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Yitzhak Yosef

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Rabbi
Yitzhak Yosef
Yosef in 2016
TitleRishon LeZion
Chief Rabbi of Israel
Personal
Born (1952-01-16) January 16, 1952 (age 72)
Jerusalem, Israel
ReligionJudaism
Nationality Israel
SpouseRuth Yosef
Parents
Alma materHebron Yeshiva (Knesset Yisrael), Porat Yosef Yeshiva
Jewish leader
PredecessorShlomo Amar
SuccessorDavid Yosef
PositionSephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel
OrganisationChief Rabbinate of Israel
Began2013
EndedJune 30, 2024
OtherRosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia [he]

Yitzhak Yosef (Hebrew: יצחק יוסף; born (1952-01-16)January 16, 1952) is an Israeli Haredi rabbi. The former Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, he also serves as the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia [he] in Jerusalem's Romema neighborhood.

Yosef, the son of former chief rabbi Ovadia Yosef, bases his halakhic (Jewish law) rulings on his father's methodology,[1] which he compiled into a set of books called Yalkut Yosef.[2]

Early life

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Yitzhak Yosef was born and raised in Jerusalem. He is the sixth son of the former Israeli Chief Rabbi and Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef.[3] He attended school at Talmud Torah Yavneh in the Independent Education System. At age 12 he began his studies at the mesivta (high school) of Porat Yosef in the Katamon neighbourhood. He did not finish high school, and called secular studies "nonsense".[4] After that, he studied at Yeshivat HaNegev [he] in Netivot, and from there he moved on to Hebron Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

In 1971, when he was 18 and studying at Yeshivat HaNegev, Yosef collected halakhic (Jewish law) rulings from the five volumes of then-in-print Yabia Omer [he], his father's responsa, and published them in a work called Yalkut Yosef. The book was published with his father's support and supervision. It is often considered one of his father's works, since not only is it a summary of his father's rulings, but the latter also went over it section by section and added his own comments. Yosef won the Rabbi Toledano Prize for Torah Literature [he] from the Tel Aviv Religious Council for his book Issur VeHeter, as well as the Rabbi Kook Prize for Torah Literature [he].

Rabbinic career

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Yosef with Reuven Rivlin during the Sukkot holiday in 2017

In 1973, upon his father's election as Chief Rabbi of Israel, they together established Yeshivat Hazon Ovadia [he] and its kollel (advanced studies department). In 1980, he and the rest of the first graduating class were ordained as rabbis and dayanim (rabbinic judges) by Shalom Messas and the chief rabbis of Israel. With the beginning of the second class, he was appointed head of the school.

In 1975, Yosef was appointed rabbi of Nes Harim and Mata, moshavim (villages) in the vicinity of Jerusalem. As part of his responsibilities, he taught classes on halakha several times a week and took care of other religious matters. He gave lectures and taught classes in the secular public schools and strengthened religious education there.

In 1992 Yosef expanded Hazon Ovadia to include a boys high school. This was necessary because of discord between the Sephardi Haredi and Ashkenazi Litvak yeshiva communities.

On July 24, 2013, Yosef was elected as Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel and the Rishon LeZion, a position he would hold for a decade. The ceremony took place on August 14, 2013, at the official residence of the President of Israel.[5]

Through the death of Yosef's father, the Shas political party lost its spiritual leader. Having been elected Sephardi Chief Rabbi, Yosef appeared to be in a good position to inherit his father's mantle as Shas spiritual leader. However, his public position precluded such political activity by law. Until the election, he never held any formal public office.[6]

On August 21, 2013, Yosef released a psak halakha (ruling) stating it is an obligation and mitzvah (good deed) for parents to have their children vaccinated for polio virus.[7] In 2021, he endorsed the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States and serves as its halakhic guide.[8]

Yitzhak Yosef In Lag Ba'omer celebration 2024

Controversies

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2016

[edit]

In March 2016 Yosef called for religious Jews to keep their children away from secular or traditional members of their family because they could be a negative influence.[9][10][4]

Later that month, when Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot told military staff that rules of engagement must respect the law, and soldiers should not kill an attacker who has already been subdued, Yosef said soldiers must kill anyone who comes to attack them regardless of legal or military repercussions.[11] Later he said: "If they no longer have a knife, they must be put in prison for life until the [Jewish] Messiah comes and says who are Amalekites, and then we can kill them."[12][13]

He also said that according to Jewish law, gentiles "should not live in the Land of Israel" – unless they practice the Seven Laws of Noah, a set of universal moral laws. Should they refuse to do so, they should be sent to Saudi Arabia. He added that non-Jews are allowed in Israel to serve the Jewish population.[11][13][14][15] Leaders of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) condemned Yosef's statements and called for their retraction. Jonathan Greenblatt and Carole Nuriel of ADL Israel called the remarks ignorant and intolerant.[16] He was eventually pressured into retracting his comments.[15]

Controversy surrounds the authority of the Chief Rabbis in Israel, particularly on matters such as conversions, marriages, and rabbinic ordination. In 2016, it was discovered that the Chief Rabbis maintained a confidential list of approved and rejected beth dins (religious courts), causing further controversy as some Orthodox rabbis, including Avi Weiss and Yehoshua Fass, were included on the blacklist. This secretive process without external review or appeal led to confusion, and the situation was exacerbated when Orthodox rabbi Haskel Lookstein, and some of his students, were barred from officiating at marriages in Israel.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27]

Lookstein officiated Ivanka Trump's conversion, causing tensions between Israel and the US. David Lau opposed Yosef's policy on recognizing US converts, but the rules were eventually changed.[28][29][30][31][32]

In December, he said that it was "not the way of the Torah" for women to join the Israel Defense Forces or even sign up for Sherut Leumi (civilian national service): "All the great sages through the generations, including all Israel's chief rabbis, believe that it is forbidden for girls to go into the army... not just to the army – but to national service too."[33][34][35]

2017

[edit]

In May 2017, Yosef compared secular women to animals because they dressed immodestly.[36][34][37][40]

2018

[edit]

On March 18, 2018, Yosef allegedly likened people of black African descent to monkeys.[41][18][43] He was speaking on the topic of the Meshaneh HaBriyot bracha, translatable as "Blessed are you, Lord our God...who makes creatures different", in the Talmud[44] concerning the sight of an unusual creature, typically an animal, but also humans with congenital abnormalities. In the Talmud for Masekhet Berakhot (58b), there is debate over when to give this blessing for humans, and examples mentioned include "an (unusually) black, red, or white person, a giant, a dwarf, or one with spots".[45] In referring to black people, Yosef used the ancient term kushi, the term present in the Talmud. The term is considered derogatory in modern Hebrew,[46][47][48][49] but in the Talmud it is equivalent to simply saying "African" (see Kingdom of Kush). He said: "Seeing a black person, you say the blessing. What black person? One who had a white mother and father, and came out black. Not on every black person do you make a blessing. When you walk in the streets of America, every five minutes, you see a black person. Will you say on him the blessing? Rather, it only needs to be on a black person whose mother and father are white. If, you know, two people birth a monkey or something like that, then you say the Different Creatures blessing."[50][51] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) tweeted that his comments were "utterly unacceptable".[39][18][53]

2019

[edit]

Following news that couples from the former Soviet Union were asked by rabbinical courts to take DNA tests to prove their Jewish ethnic descent; Yosef, alongside the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel David Lau, sought new legislation that would allow Israeli rabbinical courts to challenge the Jewishness of a person – even if he was not even registered for marriage, and did not apply for religious services.[54]

2020

[edit]

In January 2020, he was criticized for calling immigrants from the former Soviet Union "Communist, religion-hating" gentiles. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Yosef's remarks "outrageous" and said the immigrants from the former Soviet Union are a "huge blessing to the State of Israel and the Jewish people." Yosef's remarks also were slammed by others in the Knesset, including Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein, who immigrated from Ukraine in 1987, and by Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Liberman, who immigrated from Moldova.[55] Yosef stood by his comments, saying they were distorted by politicians who had been inciting against Jews and Judaism and that he was only referring to a minority of immigrants.[20][56][57][58]

2021

[edit]

In January 2021, Yosef was criticized for flouting the coronavirus health restrictions;[59]

In June 2021, he said science and mathematics are "nonsense", and students should only study Torah instead, adding proudly that he never finished school or received a high school diploma.[4][60] Critics accused Yosef of promoting dependence on government handouts and charitable donations instead of advancing self-reliance. The large majority of ultra-Orthodox boys do not study the core curriculum of mathematics, English, science and computer studies at elementary school level, and the overwhelming majority do not study this curriculum at high school level. Socioeconomic experts have warned that this failure to provide a basic education to boys in the Haredi sector combined with its high rate of population growth means the economy will be imperiled with an inadequate workforce for the 21st century.[60][4]

In July 2021, the rabbi caused outcry when he stated that it is "better to live abroad than among secular Israelis".[61]

Personal life

[edit]

Yosef is married to Ruth, daughter of the kabbalist Rachamim Attia. They have five children. His eldest son, named after his father Ovadia, is married to the daughter of Shlomo Amar, his predecessor as Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. His daughter Margalit is married to the son of Yehuda Deri, the Chief Rabbi of Be'er Sheva. His youngest daughter is married to the son of Meir Sage. Yosef lives in the Sanhedria Murhevet neighborhood of Jerusalem.

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ Rabbi Ratzon Arussi said (Hebrew) "יש לציין, שהאריך בענין הזה, בטוב טעם ודעת, הרב יצחק יוסף בנו של הרב עובדיה יוסף, שכידוע, שכל פסקיו הם כפסקי אביו" (recorded lecture [starting at 00:50] at http://net-sah.org/en/node/19263, posted February 12, 2010).
  2. ^ "Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef". mfa.gov.il.
  3. ^ Ettinger, Yair (September 24, 2008). "Religious Zionists could gain historic foothold in rabbinate". Haaretz. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Sokol, Sam (2021). "Israel's chief rabbi shrugs off math, science studies as 'nonsense'". Haaretz. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  5. ^ "New Chief Rabbis David Lau & Yitzchak Yosef Sworn In". Arutz Sheva. August 14, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  6. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (October 8, 2013). "Shas without Rabbi Ovadia Yosef". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  7. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (August 21, 2013). "Chief Rabbis call on public to have children vaccinated". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  8. ^ Rabbisalliance
  9. ^ Chief Rabbi: Keep children away from secular family YNET News, March 13, 2016
  10. ^ Nachshoni, Kobi (March 13, 2016). "Chief Rabbi: Keep children away from secular family". Ynetnews.
  11. ^ a b "Sephardi Chief Rabbi Says non-Jews Forbidden From Living in the Land of Israel". Haaretz. March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Chief Sephardi Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef raises controversy Israel Hayom, March 28, 2016
  13. ^ a b "Chief rabbi: Non-Jews shouldn't be allowed to live in Israel". The Times of Israel. March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  14. ^ a b c d
  15. ^ a b [17][18][19][20]
  16. ^ Non-Jews are forbidden by Jewish law to live in Israel, chief rabbi says the Jerusalem Post, March 28, 2016
  17. ^ a b c Surkes, Sue (March 20, 2018). "Chief rabbi calls black people 'monkeys'". The Times Of Israel. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c d "ADL slams chief rabbi for likening black people to monkeys". The Times of Israel. March 21, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  19. ^ a b c d Paton, Callum (March 20, 2018). "Chief Rabbi Calls African-Americans 'Monkeys' in Sermon". Newsweek. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d "Chief rabbi doubles down on comments against immigrants as Liberman urges probe". The Times of Israel. January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  21. ^ "Recognized Rabbinical Courts for Conversion -ITIM". www.itim.org.il. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  22. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (July 9, 2017). "Israeli Chief Rabbinate blacklists 160 Diaspora rabbis". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  23. ^ Sales, Ben (July 9, 2017). "160 rabbis, including top US Orthodox leaders, on Israeli Rabbinate "blacklist"". The Times of Israel. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  24. ^ Maltz, Judy (July 10, 2017). "The Israeli Chief Rabbinate's Blacklist: A Guide for the Perplexed". Haaretz. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  25. ^ Ziri, Danielle; Sharon, Jeremy (September 26, 2016). "Rabbi who converted Ivanka Trump slams Israeli rabbinate's "cruel" rejection of US convert". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  26. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (July 6, 2016). "Supreme Rabbinical Court judges cast doubt on Lookstein conversions". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  27. ^ "Israeli rabbinical high court rejects Lookstein conversion". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. July 13, 2016.
  28. ^ "Israel's chief rabbis want to change a rule to make Ivanka Trump Jewish". The Independent. January 26, 2017. Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  29. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (July 6, 2016). "Lookstein's conversions are valid, says Lau". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  30. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (September 26, 2016). "Chief Rabbi Lau in opposition to Chief Rabbi Yosef policy on US converts recognition". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  31. ^ Saba, Yousef (December 8, 2016). "Israel's top rabbi: Ivanka Trump is Jewish enough for me". Politico.
  32. ^ Tobin, Andrew (December 7, 2016). "Chief Rabbinate promises to name Diaspora rabbis trusted for conversion". The Times Of Israel. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  33. ^ "Sephardic chief rabbi: Women may not serve in IDF, perform national service". The Times Of Israel. December 11, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  34. ^ a b Kaplan Sommer, Allison (May 29, 2017). "Israeli chief rabbi likens 'immodest' women to animals, has a tip for devout soldiers". Haaretz. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  35. ^ Berger, Yotam (December 11, 2016). "Israel chief rabbi: Women shouldn't go to the army". Haaretz. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  36. ^ "Chief rabbi implies immodest secular women are like animals". The Times Of Israel. May 28, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  37. ^ "Sephardi chief rabbi tells religious soldiers how to protest women singers". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. May 28, 2017.
  38. ^ a b c "Group slams Israeli rabbi for comparing blacks to monkeys". AP NEWS. March 21, 2018.
  39. ^ a b c Cohen, Hayley (March 21, 2018). "ADL Slams Chief Rabbi of Israel for Calling Black People 'Monkeys'". Haaretz. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  40. ^ [38][4][14][20][17][18][19][39]
  41. ^ Kra-Oz, Tal (March 20, 2018). "Israeli Chief Rabbi Calls African Americans 'Monkeys'". The Tablet. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  42. ^ "Israeli chief rabbi likens black child born to white parents to a monkey". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. March 20, 2018.
  43. ^ [38][4][14][20][17][19][39][42]
  44. ^ Talmud, Berakhot 58b. https://www.sefaria.org/Berakhot.58b.8?lang=bi
  45. ^ "Berachot: 58b". Chabad.org.
  46. ^ Goulbourne, Harry (2001). "Who is a Cushi?". Race and Ethnicity: Solidarities and communities. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-22501-9.
  47. ^ Littky-Porath, Malynnda (May 29, 2014). "Negro… please". The Times of Israel. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  48. ^ "Is 'Kushim' a Racist Israeli Term for Blacks?". Forward. June 15, 2014. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  49. ^ Tarnopolsky, Noga (March 4, 2014). "No, an Israeli mayor did not just call black basketball players the N-word". The World. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  50. ^ Sugarman, Daniel (March 22, 2018). "The JC Comment Blog No.4 – Racism is a two way street". The Jewish Chronicle. London. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  51. ^ Sources with the original Hebrew:
  52. ^ Nota, Bruno (March 22, 2018). "Israeli rabbi under fire for calling black people 'monkeys'". ABC News. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  53. ^ [38][52][19][14]
  54. ^ J. Deane, Yvette (February 28, 2019). "Who's a Jew? Rabbinical courts demand DNA test to prove Judaism – report". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  55. ^ Nachshoni, Kobi (January 7, 2020). "Chief rabbi under fire for branding post-Soviet aliyah 'religion hating gentiles'". ynetnews. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  56. ^ "Israel's Chief Rabbi faces backlash for comments on non-Jewish immigrants". i24NEWS. January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  57. ^ Oster, Marcy (January 8, 2020). "Israeli Chief Rabbi calls former Soviet immigrants 'religion-hating gentiles'". The Forward. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  58. ^ Greenwood, Hanan; Levie, Dan; Shlezinger, Yehuda (January 8, 2020). "Israel's chief Sephardi rabbi faces backlash for comments on non-Jewish immigrants". Israel Hayom.
  59. ^ Nahshoni, Kobi (January 11, 2021). "No mask, no social distancing: chief rabbi ignores health rules". ynetnews. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  60. ^ a b Sharon, Jeremy (June 30, 2021). "Chief Rabbi Yosef: Science, math are nonsense, study in yeshiva instead". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  61. ^ Nachshoni, Kobi (July 5, 2021). "Chief rabbi: Better to live abroad than among secular Israelis". ynetnews. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
Jewish titles
Preceded by Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel
2013–2024 		Most recent
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