Reuven Elbaz, head of Or HaChaim Yeshiva, along with other senior rabbis and yeshiva leaders.
Attia was buried late at night in the rabbis’ section of Mount of Olives cemetery, leaving what mourners described as a vast void in the hearts of thousands of grieving followers.
