Yitzhak Yosef

Former Sephardi chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef denounces Ben-Gvir as election battle intensifies

Former Sephardi chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef denounced Ben-Gvir as arrogant over his Temple Mount visits, as Shas escalates its election campaign amid concerns over losing young Sephardi voters.

|ByANNA BARSKY/MAARIV
Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef. September 06, 2026.
Shas spiritual leader and former Sephardic chief rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, seen during a weekly lecture at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, June 07, 2025; illustrative.

MQG demands gov't open criminal probe into Shas spiritual leader after attack on attorney-general

According to videos shared on social media, Yosef said that Miara was "crazy," and threatened that "God will curse her."

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Amid reports that the Shas Party could be willing to sit with him in government, Yashar Party head Gadi Eisenkot did not rule out that option entirely. Here, Eisenkot attends the Sagi Laws for Equality Confrence at the Peres Center in Jaffa earlier this week.

Why Gadi Eisenkot is rejecting the haredi political embrace that once helped Netanyahu win

POLITICAL AFFAIRS: Yitzhak Yosef’s embrace – and Eisenkot's effort to distance himself from it – reflects Israel's shifting political landscape.

|ByHERB KEINON
Head of Shas party Aryeh Deri and Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef visit at the scene of suspected arson and vandalism at a Jerusalem synagogue which is often frequented by Rabbi Yosef, June 8, 2025.

Shas spiritual leader appears to open door to Eisenkot government, says Netanyahu ‘won’t repent’

The rare remarks suggested that Shas could potentially be open to joining a government led by Eisenkot, raising questions over the longstanding haredi alliance with Netanyahu's bloc.

|ByKESHET NEEV

Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi hints criticism towards Sephardic counterpart on 'exodus' of haredi Jews

Rabbi David Lau said, "We are blessed with an extraordinary generation of soldiers, unwavering in their dedication, who rise to protect the people of Israel, the Torah of Israel, and Israel."

MARCH 18, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau attends a ceremony of the Israeli police for the Jewish new year at the National Headquarters of the Israel Police in Jerusalem on September 5, 2021.

Amid the haredi draft debate, Shas is dragging Israel into its past traumas - opinion

Expecting Netanyahu and Deri to act right overlooks their leadership failures, transforming the conscription crisis from a potential Shas triumph into disaster for the State of Israel.

MARCH 13, 2024ByNIR KIPNISS
The leadership of Shas. History has summoned them to their beautiful hour, but instead they turn it into our bad hour.

Center Field: Rabbis not supporting the war against Hamas are acting irresponsibly

October 7 confirmed that calling for ceasefires prematurely, as many of these “religious leaders” also did in 2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021, is peace-posturing and not peace-seeking. 

MARCH 13, 2024ByGIL TROY
EPHARDI CHIEF Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef was busy insulting more than half of Israel, declaring that when a person eats non-kosher food ‘his brain becomes stupid,’ the writer notes

Israeli government officials slam chief rabbi's threat of haredi exodus

Yair Lapid lambasted the chief rabbi’s remarks on Sunday, stating, “Rabbi Yosef's words are an insult and disgrace to the IDF soldiers who risk their lives to defend the country."

MARCH 10, 2024BySAM HALPERN, ELIAV BREUER
Israel's Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef speaks during the funeral procession of Rabbi Elimelech Wasserman, a senior judge in the Rabbinical Court, in Jerusalem. Rabbi Wasserman was killed in a terror attack earlier today. November 30, 2023.

Mass exodus threatened by chief rabbi if haredim are forced into military service

"The yeshivas and kollels hold up the world. The state exists on Torah study, and without the Torah, the army would not have succeeded."

MARCH 9, 2024ByYAKI ADAMKER
SEPHARDI CHIEF RABBI Yitzhak Yosef speaks at a Shas Party election rally at the Yazdim Synagogue in Jerusalem last year.

Rabbinate releases instructions for keeping Shabbat during wartime

Some laws can be altered or followed differently due to the principle of "pikuach nefesh," asving a person's life.

OCTOBER 12, 2023ByYUVAL BARNEA
ASHKENAZI CHIEF Rabbi David Lau (left) and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef: The silence of our two chief rabbis is thunderously indicative of the abject state of these once meaningful and relevant positions, the writer argues.

Israel's chief rabbi: Secular Jews have lower intelligence, are jealous of haredim

"They do not find satisfaction in life; everything is driven by the desires of this world," Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said.

OCTOBER 1, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israel's Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef speaks during a ceremony of the Israeli police for the Jewish new year at the National Headquarters of the Israel Police in Jerusalem on September 22, 2022.

Herzog visits sukkot of Chief Rabbis ahead of his own sukkah 'open house'

The President and Chief Rabbis agreed that Sukkot should be a time of peace and understanding • President Herzog's own sukkah will emphasize Israeli sports

OCTOBER 1, 2023ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
President Isaac Herzog speaks with Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef in a sukkah, Sunday, October 1, 2023.

Sephardi Chief Rabbi says Ben-Gvir's Temple Mount visits 'cause sin'

The Sephardi chief rabbi has attacked Ben-Gvir for the minister's activism for Temple Mount visits in the past.

JULY 16, 2023ByTZVI JOFFRE
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visits the Temple Mount, May 21, 2023

Israel's chief rabbi elections to be delayed by at least six months - report

Chief rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef were set to end their 10-year terms at the Chief Rabbinate in 2023.

JUNE 2, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
ASHKENAZI CHIEF Rabbi David Lau and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef at an event in Jerusalem earlier this year. Who is lining up to replace them?