Tens of Thousands Visit Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's Grave on 13th Anniversary
Translated & summarized from JDN by baba
Tens of thousands of Israelis are visiting the grave of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef on the 13th anniversary of his passing in Jerusalem. His son, Chief Rabbi David Yosef, addressed scholars participating in rabbinical exams, highlighting his father's legacy. A state-funded memorial event was canceled due to concerns about election campaigning, prompting Shas to organize its own events.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Tens of thousands are visiting Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's grave in Jerusalem on the 13th anniversary of his death.
- Rabbi David Yosef addressed scholars undergoing rabbinical examinations, emphasizing his father's legacy.
- Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a key Sephardic leader, founded the Shas party and received the Israel Prize.
- A state-funded memorial event was canceled due to concerns over election campaigning.
- The Shas party will fund its own memorial events across Israel.
Israel is commemorating the 13th anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a highly influential Sephardic sage and spiritual leader. Since early morning, tens of thousands of people from all communities and backgrounds have been flocking to his grave in Jerusalem's old Sanhedria cemetery. The area is heavily secured by security forces and rescue teams, with exceptional crowding reminiscent of large gatherings for the Baba Sali pilgrimage.
Concurrently, Rabbi David Yosef, son of the late Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and current Chief Rabbi of Israel, visited over 6,000 scholars undergoing examinations at the Chief Rabbinate. He spoke about his father's legacy, emphasizing his commitment to the meticulous study of Halakha (Jewish law) based on the writings of the "Yosef"; he noted that approximately 7,000 scholars are expected to participate in these exams this month, with nearly 13,000 participating last year.
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, born in Baghdad in 1920 and who immigrated to Jerusalem as a child, was known for his diligence and genius from a young age. He served as a rabbinical judge in Cairo, Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yafo, and from 1973 as Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. His halakhic rulings, compiled in works like "Yabia Omer" and "Yechave Da'at," addressed contemporary issues, including permitting widows from the Yom Kippur War and recognizing Ethiopian Jewry, earning him the Israel Prize. In the 1980s, he founded the Shas party to provide political and cultural representation for the Sephardic and traditional public.
This year's memorial is marked by a legal controversy. A state-funded official memorial event for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, planned at Binyanei Ha'uma, was definitively canceled following guidance from the Attorney General and Supreme Court discussions. The court cited serious concerns about using public funds for electioneering purposes at this time. In response, the Shas party announced it would fund its own events, including dozens of memorial gatherings across the country and a central party event next week at Binyanei Ha'uma in Jerusalem.
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