Yosef, Ovadia (1920–)

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Yosef, Ovadia
(1920–)

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is an ultra-Orthodox Sephardic (also called Mizrahi) rabbi, eminent scholar of Jewish law (Talmud), and powerful figure in Israeli party politics. Yosef's stature derives from his intimate knowledge of the Torah and halakhah (Jewish religious law) on the one hand, and the political standing of the Shas Party on the other. Known for his encyclopedic memory and phenomenal knowledge of rabbinical response (religious rulings), Yosef has revolutionized religious observance for many sectors of Israeli society. Lenient in his rulings, Yosef is also notorious for making egregious and at times crude pronouncements about the secular world, secular leaders, Arabs, and Ashkenazic Jews (Jews of European descent, as opposed to those of Sephardic [post-1492 Spanish] or Mizrahi [Middle Eastern/North African] Jewish descent). A comprehensive biography was written on Yosef by Nitzan Chen and Anshel Pfeffer titled Maran Ovadia Yosef: Ha-Biografia, although little research of a scholarly nature has been published about him, particularly in English.

PERSONAL HISTORY

Yosef was born Abdullah Yusuf in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1920. In 1924 he moved with his family to Jerusalem, mandatory Palestine, where he was brought up in the traditional Sephardic Jewish day schools. He moved on to Porat Yosef Yeshiva, the only Sephardic Talmudic academy in Jerusalem at that time. He studied under the tutelage of Rabbi Ezra Attia, a distinguished Sephardic Rosh Yeshiva (head of a religious institute for higher education) and Torah scholar. In 1937 Rabbi Attia requested that Yosef teach a class every evening in the Persian synagogue in the marketplace of Jerusalem's Bukharan Quarter. It was there that Yosef began to build lifelong appeal to a growing following of Iraqi Jews who made up the majority of residents in that area, as well as to common people such as market stall owners and manual laborers, who continue to fervently follow his prayers. Later on, the mainstay of his constituency became Moroccan Jews and their descendants, although he succeeded to win a broad base of support from ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazic Jews as well as secular Israelis from different ethnic backgrounds.

Yosef achieved rabbinical ordination (semiha) at the age of twenty by Rabbi Ben Zion Meir Ouziel. Yosef married Margalit, a Syrian Jew who, along with their son Rabbi David Yosef and politician Aryeh Deri, was central to administering his affairs until her death in 1994. After 1994 Yosef's other son Rabbi Moshe Yosef and his son's wife Yehudit took over, along with Eli Yishai, the current head of the Shas Party. The Yosefs have eleven children, of which all five boys became rabbis. In 1945 Yosef was appointed a dayyan (rabbinical judge) in the bet din (rabbinical court) of Sephardic Jews in Jerusalem. In 1947 he was invited by Rabbi Aharon Choeka to serve as the deputy chief rabbi of Egypt through Yeshiva A'hava Ve'Ahva and in the Cairo bet din. It was during his posting in Egypt that he distinguished himself as a true Zionist by taking a courageous stand against policies that threatened the State of Israel. At a time when Egypt was leading the Arab world's struggle against Israel, Yosef refused to issue anti-Israeli proclamations. He prohibited military contributions by Egyptian Jews to the Egyptian army, and insisted on the right to conduct his services in the Hebrew language.

After three years in Egypt, Yosef returned to Jerusalem and began his meteoric rise up the rabbinical ladder in Israel. He was appointed to the rabbinical court in Petah Tikva and later to the rabbinical court in Jerusalem where he served from 1958 to 1965. In 1965 Yosef was appointed to the Supreme Rabbinical Court of Appeals in Jerusalem. He rose to the position of chief Sephardic rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa in 1968 and then replaced Rabbi Yitshak Nissim as the chief Sephardic rabbi of Israel (called the Rishon le-Zion) and president of the Rabbinical Supreme Court of Israel from 1973 to 1983. The position of chief rabbi of Israel was widely considered to be a position one held for life until legislation, initiated by Nissim's son Moshe Nissim, who served as justice minister, was passed in the Israeli parliament that limited the post to ten years. The new law forced Yosef to step down in 1983, after which time he was replaced by Rabbi Mordechai Eliahu. However, even after serving as chief Sephardic rabbi, some of the most important and complicated cases of the Rabbinical Supreme Court were still brought to Rabbi Yosef for his advice and guidance. A Sephardic congregation was created for Yosef in the main floor of the Great Jerusalem synagogue, which he led from 1982 to 1994 until moving to the Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Har Nof in 1994.

INFLUENCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS

Yosef is held in near-saintly regard by hundreds of thousands of Jews of Middle Eastern and North African background. Yosef's most important contribution to the modern Middle East is his support of Sephardic Jewry (also called Mizrahi Jewry) from Middle Eastern and North African countries and success in raising the distinction of Sephardic rabbinical authority in Israel and the world. Yosef is the undisputed chief Sephardic rabbinical authority in Israel and spiritual mentor of the political party Shas, the Hebrew acronym for Sephardic Guardians of the Torah. Yosef has played a key role in ethnic politics in Israel based on the long-standing division in the country between Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews. Yosef spearheaded a campaign against the Ashkenazid establishment in Israel to reverse the underrepresentation of Sephardic Jewry in Israeli society, religion, and politics.

BIOGRAPHICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Name: Ovadia Yosef

Birth: 1920, Baghdad, Iraq

Family: Wife, Margalit (d. 1994); eleven children (five sons and six daughters)

Nationality: Israeli

Education: Porat Yosef Yeshiva, Jerusalem

PERSONAL CHRONOLOGY:

1924: Immigrates to Jerusalem, mandatory Palestine
1940: Ordained a rabbi
1945: Dayyan (rabbinical judge) in the bet din (rabbinical court) of Sephardic Jews in Jerusalem
1947: Named deputy chief rabbi of Egypt and member of the Cairo bet din
1950: Becomes a member on rabbinical court in Petah Tikva
1958–1965: Becomes a member on rabbinical court in Jerusalem
1968: Named chief Sephardic rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa
1973–1983: Serves as chief Sephardic rabbi of Israel
1984: Becomes spiritual mentor of Shas

CONTEMPORARIES

Elazar Menachem Shach (1898–2001), known also as Rav Leizer Shach and Elazar Menachem Man Shach, was a leading ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazic rabbi in Israel. Shach was recognized as a preeminent Talmudic scholar who served as the head of Ponevezh yeshiva in the religious neighborhood of Bnei Brak in Tel Aviv and as a member of the Agudat Yisra'el Council of Torah Sages. Rabbi Shach broke away from the Agudat Yisra'el party to form a new political party, Degel ha-Torah (Flag of the Torah) representing ultra-Orthodox, non-Hasidic Lithuanian Jewry. He was instrumental in forging a political alliance between the two parties under the title of United Torah Judaism, which is represented in the seventeenth Israeli parliament, elected in 2006. Shach also helped Rabbi Ovadia Yosef found the Shas party in 1984 but then fell out of favor with Shas after claiming that Sephardic Jews were not ready to hold leadership positions. Rabbi Shach's ideology was characterized by a deep aversion to Zionism, although he functioned within the modern political party system of the State of Israel. He was also highly critical of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement, which he accused of false Messianism.

Through his teachings, Yosef has sought to restore the former eminence of Sephardic religious scholarship and traditions, and particularly those initiated by Rabbi Yosef Caro. This goal is represented in one of his most famous slogans "le-hakhzir atarah le-yushnah," meaning literally, restoring the crown to its rightful place. By this, he expresses his goal of restoring the primacy that Sephardic halakhah once enjoyed within the biblical world. Yosef is considered the epitome of ethnic pride, which he expresses in his dress and comportment. Whereas other Sephardic rabbis are seen in the black suits and fedora hats common among the ultra-Orthodox Ashkenazi community, Yosef dons traditional Sephardic garb with the blue turbanlike hat; a dark, flowing golden-embroidered robe; and his well-known red tinted eyeglasses, which he uses to correct vision problems that have resulted from diabetes.

Yosef has succeeded in appealing to an audience wider than his core constituency through the compilation of a new siddur (prayer book) titled Yehaveh Da'at and the codification of his rulings by his son Yitzhak in Yalkut Yosef, an authoritative, widely cited, and popular work of halakhah, that provides practical guidance for proper religious observance used mostly by Sephardic Jews. Yalkut Yosef includes a section on the Shulkhan Arukh, a written catalog of Jewish law composed by Rabbi Yosef Caro in the sixteenth century, and Yoreh De'ah, which treats aspects of Jewish law, including but not limited to finance, personal status, sexual conduct, and kosher dietary restrictions. Yosef's rulings are followed by virtually all Sephardic rabbis and dayanim (rabbinical court judges) in Israel and abroad. He has distinguished himself as a prolific writer with many books to his name, including a detailed commentary on the Ben Ish Hai, two sets of responsa titled Yabia Omer and Yekhavei Da'ath and commentaries, Pirkei Avoth (Ethics of the fathers) under the title Anaf Etz Avot, and Maor Israel. Yosef was awarded the Israel Prize for Torah Literature in 1970.

Controversy

Yosef's record on the status of women is mixed. Some of Yosef's rulings negate women's equality, such as in 1997 when the rabbi decreed that a man must not walk between two women, just as he should not pass between donkeys, because women are not concerned with the Torah and, similar to other lesser beasts, may contaminate the mind. An article in the Jerusalem Post reported Yosef's statement that "a woman without sons is worthless." Nevertheless, Yosef is generally known for leniency, innovation, and flexibility in matters of Jewish law. This is explained by his involvement in the modern elements of Israeli governance as well as his identification with Sephardic scholars of earlier eras that contrasted the harsh and more extreme rulings of Ashkenazic rabbis in Eastern Europe. For example, he supported territorial compromise over the land of Israel during the period of the Oslo Accords (but later retracted) based on the principle of pikuah nefesh (the sanctity of life). At a time when the Ashkenazic rabbinical establishment demanded that Ethiopian Jews undergo conversion, Yosef fully recognized their authenticity as Jews, which facilitated their absorption into Israeli society. In relation to women, he pronounced that married women should wear head coverings rather than wigs (sheitels), which in his view defeat the purpose of tzeniut, modesty-related dress standards. And significantly, he ruled that wives who were married to Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers who went missing in action for a sufficient period should be allowed to remarry.

Alongside veneration for Yosef lies immense controversy surrounding the many incendiary and acrid remarks he has directed at his adversaries, both Jewish and non-Jewish. For example, Yosef stated that it was permissible to kill those who depreciate ultra-Orthodox (haredi) yeshiva students (who generally do not serve in the army), saying "anyone who has evil thoughts about the yeshiva students and calls them parasites is a scoundrel, a heretic, and killing him is permitted." In 1999 Yosef pronounced all the justices of Israel's Supreme Court bo'alei nidot, meaning literally men who have intercourse with menstruating women. In 2000 Yosef vilified Meretz Party leader Yossi Sarid by comparing him to the biblical villain Amalek. Perhaps the most well-known and egregious controversies from Yosef's weekly sermons pertain to his statement in 2000 that Holocaust victims were the reincarnation of earlier souls who had sinned, his description of Palestinians as vipers brought to Israel's borders, and his theory that Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was God's retribution on the United States for pressuring Israel to relinquish Gaza and parts of the West Bank to the Palestinians in Israeli prime minister ariel sharon's disengagement plan.

Yosef's supporters claim that his sermons are largely misunderstood by the Israeli media and the secular public who do not appreciate the hermeneutic rhetoric of religious speech patterns that he employs to make his points in a strong and lucid manner.

Shas Party

In the political sphere, Yosef rose to political prominence as the spiritual mentor of the Shas Party in 1984, which he founded with the encouragement of the Lithuanian Rabbi Elazar Menachem Shach, but without any organizational backing or permanent financial source. Shas is a merger of three electoral lists that broke away from Agudat Yisra'el (National Union) representing the majority of ultra-Orthodox Jewry in Israel. It speaks to Sephardic ethnic pride and is a mandate for social and spiritual renewal. This program is promulgated through an extensive network of organizations spread throughout the country. Particular strength derives from the educational system, El ha-Ma'ayan (To the Wellsprings), which relies on state and Shas Party funding. This network has brought thousands of children into its fold by offering after-school programs, hot lunches, transportation, tutors for Bar Mitzvah, women's support groups, immigrant absorption, and other forms of community service at low or no cost.

Shas rose steadily in popularity from 63,605 votes in the 1984 legislative elections and 4 seats in the Israeli Knesset (parliament), to 107,709 votes in the 1988 elections and 6 seats in the Knesset, to its zenith of 129,347 votes in the 1992 elections and 10 seats in the Knesset. Through its political positioning, Shas achieved the status of a pivotal swing party, exerting disproportionate power by navigating through the traditional margin between Israel's largest parties, Labor and Likud (and now also Kadima and National Union). Shas became the only party that was willing to form a coalition with representatives from either the right or the left of the Israeli political spectrum. In fact, Shas made a pledge during its 1992 electoral campaign to support a Likud government, but with imminent Labor victory, Yosef approved a coalition with the Labor Party instead. This coalition ensured the prime ministerial position of yitzhak rabin and his goal of peace negotiations with the Palestinians and the Arab world. In the 1996 elections, Yosef changed again by backing hard-liner Likud candidate binyamin netanyahu instead of Labor leader shimon peres.

In exchange for support, Shas has expressed pragmatism in its coalition dealings, consistently claiming choice ministerial portfolios, including the prized Interior Ministry and Ministry of Religious Affairs to ensure unimpeded funding to its network of schools and constituencies. Yosef exerts immense control over Shas Knesset members who obey his orders to vote en bloc on specific matters of policy. This has caused significant resentment on the part of segments of Israeli society who lack equivalent access to state funds. In addition, the reputation of Shas has been stained by accusations of corruption and financial mismanagement. The controversy came to a head when Shas leader Aryeh Deri was convicted on charges of bribery, fraud, and breaching the public trust while serving as interior minister. Although some supporters charge that Deri was singled out for punishment on account of discrimination, he was given a three-year prison sentence and was released after serving two years on 15 July 2002. Yosef was never accused of having been involved in any financial wrongdoing.

THE WORLD'S PERSPECTIVE

Yosef is both revered and scorned by the international community. As an eminent authority on Jewish law, his sermons are taped and broadcast to hundreds of thousands of listeners in Israel and abroad. As such, he is widely adored by Sephardic as well as Ashkenazi Jewry worldwide. Yosef is referred to as Maran, an Aramaic word meaning "our master," a title given to particularly respected rabbis, especially among Sephardic Jews. However, Yosef's numerous controversial and derogatory statements have diminished his reputation among many sectors and groups. Despite assurances by his supporters that his statements are grossly misunderstood and taken out of context, the international community in general, and the Israel Office of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in particular, have repeatedly expressed alarm over the rabbi's remarks, calling them extreme and outrageous. Police investigations were conducted and the Israeli State Attorney's Office has examined his sermons to determine whether or not they amount to incitement of violence.

EXPLORING

Israel has a history of ethnic cleavage as a result of relations of inequality between the Ashkenazic Jews from European descent and Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews from Middle Eastern and North African countries. Although Sephardic/Mizrahi Jews constitute over half the Jewish population of Israel, their socioeconomic and political status is considerably lower than their Ashkenazic counterparts. Ashkenazic Jews were the first to immigrate to prestate Palestine. They filled leadership positions in the State of Israel, which they fashioned on the basis of their Western standards of education, lifestyle, and liberal democratic governance. Sephardic Jews arrived mainly after the state was established and as such, confronted a preexisting Ashkenazic elite with cultural biases against them. Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews from Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, and Iran have long been the victims of discrimination, particularly in areas of their absorption, housing, and education. Over the years, Sephardic Jews protested this unfair treatment and called for social justice, which culminated in the establishment of a protest movement active in the 1970s called the Israeli Black Panthers. However, the issue of ethnic discrimination in Israel continues to fester and is far from being resolved.

LEGACY

At the age of eighty-six and without an heir apparent, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef will live out the rest of his life as the sole halakhic authority for worldwide Sephardic Jews. He will be remembered as one of the most important halakhic sages of the twentieth century and one of the most powerful figures in Israeli politics. Yosef's life is the stuff of legends, having risen from obscurity and a meager background to become one of the world's most renowned religious and political leaders. His cultural war against the Ashkenazic establishment in Israel permanently altered ethnic relations in the country to the advantage of Sephardic pride and achievement. Yosef will be remembered for the thousands of innovative rulings he made in Jewish law and for his style of preaching, which appealed to thousands of admirers, particularly among the common people. But he will also be remembered for the many controversies and public furors his words instigated.