Zolty, Yaacov Bezalel

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ZOLTY, YAACOV BEZALEL

ZOLTY, YAACOV BEZALEL (1920–1982), chief rabbi (Ashkenazi) of Jerusalem. Zolty was born in Stavitsk, district Lomza, Poland, and at the age of seven immigrated with his family to Ereẓ Israel where he studied at the Eẓ Ḥayyim and the Hebron yeshivot. In 1951 he was appointed a member of the District bet din of Tel Aviv, and the following year to the Jerusalem bet din. In 1956 he was appointed a member of the Supreme bet din of Israel.

An outstanding rabbinical scholar, Zolty served as head of the Bet ha-Talmud of Yad ha-Rav Maimon from 1966 to 1974 and later as the head of the Yad Aharon Yeshivah, and gave courses in the important yeshivot in Israel. His first published work, Ginzei ha-Sifrei on the *Sifrei, was published in 1948 and his responsa, Mishneh Ya'avitz on Ḥoshen Mishpat (1963) which gained him the Rabbi Kook Prize of the Municipality of Tel Aviv, was followed by a volume of the same name on the Laws appertaining to the Festivals in the Oraḥ Ḥayyim (1976).

In 1977 he was appointed chief rabbi (Ashkenazi) of Jerusalem, serving until his death.